French guitarist Julien Marga developed a strong attraction to jazz during his teenage years, which led him to study under Andry Ravaloson in the jazz department in Lomme, and later at the Lille Conservatory with professors Christophe Hache, Jérémie Ternoy, and Alexis Therain.
He continued his academic journey at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he studied under Fabien Degryse, Victor Da Costa, Jean Louis Rassinfosse, Pirly Zurstrassen, Arnould Massart, Manuel Hermia, Phil Abraham, and Fabrice Alleman, before completing his Master’s degree at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerpen under Frédérik Leroux.
Since 2011, Julien Marga has been leading his personal quartet project, with which he has recorded an EP and three albums. The most recent, The Unspoken Land, was released in April 2026 and selected as a Jazz News Indispensable. The group also won the Trophées du Sunside in 2016, as well as the Tonnerre de Jazz (Pau, France) and CosmoJazz Sacem talent competitions in 2019.
"One of the highlights remains the telepathic understanding between the guitarist and his pianist Geoffrey Fiorese (...) They are driven by a rhythm section that doesn't let them go for a single second (...) His warm, refined lyricism shows a predilection for airy, soaring atmospheres, with a specific timing that gives the impression of flying above the fray. The construction of his choruses, moreover, quite often gives the feeling of climbing to high altitudes."
Jazz Magazine
In 2018, he founded the band Rahona, a twin-guitar quintet at the crossroads of European jazz and Malagasy music, featuring Malagasy guitarist Joël Rabesolo and Manuel Hermia on tenor saxophone. Their debut album, produced by the homerecords.be label, was notably selected as a Top Jazz Mezzo in October 2020.
"Airy and finely crafted, the compositions invite close contemplation, carried by the gentle nostalgia of the melodies and spurred on by the quality of the dialogue between the musicians. A masterstroke for a first attempt."
Radio Télévision Suisse / L’écho des Pavanes
He then explored the freedom of the duo format with Yiasemi, a space for dialogue with double bassist Jordi Cassagne. Their debut album, When Days Are Young, was released in 2024 on the Herbes Folles Records label.
"The playground, the sounds, the endless possibilities. Even for a duo. Especially when it is like Yiasemi, generating creativity alongside talent and virtuosity."
Jazz Mania
Alongside his own projects, Julien Marga has shared the stage with artists such as Christian Sands, Grégoire Maret, Lizz Wright, Rhoda Scott, Till Brönner, David Linx, Stéphane Mercier, and Fabien Degryse.
Over the past several years, Julien has performed at numerous venues and festivals, including: Jazz à Vienne, Cosmo Jazz, Jazz à Juan (Juan-les-Pins), Joly Jazz Festival, Jazz Club de Dunkerque, Tout En Haut Du Jazz, Tourcoing Jazz Festival, Jazz En Nord, Sunset/Sunside (Paris), Brosella Festival, Gaume Jazz Festival, Jazz à Liège, Dinant Jazz Festival, Festival d'Art de Huy, Pelzer Jazz Club, Sounds Jazz Club, Jazz Station (Belgium), Kudeta Carlton Club (Madagascar), and Savanna Jazz Club (San Francisco, USA).
