[1][note 2] He attended the Stephen Bull Fine Arts School, where he began playing the tenor saxophone.

[1] At the age of 15 he and his family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he attended William H. Hall High School.

[1] He met pianist Brad Mehldau at school, and the two had weekly gigs locally.

[1] "After leaving high school in 1988, Frahm attended Rutgers University for a year before transferring to The Manhattan School of Music, and following graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Performance he entered Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead workshop.

"[1] Frahm lists saxophonists John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Chris Potter as influences.