Saxophonist Ulli Jünemann
35 Jahre professioneller Musiker. Meine spannende musikalische Reise geht weiter!
An Endless Passion for Music, for Discovery, for People, for Life...
I am a happy man.
It is no secret that I choose for family and that I have been sick for several years, so my career is surely not at the point where it could be..
But whats left at the end and what counts and really matters is family, health, friends and the passion for music – probably in that order. I think I can say I am a very busy man, working my butt of as a freelancer with my agency for live music on the one side and still trying – on the other side to play and write jazz (and other) music and perform it with the best possible settings and musicians. I always tend to have musicians in the band where I felt that they play at least one league above myself. This was a wise decision which helped me to learn and to get to the point where I am now.
It is very important for me to have a musical connection with my fellow musicians, feeling a bond and the vibe on and off stage. Some kick your ass, some are quiet and gentle, some are rough and some are a mess ;-), but they are there when you need `em.
I have and had the great opportunity to travel and perform in whole Europe and parts of the US and Canada and Africa. Among others Ack van Rooyen, Keith Copeland, Ingrid Jensen, Ian Mc Dougal, Lalo Schifrin, Adam Nussbaum, Slide Hampton a.m.m.
Also Allen Blairman a very quiet, charming voice, (who sadly passed aways still too early) but listen when he goes behind the drums! He taught me to play my own rhythm and to believe. Rocky Knauer told me everything about Chet Baker. Ack van Rooyen was teaching me to throw a musical curved ball. Frank Vaganee and Chris Fagan, they taught me the basics as did Jarmo Hoogendijk, Erik Ineke, Michiel van Dijk and Leo van Oostrom (Nederlands Saxofoonkwartet and Metropol Orchestra Amsterdam) Arnie Chekovsky, Mike Herriott, the (Rob) Mc Connel’s family and many many more who where with me on the road.
Lately, with kids, money-struggle and all problems around I channeled everything down to play with some amazingly beautiful musicians. Gene Jackson, Adam Nussbaum, Jay Anderson (jiihaa), Jeanfrançois Prins ( my musical twin brother and amazing guitar player), Bruno Castellucci, who encourages me not to give up. He is so funny and worked with all the great cats from Chaka Khan to Benny Bailey. Jasper van’t Hof is a dear friend since years and finally invited me to play in his Band „Pili Pili“, a great honor. And also some german based musicians who became my musical friends since I moved to Germany in 1999. Christian Eckert, Martin Lejeune, Thomas Siffling, Ulf Kleiner, Jürgen Wuchner, Uli Partheil, Janusz Stefanski and lately Jürgen Wuchner (who both sadly passed away way too early).
Sorry whoever I missed now! The page would be way too long…
Besides this I won some prices and made it to some finals myself and got some scholarships. E.G. Scholarship Berkeley College, Scholarship Banff Centre for the Arts, Preisträger hessischer Jazz-Förderpreis, Finalist Jazz a Vienne and more..
I was teaching 2009/10 at the conservatory Mainz and was happy to be guest professor at the Musikhochschule Franz List in Weimar 2010.
At the moment I only teach private, very selectively and once a month I do a „clinic“ at the Jazz & Pop School in Darmstadt led by the great pianist Uli Partheil.
