The Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet was formed in 2009. This quartet is Honing’s most recent group, with which he takes the development of his playing - from virtuoso, high, fast and loud, to well placed notes, melodic, structured and clear – to a new level. The term ‘acoustic’ has for Yuri, almost obviously, no dogmatic meaning: in this new group, soundscapes and electronic sound effects are and will remain part of the total sound.

His non-acoustic band Yuri Honing Wired Paradise, formed in 2006, brings him international success with a fully contemporary style of jazzrock. In this context too it is clear that Yuri has found inspiration in a broad range of genres and styles, from pop and jazz to classical music. To speak in Honing’s own words: "I find this difference bullshit anyway".

The beginning of Honing’s career is marked by the Yuri Honing Trio, formed in 1990 with bassist Tony Overwater and drummer Joost Lijbaart. The trio has its international breakthrough in 1996. Their music is characterised by great harmonic freedom and inventiveness: they play their own compositions alongside self-willed adaptations of pop songs, from Abba and The Police to Björk and Blondie.

In the 1990s we also find Yuri collaborating with pianist Misha Mengelberg, with whom he records a CD featuring twelve free improvisations. Two years later this project gets a follow up at the North Sea Jazz Festival with cello-player Ernst Reijseger as third improviser.

In 2001 Yuri Honing receives an Edison Jazz Award for his album ‘Seven’, on which he collaborates with – and on the invitation of - the renowned American pianist Paul Bley, drummer Paul Motian and bassist Gary Peacock. In the same year Yuri organizes a tour under the name Orient Express. During an earlier tour through the Middle East, Yuri had met Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich and the Iraqi ud-players Basem Havar and Latif Al-Obeidy. Honing studies Arabian microtonality and translates this idiom to the saxophone, creating an organic and musically consistent sound which is later on continued by Rima Khcheich and her band.

Other examples of his work are his broadly oriented collaborative projects from the past decade which include: the CD ‘Symphonic’ recorded with the Metropole Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza, Schubert’s Winterreise with pianist Nora Mulder, the CD ‘Memory Lane’ with members of the Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest, the CD ‘Phase Five’ recorded with Floris Klinkert which includes contributions by singer/songwriters Janne Schra, Sarah Bettens and Lilian Vieira, and more recently a reconstruction of the flute recitals of Johann Sebastiaan Bach, with recorder player Erik Bosgraaf.

Finally, Honing’s festival Winterreise in Paradiso has, with five past editions, now become an annual tradition. During this end of year concert Yuri combines his own music with some extremely diverse musical styles and special guests: from Ellen ten Damme to Roosbeef, from Huub van der Lubbe to Torre Florim, singer of Dutch rock band De Staat.

On behalf of the jury of the VPRO/Boy Edgar Prijs 2012

Hans Zuiderbaan,                                                    Aad van Nieuwkerk,
Chairman                                                                 Secretary

The jury consisted of:
Aad van Nieuwkerk: programme maker/presenter VPRO radio
Hans Zuiderbaan: chairman Porgy & Bess Foundation, Terneuzen
Friederike Darius: artistic manager Jazz Academy Codarts, Rotterdam
Paul Evers: chief editor Jazzism
Annelies van Esveld: head of production Bimhuis, Amsterdam