Award winning, Norwegian jazz duo Ferner/Juliusson tours in China in October.
Photo: Stian Andersen
The tour is arranged by Concerts Norway in cooperation with WU Promotion, and financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jazz duo Ferner/Juliusson have won the title ‘Young Jazz Musicians of the Year' in the finals of the Norwegian Jazzintro competition, 2010. As the winners of this prestigious and extensive launch programme, the duo will be promoted and play before audiences in Norway and abroad for the following two years. From Oct. 13.-24., they will play before a Chinese audience!
Here are some of the reviews:
"These guys are just fantastic!"
-John Kellman, editor of allaboutjazz.com
"The Jazzintro winning duo Ferner/Juliusson, with Per Arne Ferner on guitar and Per Gunnar Juliusson on the piano, proved to us that they are the best of this format since Bill Evans and Jim Hall recorded the album Undercurrent."
-Journalist Roald Helgheim in the national Norwegian paper Dagsavisen
Broad appeal
Ferner/Juliusson was established in spring, 2008, by guitarist Per Arne Ferner (Oslo, Norway) and pianist Per Gunnar Juliusson (Linköping, Sweden). The duo's music draws upon different musical directions, styles and ideals. They seek a broad appeal with a melodious, personal yet open expression. When playing, they enjoy exploring the tension between structure and freedom, which they find in both improvisation and composition. Their musical references stretch from folk and 20th century classical music, to free-improvisation and jazz. But first and foremost, their aesthetic references resemble a series of ECM-albums from the 1970s; from guitarists Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie, to saxophone player Jan Garbarek, as well as guitarist Pat Metheney.
Intriguing and humorous
The Jazzintro jury gave the duo an extra point for their intriguing and humorous titles, such as: Thank you, dark matter, for keeping us together; This I pointed to, to a disappointed you; and Travelogue for the atoms. Members of the Jazzintro jury for 2010 were: renowned jazz vocalist Karin Krog; saxophone players, Frøy Aagre and John Pål Inderberg; pianist Helge Lien; and head of the jury, Tore Flesjø, from the Norwegian Jazz Forum.
Per Arne Ferner, guitar
Born in 1985 in Oslo, Norway, Per Arne Ferner has been devoted to studying guitar since the age of 12. After exploring many genres of music, from blues and rock to progressive metal he finally discovered classical music and jazz improvisation. He came to realised how important creativity and expression were to him, and consequently music became the most important part of his life.
Ferner is currently studying for an Advanced Post Master's degree in the soloist programme at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark; where he has already completed his Master's in performing arts (jazz guitar).
Highlights in Ferner's career include: participating in the International Realtime Music Symposium 09, led by Ralph Alessi, Tyshawn Sorey and Andy Milne of the Manhattan school for improvised music; and being a member of Flux, who released Peninsulator, a recording with echoes of progressive rock, classical chamber music and post-modern jazz influences ranging from Pat Metheny to Jaga Jazzist. Ferner is responsible for all the compositions on Peninsulator.
Per Gunnar Juliusson, piano
Born in 1984 in Stockholm, Sweden, Per Gunnar Juliusson started playing the violin and piano at age six. As a young performer, Juliusson received the honour of performing solo on national Swedish television and at the Royal Castle.
After being educated in the best schools for jazz and improvised music in Scandinavia, Juliusson received a Bachelor's degree from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Highlights in Juliusson's career include: winning the national Swedish competition for young musicians in 2002; performing with an orchestra that accompanied ninety shows of the musical My Fair Lady; and temping for large-scale bands and jazz orchestras.