Filip Jers - Spiro released 4 of may 2011 on Fojablue Records.

Filip Jers – Spiro

World Harmonica Champion Filip Jers releases his whished-for solodebut- CD, that he calls "Spiro". "Spiro" means "to breathe" in latin. On his solodebut Filip Jers breathes notes out of his harmonica. He also plays guitar, accordion and jawharp on the CD. All thirteen songs are composed by Filip Jers with inspiration from the purple notes of jazz, the blue of the blues and the green notes of folkmusic.
The CD is a musical journey with focus on the soulfull sound of the harmonica and its unique possibilites in the wonderful world of music.

Spring 2011 Filip graduated with a masterdegree in music from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, as the first harmonica player ever.

To buy the CD, shipping worldwide

www.filipjers.com

Below reviews, only in Swedish

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Filip Jers: Spiro Fojablue Records

Allt gott kommer från Höör. Hilding Rosenberg. Ola Hanssons favoritsemesterort.  Sommaroperor under ledning av Nihlén och Edén. Nils Ludvigs. Platsen där racinglegenden Ronnie Peterson vann D-klassen den 3 juni 1963. De första invandrarna när istidens is drog sig tillbaka norrut.

Och nu Filip Jers.

Fast det är ingen nyhet, Filip har förgyllt mången konsert med sitt spelande, inte minst när han och Svante Sjöblom spelade på bluesfestivalen i Eslöv för redan många år sedan, världsmästare på munspel redan 2005, nu först ut från Musikhögskolan i Stockholm som munspelare.

Ack vad detta kunde blivit en själlös uppvisning i teknisk briljans, om inte Filip haft ett gott omdöme. I stället blir det en skiva som andas, ömsom jazz, ömsom blå toner som slår över i folkton, där en väl genomtänkt ljudbild, ibland påträngande, ibland backar den ett par steg, förstärker närvaron.

Vad månde det bliva av detta unga geni?

Köp.

4

Jan-Erik Zandersson

 

 

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Filip Jers

Det som imponerar mest med Filip Jers debutskiva som solist är det breda genrespektrat och hur olika låtarna är varandra. Alla är originalkompositioner av Jers och är både fria improvisationsnummer, folkmusik, jazzigare verk, retroblues, en och annan popdänga och några flytande naturbetraktelser. Jers spelar förutom munspel även gitarr, dragspel och mungiga. Man får framför allt säga att det var svårt att tro att en munspelsskiva kunde vara såhär intressant och varierad. Förhoppningsvis kan ljudbilden komma att utvecklas ännu mer framöver.

Magnus Mjöhagen

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This is good .


Stevie plays fantastic. A fantastic feeling, tone and musical genius. There is everything!

He plays really hard on the chromatic too, I wonder how high he must tunes his harmonicas....

Yesterday night I played a lot on my small Hering 10 Hole Chromatic. Its a very nice instrument. Very portable too. Has the range from C to F# two octaves up. I like it!


I also got my Bachelor Degree in Jazz perfomance from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. It feels very good :)

I also got a scholarship from school, so soon I will invest in a Suzuki 39 hole Bassharmonica!

Stay tuned

Filipo

I have found out that when you go through a security checkin in an airport, its best to take out all the harmonicas, say: This is harmonica, musical instruments. Then they look at you and say: Okey.

I carry often 2 chromatics, 7 diatonics and 1 bassharmonica in small different cases, in my backpack when I am traveling with airplanes.

Before I often had these 3 cases inside one big bag, then I always have to take them out and explain.
But if I take them out before the x-ray, its never a problem.

I enjoy so much, when they ask, What do you have? Show me. Please open. 
Then I to take out the harmonica, (often chromatic) and play some hardhitting jazz.. Somestimes I play something really childish and stupid. And they (personel) look so embarrased and they say: yes yes good put it down, and their colleagues often start to laugh.

HEHE!

Anyway. How does harmonicaplayers do when traveling with planes? I often have one setup in the handluggage and one in the check in. But I only have one bassharmonica, so that one I take in the handluggage.

Sir yes Sir

F.

Last months has been intense and very nice. I was on a two week tour with Stockholm Lisboa Project in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. We played in 

Austria - Sargfabrik Event in Vienna;
Switzerland - Klubschule Migros - St Gallen, Rudolf Steiner Schule - Basel, Kellertheatre - Langnau and Folk Club Zuri - Zurich
Germany - Nordischer Klang Festival - Greifswald, WDR Recording in Bad Honnef and Venner Folk Fruhling in Osnabruck

On this tour we released our new CD, "Diagonal" on Nomis Musik & Westpark Music. We sold around 200 CDs on this first tour, so its looking good! You are welcome to listen to a few tracks on the player below! 

href="http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/28/426190/Artist/0/User/link" mce_href="http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/28/426190/Artist/0/User/link">
 
Buy it here StockholmLisboa Project , CDbaby and on iTunes Store!

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I used my standard harmonica setup for this tour with this band. On this tour I did not bring many extras harmonicas in other keys. Just in the keys I needed. It was a nice step, I often bring to to many harmonicas.
I used diatonic D, A, Bb, G - I had 3 of each key
Chromatic - Hering Chromatic Deluxe 64, Antique Gold 64 x 2, Standard 5148 and a Velvet Voice and my Hohner 29 hole bassharmonica.
I used almost only the Hering Chromatic Deluxe 64, hehe just one single chromatic for all gigs. Its so typical it comes like that, you bring 5 chromatic harmonicas for a tour and then you use one..

On the bassharmonica I used my new Suzuki Bassharmonica Microphonecalled HMB-3 für Bass SDB29. It is a condenser mic that you attach to the back of the instrument. I also used a Art tube amp pre-amplifier to be able to get a nice gain. I have heard that if you gain to much from the Suzuki mic, it feedbacks easier, so its better to produce more gain from a pre-amp.
I am really really happy with this microphone! I had no problems with feedback. It works so good, the fat base bottom really comes out, its fantastic.

If you play bassharmonica yourself you have to try it! I bought mine from Harponline.
Harponline is a very nice harmonica store, based in Germany. Very good prices and easy to work with.

Right now I am in a hotelroom in Sibiu, Romania, east of Europe. This is country where vampyres comes from! Dracula!
We are playing with Stockholm Lisboa at a theaterfestival here, yesterday one very nice gig at a big concerthall



Very nice room, wonderful audience and we sold 50 CDs after the concert. I am happy!
Tonight we play at another place, I dont know where yet. Haha. But I will write about it. Heading back to stockholm, Sweden on thursday.

The examconcert went veeery nice :) Both musical, harmonicawise,  sprititual and happy faces everywhere!
 It was around 100 people in the audience, and I only knew around 20, so thats reaally good I think!
After the concert my mom and girlfriend had made some nice snacks and drinks so we all hanged out after, very nice!

Now I only have to hand in a 30 page essay and write and stringarrangement, then I am done with my education at the Royal Academy of Music.. So far... :)

The concert was recorded to, when I have mixed it I will post it here!

I used some different harmonicas;
Hering Chromatic 64 Antique-Gold, Hering Velvet Voice, Vintage Harp and Hohner 29 hole Bass Harmonica. For the chromatic and diatonic harps I used a SM58 and on the Bassharmonica a Sennheiser 421.
I broke the highest A on the Velvet Voice. Its now between A and Ab. And a broken reed. What to do. The harmonica has served me well, I have used almost everyday in 2,5 years.

I had food pretty close to the concert, it was not so good, but I didnt ate so much, so I could use my stomach and diafragma to play. That is a problem with harmonica, the eating habits has to be timed.

I have had intense week after tuesday, on wedneys i slept and then went to a concert with the great harmonica-band Sväng at Stallet in Stockholm. They are really good!  Check them out!
Thursday I rehearsed with some great folkmusicians for a concert in Switzerland in may, then went to pop/blues recording session in the South of Stockholm, then in the evening my quartet played a nice hotel-bar gig in Skanstull in Stockholm.
Friday I had a stringquartet lesson then rehearshed the whole afternoon with a new bluesgrass/country band. We recorded two songs today, I will also link to it when we have mixed.
Tomorrow its time for a concert with Almqvist Projekt, I have mentioned the band below. We are going to play at an arthall in Norrtälje at 6 o´clock.

Now its time for TV !

/ Filip

Here is video with a song we played at the exam-concert, called Who Is BOB ?

Tomorrow its time for my examination concert at the Royal Academy of Music! I am studying a 3 year bachelor jazzmusician program now, so this concert its the final examination/graduation for that education. It feels really nice  :)
The graduation/exam course is a project that you work a lot on, you can choose exactly what you want to do. Most people start their own band and make music. Either recording the music or playing concerts. I have done both! :)
I applied for a jazzmaster grade and music-pedagogy studies for next year, lets see if I come in.

My examination work is my jazzquartet, you can hear one song here


We have already played 2 concerts and recorded a 8 eight track demo, so I feel really comfortable for this concert! Thats a nice feeling to have, when you are doing your final exam.
We play mainly my own composed music, but also some jazzstandards and two "polskas" a swedish folkmusic style.
The whole project is really inspired by Toots Thielemans. Nice jazz with funny melodies. But I didn´t wanted to play the same songs as Toots does, so I composed my own. Toots has done so so much different music, not only bluesette! Right now I am listening to his playing on the CD You´ve got it bad girl by Quincy Jones.
Its also a really nice feeling to have your own jazzquartet! I love that format. Chromatic harmonica, guitar, double bass and drums. Nice nice.

Today I will listen to good music I really like, tune some harmonicas and hangout in the sun.

all di good

filip

ps. If anyone who reads this has done a muscian-bachelor(or similar) degree as a harmonicaplayer please add a comment and we can discuss it :) ! ds.

I have had a long evening. Learning the youtube-function. Now I am sitting with a Bb-Master Blues in my mouth and doing some breathing exercises.

Here some Youtube Clips, you find info attached on the clips! Happy watching and listening !



Next one



and end with a chromatic harmonica one!

I have a myspace that where I have songs from my different bands and projects. Listen to it here:

http://www.myspace.com/filipjers

Here is some harmonica-info to each song.

509 Djursholmstorg - Here I play a Hering Velvet Voice 12 hole in C major. This tune is in F major, contains some chords out of the key (G7#11, Gb7, Ab6/9, Em7, Abmaj7 and so on.)but stays pretty much in there. Its some standard jazzmodulations, on the 2-5s , altered modes, subsituted chords and so. F is a good key on chromatic harmonica.

Rosa Da Noite - I play a Hohner 29 hole Bass Harmonica and a A diatonic Vintage Harp by Hering. The tune is in Bminor / D major. Some extra dominants are put in. The diatonic harmonica solo is played in what is called 12 th position (D on a A harp) and just happends to suite perfect there. Then some phrasing is more calculated from 3rd position. The tune is from the coming CD "Diagonal" with the great band Stockholm Lisboa Project.

Vals efter Lasse i Lyby - I use a Hering 16 hole Chromatic Antique Gold. The tune is in D-minor.  I first played the melody one octave down and the lowest octave of the 16 hole harmonica really comes out. I really like to play down there, feels cripsy, big and fat. Some valve buzzing easy appears, but for me its not a big problem (soundwise, I think it sounds intersting. The same sound can come on saxophone) One way to come around it is to play with a lot of warm and soft air. The harmonca and mandolin unison is really nice, completely different instruments but they can really fit togheter. This tune is from a place close to my home village, it means a lot to me!

Nyp - On this tune (composed by Sérgio Chrisostomo) I play a Hering Chromatic Deluxe 64. A pretty fast tune, and there is some hard places. The tune is in some sort for D-minor, and a lot of notes that it just D F A D, the minor arpeggio and I found it hard to play it exactly tight even if its just inhaling. I practised a lot on it. I also do some accomp on the first round, I like playing like that on chromatic harmonica. The song style is Polska, an old swedish danceform.

Sophisticated Lady - A Hering Chromatic Deluxe 64 is used for this nice jazzstandard. I met Toots Thielemans last summer and he asked me if I knew this song. I only knew the A parts then, but I checked out the whole song and here it is. It is nice jazzstandard in Ab / G and lays really good on a C chromatic harmonica. The really tricky parts on this song is solo on the chromatic dominant chords that is going downwards. But Henrik the guitarplayer does a great work. When we recorded this tune I really wanted to a have warm jazz ballad style sound, hope we made that happend!

Polska efter J.Brunn - Here I also used aHering Chromatic Deluxe 64. This tune is from my home village. Its nice to learn those tunes. I mostly just play the melody on this tune, but I really like doing that. Keeping on playing playing playing the same melody in different octaves. On the intro I play D-A in a rhytmic pattern, sounds a bit like a drone fiddle.

Badkarsmusik  - I use a Hering Vintage Diatonic in G on the train-like intro. Then on the melody,  the same harmonica in Bb. The tune is in some sort of G minor/Gmajor, swichtes almost every other bar. But it works good in 4th position. A lot of bending/overblowing is needed, but on this tune I thing those techniques sounds really good. I composed this tune myself for this band, which on this live recording features the great saxophonist Jonas Knutsson. The diatonic harmonica and soprano saxophone sounds really nice togheter I think.

My one and only love - Here I use a Vintage harp in G. Played in 12 position. I heard this song first from Howard Levy´s CD Cappuchino, and its just great. The tune lays really good in 12 position, all the chords and the melody comes out nice. The recording is a live recording from a concert in Malmö, south in Sweden.

Hope you liked the info and liked listening to the songs!

all the best

Filip

I played a very nice gig yesterday in Stallet, Stockholm. Its the main stage for folkmusic in Stockholm, so I was very happy to play there. It was a night for unsigned bands, and I played with my trio Jers, Lindbom&Zetterlund.
Listen to us here:
http://www.myspace.com/jerslindbomzetterlund

I used pretty many different harps,Hering Vintage and Blues Diatonics in D, C, A and G. Played in different positions. The irish tunes (Morning Star&Crowleys Reel, learned from Brendan Powers book) in 1st position, a St James Infirmary in 3rd, Cherokee Shuffle and polska efter Måns NerOlle and Polska från Rättvik in first position.
I also played a 64 hole Hering chromatic on a waltz from Southern Sweden and on a Bulgarien tune called Der Hesyer Bulgar.
We played a wild set as you understand, songs from all over the world, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, America, Bulgaria.
On two songs I played accordion, two waltzes from the north of Sweden.
It was filmed too, so hopefully I can put somethings online in a near future.

I always bring too many harmonicas to a gig. Haha. Wonder why. I used one chromatic harmonica and brought four. I used four diatonic harps and brought like 13. Interesting. I have always had like double upset of every key, on every gig. It has only happend once that I broke a harmonica in the middle of a tune, a Suzuki Pro-master in C, and then I switched directly to Golden Melody.

Before this gig I listened to the Trio Globo album again (read below)

and this record New Irish Harmonica,
By Brendan Power.

Very nice CD ! Great playing, sounding and swinging. If you are a harmonicaplayer and don´t have it, buy it!

Today when I practised on my chromatic harmonica the second octave G note stucked really annoying. I got a bit mad, but cooled down and unscrewed the covers and just clean the valve, removed the condens from my breath. And now it works great again! Im so happy I learned that trick. Back to practise!

Today I played a nice concert in Gottsunda Church outside Uppsala in Sweden.
A singer, pianoplayer, double bass and me on chromatic and diatonic harmonica.
Last week we played a gig live on broadcast radio and in three weeks we have one more job at a Art Hall in Norrtälje.
The music is mix of jazz and songs in a swedish folkstyle. You can buy the CD here:
http://www.artegen.se/

I used my Hering golden antique 64 the whole concert and a Vintage Harp in Bb one song and Vintage harp in G one song. I had the all the harmonicas in my pocket, 15 minutes before the concert an they were great warmed up.
I am really happy to use the same chromatic harmonica the whole concert (about an hour), sometimes the harmonica slider gets sloppy and slow after 3 songs, but this evening I could use the same the whole. Does anyone has that problem to?
I often change every three songs, to have a smooth slide working.

On the diatonic I can really feel how much I love the feeling of playing on a G harp. So nice, the timber and feeling of holding a long note really long is great. I don´t use high harmonicas that much, I break a D harps  reeds really easy.

I drank 2 coups of hot coffee before the gig  (around 40 minutes before) too and cleaned my mouth and drank some cold water just 10 minutes before. Drinking coffee just precise before doesnt work for me. I get really slow and sausy on the mouth. Thats one of the bad things with harmonica, that you have too be aware of eating/drinking habits before a concert. When I practise accordion or guitar I often have a big time cosy coffee sandwhich choclate bla bla bla when I play.

Thats it for now
Sir Yes Sir

My first musical memory (strongest memory I have as a child) is that it is august afternoon, a bit before the summerstorm feeling, rain and thunder in the air and dark clouds. On the front stair of our house my father is sitting and playing diatonic harmonica. I remember that moment and feeling SO strong in my body. The sound of the harmonica and the tension in the nature.
I was around 4 maybe 5 years old at that time. Since then I have been in love with the sound.

My father played a lot of bluesharmonica records at home as when I was little. He also plays harmonica himself. Good blues style, in the Sonny Boy II / Little Walter tradition.

My grandfather also played harmonica, mostly at parties when he was having a beer och booze. He came from the forest in the middle of Sweden and knew some traditonal dance tunes. I never got to play with him, I would have loved to play those tunes. Its a technique called "tungbas" = tongue base. Have the harmonica in your mouth and block holes with the tongue and release it to get a chordal / rhythmic effect. Very nice for traditonal dance tunes.

My mothers grandfather also played a lot of harmonica. I never met him though. My family used to say that he called people on their birthdays and played them a happy tune right in the phone. He just started to play when they picked up the phone. On time he called wrong and started to play and the person on the other side started to complain and ask "why the hell are you calling me and playing harmonica in the phone?" Since that, he always let then answering people say his name before he started to play.
He also played a lot dance. Dans ute på logen. Thats swedish. Its like, have a dance in the dancing-court in the forest. A place for workers, men and women, where they drank beer and booze, danced and played music.

Both grandfathers played single and doublerow diatonic harmonicas. Sometimes tremolo-tuned, sometimes straight tuned.

Anyway.

Please comment if you read this post.

Today I have listened to Trio Globos CD titled "Trio Globo" featuring
Eugene Friesen : Cello and voice
Howard Levy : Piano, Pennywhistle, Hohner diatonic harmonicas, double ocarina by J.C. Hind
Glen Velez : frame drums, percussion, overtone singing, sruti box, dulcimer

What a CD ! This is fantastic. Great music played by great musicians. Very nice interplay, interesting compositions and suberb musicianship.

Because this is a harmonicablog, I will write about Howard Levys playing.

I can´t say anything else than it´s really great. His whole spectrum of timbre is coming out on this CD. His vibrato, his tone, his musical ideas. When he bends/overblow/draws a note, its always great intonated and good sounding. His ability to play fast really comes out on this CD too, listen to the song "Coda". I love the melodyplaying on the song "Darkness". And the unison piano-harmonica "Living on Breath".

It feels like he is playing Golden Melody harmonicas on this CD. I like a lot that he uses different diatonic harmonicas in different keys. The timbre gets so varied, my ears never get bored.

If you don´t have it, get it!! I bought mine from iTunes.

Who is writing?
My name is Filip Jers. I am a harmonicaplayer from Sweden.
I live in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Its great.
Here I study at the jazzprogram at the Royal Academy of Music as the first harmonicaplayer ever. I am in my third year now and plans to continue to study as much as possible.

I play both chromatic, diatonic and bassharmonica.
For soundsamples please check

My main myspace-page
http://www.myspace.com/filipjers

My jazzquartet
www.myspace.com/filipjerskvartett

My folktrio
http://www.myspace.com/jerslindbomzetterlund

I have played a lot of different instruments. Started out on cello at 8 years old, then switched to guitar at 13 and the same year I started playing diatonic harmonica. I also played a lot of electric bass, accordion and piano.
But when I was studying accordion at Sundsgårdens Folkhögskola in Helsingborg, Sweden I felt that, "I am a harmonicaplayer". So in november 2005 I packed my bags and harmonicas and flew down to Trossingen in South-West Germany. There I competed in the World Harmonica Championships and won gold prize in both Jazz diatonic and diatonic Blues/rock/folk/country. I was 18 at that time and really really happy !

Since then I have been focusing on harmonica and music.

Thats it for now. Please check my links for more info if you want!