Joan Fort
Guitarist | Composer | Bandleader | Educator
Clinics, Masterclasses & Educational Programs
In addition to concert performances, Joan Fort is available for educational engagements with universities, conservatories, secondary schools, jazz academies, and international music programs.
Fort's experience as an international performer and recording artist informs an educational approach grounded in the practical demands of jazz performance.
Available educational topics include:
Jazz improvisation and melodic development
Jazz guitar technique, harmony, and accompaniment
Bebop language and its application to contemporary performance
Ensemble interaction, listening, and rhythmic communication
Small-group rehearsal and performance techniques
Composition, arranging, and interpretation
Jazz combo coaching and sectional instruction
Programs may include individual masterclasses, ensemble clinics, workshops, guest artist residencies, and performances with student ensembles.
Educational engagements may also be developed around the Sarah Hanahan & Joan Fort Quartet, allowing students to work directly with an active international touring ensemble.
Formats: 60–90-minute masterclasses, half-day workshops, full-day programs, and mult-iday residencies by arrangement.
Book Joan Fort
Worldwide Concerts | Jazz Festivals | Clubs | Performing Arts Centers | Educational Engagements
DGL Artists coordinates booking inquiries for Joan Fort's available touring projects, collaborative ensembles, clinics, masterclasses, and educational residencies.
For performance availability, programming options, artist fees, technical requirements, and routing opportunities, contact DGL Artists.
Booking Representation: DGL Artists
Jazz rooted in tradition, shaped by a contemporary musical voice.
Based in Amsterdam, Spanish guitarist and composer Joan Fort has developed an international career through performances, recordings, and collaborations with leading musicians across Europe, the United States, and Asia.
His work draws on the language of straight-ahead jazz, with an emphasis on melodic invention, harmonic clarity, rhythmic interplay, and ensemble communication. Whether performing as a leader, collaborating with established artists, or working with students, Fort brings a strong command of the jazz tradition and a distinctive approach to improvisation.
His collaborators include Dick Oatts, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring, Grant Stewart, Sarah Hanahan, Jorge Rossy, Michael Weiss, Jesse Davis, and Benjamin Herman.
About Joan Fort
Joan Fort is a Spanish jazz guitarist, composer, and bandleader based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. A graduate of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, with graduate study also at Temple University in Philadelphia, Fort has established himself as an active performer and recording artist on the international jazz scene.
His music reflects a deep engagement with the jazz guitar tradition and a particular interest in the relationship between composition and improvisation. His playing combines melodic development, harmonic sophistication, rhythmic flexibility, and attentive interaction with fellow musicians.
Fort has performed with an extensive range of artists, including Dick Oatts, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring, Grant Stewart, Jorge Rossy, Bill McHenry, Michael Weiss, Jasper Blom, and Sarah Hanahan.
As a member of the co-led ensemble The Dam Jawn, Fort recorded Master St. (2023) and Forward! (2024), both featuring saxophonist Dick Oatts. Master St. received a nomination for the Edison Jazz Award. In 2024, The Dam Jawn performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt as a special guest.
Fort's 2026 leader recording, Hangin' In, was recorded in New York with Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone, Michael Weiss on piano, David Wong on bass, and Aaron Kimmel on drums. The album features original compositions alongside selected works from the jazz repertoire.
His performance history includes the North Sea Jazz Festival, Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Jazzclub Unterfahrt in Munich, BIX in Stuttgart, Chris' Jazz Café in Philadelphia, and the Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival.
Through his work as a performer, composer, collaborator, and educator, Fort continues to develop a career connecting European and American jazz traditions.
Available Projects
Joan Fort is available for international festivals, jazz clubs, performing arts centers, concert series, universities, conservatories, and educational residencies.
Sarah Hanahan & Joan Fort Quartet
Contemporary straight-ahead jazz | International touring ensemble
Featuring:
Sarah Hanahan, alto saxophone
Joan Fort, guitar
Philip Lewin, bass
Frederik Villmow, drums
This piano-less quartet places saxophone and guitar at the center of its harmonic and melodic conversation. Hanahan's saxophone playing and Fort's guitar work develop an interactive approach to melody, improvisation, and rhythmic phrasing, supported by a responsive bass-and-drums foundation.
With a repertoire incorporating jazz standards and original compositions, the quartet offers an engaging concert program for jazz festivals, clubs, and concert presenters.
Available for concerts, festivals, masterclasses, and educational residencies.
Vincent Herring & Joan Fort Trio
Straight-ahead jazz | Featured artist collaboration
This project brings Fort's guitar-centered ensemble together with acclaimed alto saxophonist Vincent Herring.
Drawing from the bebop and hard-bop traditions, the collaboration emphasizes melodic improvisation, rhythmic drive, harmonic interaction, and the conversational nature of small-group jazz.
An appealing program for festivals, established jazz clubs, and concert series seeking a featured saxophone and guitar collaboration.
Joan Fort New York Quintet
Original compositions | Modern straight-ahead jazz
Fort's New York recording project features compositions developed through his musical experiences in Amsterdam and New York.
His album Hangin' In brings together Grant Stewart, Michael Weiss, David Wong, and Aaron Kimmel in a program combining original music and compositions drawn from the jazz repertoire.
The project reflects Fort's interests as both guitarist and composer, balancing arranged material with the freedom and interaction of small-group improvisation.
Available in configurations subject to artist and personnel availability.
Joan Fort Trio & Quartet
Flexible small-group jazz programming
Joan Fort's trio and quartet formats offer presenters a flexible performance option for intimate jazz clubs, concert series, museums, and festivals.
These ensembles emphasize improvisation, repertoire, and musical interaction, drawing from Fort's original compositions and the broader jazz tradition.
Guest artists and instrumentation can be discussed according to the program, location, and available personnel.
Joan Fort & Rob van Bavel Duo
Jazz guitar and piano | Intimate concert programming
A collaborative format featuring guitarist Joan Fort and pianist Rob van Bavel, suited to listening rooms, jazz clubs, chamber-style concert settings, and intimate performance spaces.
The guitar-and-piano instrumentation offers opportunities for melodic exchange, harmonic interplay, and improvisational dialogue.