Composer, saxophonist and band leader Yuri Honing wins Holland’s most prestigious jazz prize, the VPRO/Boy Edgar Prijs. This prize is awarded annually to a Dutch instrumentalist, composer, arranger or band leader in the area of jazz and improvised music who has distinguished him/herself for a long period of time by his/her active, initiating and above all, original role.

Yuri Honing will receive the VPRO/Boy Edgar Prijs on May 16, 2012 at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam during a special concert program put together by Honing himself. The concerts and the award ceremony (8-12 PM) will be broadcast live on Radio 6 and via vprojazzlive.radio6.nl.

Tour
In 2012 Yuri Honing will be on tour celebrating his award and promoting the new album ‘True’ of the Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet, which will be released February 14 (Challenge Records). With this quartet, but also with his electric group Yuri Honing Wired Paradise he will be performing a/o in The Netherlands, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Canada, China and the USA.

Excerpt jury report
Yuri Honing is blessed with great musical talent, craftsmanship and workmanship. He carries out his profession creatively and inventively in a pioneering and cross-bordering manner.

In the jury deliberation Yuri was called a ‘causer’ (….) He has realized ideas that have continued on their own, ideas that have been copied and that form the origins of new traditions.

Yuri is an admitted opponent of the categorising of music. He has never committed to one specific style or movement (….) He is always eager to collaborate with musicians from various styles such as Arabian music, pop, classical music and dance. Jazz however, always remains his basic point of reference.

He has the ability to realize his artistic ambitions in a convincing manner and shows perseverance and cultural entrepreneurship.