Guy Sion

Guy Sion
Sion perform "Paris Jazz Nights" at the 2016 Uhørt in Oslo
Background information
Born	1980 (age 36–37)
Origin	Israel
Genres	Jazz, ethno jazz, folk jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Saxophone, vocals
Website	www.guysion.com

Guy Sion (born 1980 in Israel) is an Israeli jazz saxophonist, residing in Oslo, Norway.

Sion was raised in a town in Israel, on the Mediterranean coastline. He started playing the saxophone at the age of 9, and at 13 he joined his city youth band and toured Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and China. The same year he was introduced to Jazz, and in 1998 he attended the Jazz Summer Workshop in Perugia, Italy, winning a scholarship to Berklee College of Music. In 2000, he continued his musical studies at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and was active on the Israeli jazz scene. There after he performed with his own ensemble and sitting in with different big bands at different venues and festivals all over Israel.

In 2002 Sion moved to the Netherlands to attend studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory. At the same time he performed regularly at jazz clubs and cafés in Amsterdam, and was for 3 years part of the house band in the monthly festival ‘Breathing Bijlmer’, a festival that introduces new talents in a multicultural setting. In 2003, he toured with the famous Dutch theatre actress Jetty Mathurin in the ‘Mathurin Meets Music’ Tour. In 2004, he also joined the Amsterdam-based band Or Le Israel. The band performed different styles of music from Pop to Klezmer and played at events all over Europe.

After graduation in 2005, Sion moved to New York City. Inspired by the city’s life and rich music scene he continued to develop his voice, composition and arranging skills. During those years, he played at various music venues around in New York City, and also worked as a saxophone teacher. In 2009 he was prompted to play a solo piece of ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ by Mussorgsky with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra (NASO), and in 2010 he released his debut solo album Half the Battle.

Sion moved to Oslo, Norway, in late 2010 and started working as a music teacher in the Oslo area. He performed at the 2011 Moldejazz with his Lennie Tristano tribute band Crosscurrent. In January 2012 Sion released his second album Away featuring Norwegian the guitarist Bjørn Vidar Solli and pianist Erlend Slettevoll. Away was well reviews by All About Jazz as well as in the Norwegian media NRK P2 Kulturnytt, Aftenposten, and Dagsavisen.