Ryan Blotnick / Ned Ferm Group
Based on a musical relationship going back to 1997, this transatlantic collaboration features some of Denmark’s most celebrated improvisers with Maine-based guitarist Ryan Blotnick. Performing songs by Ned Ferm alongside compositions from Blotnick’s new album The Woods, the group favors haunting melodies and group sound over soloistic acrobatics. Blotnick and Ferm were the first Americans to attend the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in 2002 and began playing with AC and Høyer before they left to tour the world with The Raveonettes. Their reunion in 2027 is sure to bring out the best of attributes of European and American jazz in an explosive and emotive sound.
Ryan Blotnick (b. 1983) is an acclaimed American guitarist, composer and educator based in Maine. His music combines jazz, rock and ambient music, using spacious arrangements and slow‑unfolding themes to foreground tone, harmonic detail and ensemble interplay. He has performed with artists including Michael Blake, Pete Robbins, Phillip Greenlief, Danny Fisher-Lochhead, Mali Obomsawin, Akoya Afrobeat and Tyshawn Sorey. His compositions for film have garnered Audience Awards at Sundance, Full Frame, DOC-NYC and other major international film festivals.
Ned Ferm (b. 1982) is an award-winning American multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and educator based in Copenhagen. Known for expressive saxophone playing and singing, his music spans jazz, roots, rock, pop, and improvisation. Ferm has contributed to hundreds of recordings, collaborating with artists including Roswell Rudd, Airto Moreira, Kenny Wollesen, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tyshawn Sorey, Mark Guiliana, Sam Barsh, MØ, and Kimbra, as well as producers John Parish and Mark Howard. In 2021, he received the Bent Jædig Award.
Anders Christensen (b. 1972) is a Danish bassist, composer, producer, and organizer based in Copenhagen. He has performed internationally with artists including Paul Motian, Tomasz Stańko, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jakob Bro, Joe Lovano, Brian Blade, Lee Konitz, and has contributed to more than 200 albums. Christensen is also active as a curator and artistic director of Summer Session China and has received multiple awards, including the Ben Webster Prize.
Jakob Høyer (b. 1976) is a Danish drummer and producer known for his work in jazz and rock, having shared the stage with legendary artists including George Garzone, The Raveonettes, Tomasz Stanko, Joe Lovano, Trentemøller, Josh and Petra Haden, Lee Konitz, Sam Yahel, and Tom Harrell.
Press for The Woods:
“With this new album, the compelling textures created throughout speak to the group’s masterful work together.”
— Josh Gagnon, New York City Jazz Record
“Lyrical, textural, and tremulous, Blotnick's approach is painterly … The performances are characterized by restraint but in a manner that's humbly confident … The ease with which the four musicians commune is palpable.”
— Ron Schepper, Textura
“The sagacious guitarist from Maine is back … a mastery of hue and tone … he’s consolidated all his strengths into his most consistent effort yet.”
— S. Victor Aaron, Something Else!
"Spacious, slow-unfolding and modal in character, the record foregrounds Blotnick’s glistening guitar melodies … in a deep pocket rooted equally in jazz, rock and psychedelia. The album opens up slowly and rewards patience, built around quiet anthems and soundscapes that develop through small variations rather than overt climaxes."
— Caroline Bailey Erskine, NYS Music
“The album presents Blotnick working in a restrained, acoustic-centred setting, using spacious arrangements and slow-unfolding themes to foreground tone, harmonic detail and ensemble interplay … Improvisations develop through small variations rather than overt climaxes, giving the record a cohesive, contemplative character.”
— Bob Osborne, World of Jazz
#1 in Jazz on WERU Radio, April 2026
”Pecao” was All About Jazz’s Song of the Day May 31st, 2026