Chris Mentens studied musicology at the Catholic University of Leuven, where he graduated suma cum laude. Although principally self-taught, Chris studied intermittently under Hein Van De Geyn, John Clayton and Ricardo Delfra.

Chris teaches Jazz History at the Music Conservatory of Antwerp, at the Hogeschool van Antwerpen, at the Antwerp High School for the Arts and at the Antwerp Jazz Studio.

Chris has accompanied solo artists from Mal Waldron, Deborah Brown, Gordon Brisker, Al De Fino and Slide Hampton to Gene Connors, Sylvia Droste and Judy Niemack. He is a member of The Chris Joris Experience and No Vibrato. The CDs and concerts of these and other bands include Chris Mentens’s original compositions. Chris has recently teamed up with Los Angeles-based vibraphone player Eldad Tarmu, for club dates in Los Angeles and European tours in 2001 and 2002. They recorded a live-CD in Berlin (coming out soon) together with Daniel Glass (drums) and Cengiz Yaltkaya (piano).

Chris Mentens’s own band is the Chris Mentens Jazz Van, a quintet with Sam Versweyfeld (trumpet), Joe Higham (sax), Jan Nihoul (vibes) and Bilou Doneux (drums). Jazz Van plays original compositions and arrangements by Chris Mentens.