Saxophonist and composer Yuri Honing is one of the most successful Dutch jazz musicians. Even before he graduated Cum Laude at the Conservatory of Amsterdam a double bill with Branford Marsalis at an international jazz festival provided him his first record contract and national acclaim.
Honing’s international breakthrough is in 1996 with the release of Star Tracks, an album based on pop songs performed with his trio. It’s then when Honing starts describing jazz as a language, not a style.

 From that moment on Honing starts to work with top players from around the world.
He records and plays with Misha Mengelberg, and their album Playing receives an Edison nomination in 1998.In 2001 Honing leaves for New York to record the Edison awarded album Seven with the legendary pianist Paul Bley, double bass player Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian. Following this release Honing teams up with Paul Bley and bass legend Charlie Haden in Holland.

 In 2003 Honing performs with world-renowned guitarist Pat Metheny and bassist Scott Colley at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Yuri Honing also produces impressive projects with bigger ensembles. In 2001 his cross-over between Arab music and European progressive jazz, Orient Express, draws a lot of attention and once again Honing receives an Edison nomination.
On Memory Lane (2002), the saxophonist works together with The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
A few years later his collaboration with conductor/arranger Vince Mendoza and the Metropole Orchestra results in the highly acclaimed album Symphonic.
In 2006 Honing starts the electric group Wired Paradise, consisting of the Yuri Honing Trio featuring the German avant-garde jazz guitarist Frank Möbus (Der Rote Bereich) and the Dutch rock guitar hero Paul Jan Bakker (Anouk, Kane).  The highly original debut double CD Temptation once again produced an Edison nomination for Honing.
While the saxophonist travels all over the world (more than 50 countries) with his acoustic trio and while his innovating electric group gains more and more popularity in Europe, the year 2007 embodies Honing’s first classical music release. Together with pianist Nora Mulder he sinks his teeth in the ‘vocals’ of Schubert’s Winterreise.
In December 2007 he presents his first edition of his annual music fest Winterreise in Paradiso, the world famous popstage where names like Prince, The Police and

 The Rolling Stones gave memorable performances. On this premiere he plays Schubert’s Winterreise, performs with the new Wired Paradise and is a featured soloist with the Rima Khcheich Group. It’s a huge success, resulting in a new annual music festival in Paradiso, Amsterdam with a set date on December 29th.
In spring 2008 the long awaited second album of Wired Paradise, Meet Your Demons, will be released.

photo: speer fotografie