After studies at the Conservatoire in Le Mans, Jean-Louis turned his attention towards jazz, playing in many of the country's major big bands (Big Band Jean-Loup Longnon, Big Band Ornicar, Bande à Badault, ONJ Badault and Barthélemy, Onztet de Caratini, Multicolor Feeling d’Eddy Louiss, Zoom Top Orchestra, Le Gros Cube d’Alban Darche...), all the while continuing his work in teaching and composition (commissions from Radio France, Europa Jazz Festival…), notably with his own "laboratory", the group Qüntêt. At the end of the 1990s Jean-Louis co-founded the jazz / improvised music label Yolk.