Frank Reinshagen

Born in 1961; Frank Reinshagen is a German saxophonist, jazz composer and arranger from the Saarland. He studied at the Cologne Musikhochschule with Heiner Wiberny and Jerry van Rooyen and later taught there himself; he also directed the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. From 1993 to 1998 he gained theatre experience as saxophonist and arranger at the Staatstheater Saarbrücken, and in 1996 he released the CD “Bitter Wine” with his own big band. He has taken part in productions of the big bands of the NDR, WDR, HR and RTL and of the BundesJazzOrchester, and has worked with soloists such as Wolfgang Dauner, Clark Terry, Charlie Mariano, Lee Konitz and Dino Saluzzi. In 2004 he received the WDR Jazz Prize, awarded for the first time that year. He has also written concert works, for example “Study for Low Woodwinds” for cor anglais and bass clarinet in 1995 and “Encounter” for eight flutes and marimba in 1997; numerous arrangements of his have been published by Schott. On the Cybele album The Invitation – Saxophone Quartets of the 20th Century (2007) he is represented with the title piece “The Invitation”, which he wrote in 2002 for the Tetraphonics Saxophone Quartet after the poem of the same name by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.