Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

saxophonist, who is also active in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

and world music. Garbarek was born in

Mysen Mysen is the administrative center of the municipality of Eidsberg in the county of Østfold in Norway. The town is named after the old farm of Mysen ( Norse ''Mysin'', from ''*Mosvin''), since the town is built on its ground. The first element i ...

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden ( Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other s ...

, southeastern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Garbarek, and a Norwegian farmer's daughter. He grew up in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, stateless until the age of seven, as there was no automatic grant of citizenship in Norway at the time. When he was 21, he married the author Vigdis Garbarek. He is the father of musician and composer Anja Garbarek.

Biography

Garbarek's style incorporates a sharp-edged tone, long, keening, sustained notes, and generous use of silence. He began his recording career in the late 1960s, notably featuring on recordings by the American jazz composer George Russell (such as '' Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature''). By 1973 he had turned his back on the harsh dissonances of

avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Ori ...

, retaining only his tone from his previous approach. Garbarek gained wider recognition through his work with pianist

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

's European Quartet which released the albums '' Belonging'' (1974), '' My Song'' (1977) and the live recordings '' Personal Mountains'' (1979), and '' Nude Ants'' (1979). He was also a featured soloist on Jarrett's orchestral works '' Luminessence'' (1974) and ''

Arbour Zena ''Arbour Zena'' is an orchestral work composed by American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett featuring saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Charlie Haden and members of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by which was recorded in October 1975 ...

'' (1975). As a composer, Garbarek tends to draw heavily from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

n folk melodies, a legacy of his

Ayler Ayler is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Ayler (1936–1970), American jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer * Donald Ayler (1942–2007), American jazz trumpeter, brother of Albert * Ethel Ayler Ethyl Spraggins ...

influence. He is also a pioneer of ambient jazz composition, most notably on his 1976 album '' Dis'' a collaboration with guitarist

Ralph Towner Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn. Biography Towner was born i ...

, that featured the distinctive sound of a wind harp on several tracks. This textural approach, which rejects traditional notions of thematic improvisation (best exemplified by

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

) in favour of a style described by critics Richard Cook and Brian Morton as "sculptural in its impact", has been critically divisive. Garbarek's more meandering recordings are often labeled as

new-age music New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than ...

, or spiritual ancestors thereof. Other experiments have included setting a collection of poems of

Olav H. Hauge Olav Håkonson Hauge (18 August 1908 – 23 May 1994) was a Norwegian horticulturist, translator and poet. Biography Hauge was born at the village of Ulvik in Hordaland, Norway. His parents Håkon Hauge (1877-1954) and Katrina Hakestad (1873-197 ...

to music, with a single saxophone complementing a full mixed choir; this has led to notable performances with

Grex Vocalis Grex Vocalis (The Singing Band) is a Norwegian chamber choir, formed in 1971 by Carl Høgset. The repertoire spans from the renaissance to music by contemporary composers. The choir has been awarded the Norwegian Spellemannprisen prize (the Norwegi ...

. In the 1980s, Garbarek's music began to incorporate

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s and elements of world music. He has collaborated with Indian and Pakistani musicians such as Trilok Gurtu,

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and

Bade Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 1935 – 4 January 2017) was among the foremost Khyal vocalists in Pakistan, and a leading exponent of the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the younger of the legendary singing duo Amanat Ali an ...

. Garbarek is credited for composing original music for the 2000 film '' Kippur''. Jazz Van87 40003

In 1994, during heightened popularity of

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...

, his album '' Officium'', a collaboration with

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classi ...

vocal performers the Hilliard Ensemble, became one of ECM's biggest-selling albums of all time, reaching the pop charts in several European countries and was followed by a sequel, ''

Mnemosyne In Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion, Mnemosyne (; grc, Μνημοσύνη, ) is the goddess of memory and the mother of the nine Muses by her nephew Zeus. In the Greek tradition, Mnemosyne is one of the Titans, the twelve divine chil ...

'', in 1999. '' Officium Novum'', another sequel album, was released in September 2010. In 2005, his album '' In Praise of Dreams'' was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. Garbarek's first live album ''

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

'' was released in 2009.

Awards and honors

* 1999: Knight 1st Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

* 2004: Norwegian Arts Council Award * 2014: Willy Brandt Award

Discography

As leader

* ''Til Vigdis'' ( Norsk Jazzforbund, 1967) * '' Esoteric Circle'' (

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Du ...

, 1969) * ''

Afric Pepperbird ''Afric Pepperbird'' is the second album by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek and his first released on the ECM label performed by Garbarek's quartet featuring Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen. The name of the album: Garbarek ...

'' (

ECM ECM may refer to: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Elliptic curve method * European Congress of Mathemat ...

, 1970) * ''Hav'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...

, 1970

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men ...

with

Jan Erik Vold Jan Erik Vold (born 18 October 1939) is a Norwegian lyric poet, jazz vocal reciter, translator and author. He was a core member of the so-called "''Profil'' generation", the circle attached to the literary magazine '' Profil''. Throughout his car ...

* ''

Sart Sart is a name for the settled inhabitants of Central Asia which has had shifting meanings over the centuries. Origin There are several theories about the origin of the term. It may be derived from the Sanskrit ''sārthavāha'' "merchant, t ...

'' (ECM, 1971) with Terje Rypdal * ''

Triptykon Triptykon is a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich, formed in 2008 by Thomas Gabriel Fischer, founding member of the pioneering heavy metal bands Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Apollyon Sun. History Fischer announced his departure from Celt ...

'' (ECM, 1972

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

* ''

Witchi-Tai-To Jim Gilbert Pepper II (June 18, 1941 – February 10, 1992) was a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American heritage. He moved to New York City in 1964, where he came to prominence in the late 1960s as a m ...

'' (ECM, 1973) with

Bobo Stenson Bobo Stenson (born Bo Gustav Stenson; 4 August 1944) is a Swedish jazz pianist. The Bobo Stenson Trio, formed in collaboration with Anders Jormin (bass) and Jon Fält (drums), has been in existence for four decades. Career Stenson studied with ...

* '' Dansere'' (ECM, 1975) with Bobo Stenson * '' Dis'' (ECM, 1976) with

* '' Places'' (ECM, 1977 978 with Bill Connors * '' Photo with Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows and a Red Roof''
(ECM, 1978

979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionary ...

with Bill Connors * ''

Aftenland ''Aftenland'' is an album by Norwegian jazz composer and saxophonist Jan Garbarek and organist Kjell Johnsen, recorded in 1979 and released on the ECM label in 1980.

'' (ECM, 1980) with Kjell Johnsen * '' Eventyr'' (ECM, 1980) with John Abercrombie
and

Naná Vasconcelos Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...

* '' Paths, Prints'' (ECM, 1981) with

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

* '' Wayfarer'' (ECM, 1983) with

and Eberhard Weber * ''

It's OK to Listen to the Gray Voice ''It's OK to Listen to the Gray Voice'' is an album by the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek released on the ECM label and performed by Garbarek, David Torn, Eberhard Weber and Michael Di Pasqua.

'' (ECM, 1985) with

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

* ''

All Those Born with Wings ''All Those Born With Wings'' is a solo album by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, released on the ECM label in 1987. On this recording Garbarek can be heard playing all the instruments, including keyboards, percussion, sampled guitar and voi ...

'' (ECM, 1987) * ''

Legend of the Seven Dreams ''Legend of the Seven Dreams'' is an album by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, that features Rainer Brüninghaus, Eberhard Weber and Naná Vasconcelos. It was released on the ECM label in 1988.

'' (ECM, 1988)
with Rainer Brüninghaus * ' (1989) with Agnes Buen Garnås * ''

I Took Up the Runes ''I Took Up the Runes'' is an album by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek released on the ECM label and performed by Garbarek, Rainer Brüninghaus, Eberhard Weber, Nana Vasconcelos, Manu Katché, and Bugge Wesseltoft with Ingor Ánte Áilo Gaup c ...

'' (ECM, 1990) * '' Ragas and Sagas'' (ECM, 1990 992
with Ustad Fateh Ali Khan * ''

StAR A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

'' (ECM, 1991) with Miroslav Vitouš * ''Stemmer'' (NRK, 1992) with Vigdis Garbarek * '' Madar'' (ECM, 1992

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

with

Anouar Brahem Anouar Brahem ( أنور براهم); born on 20 October 1957) is a Tunisian oud player and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. Performing primarily for a jazz audience, he combines Arabic classical music, folk music an ...

and Shaukat Hussain * '' Twelve Moons'' (ECM, 1992 993 * '' Officium'' (ECM, 1993

with the Hilliard Ensemble * ''Trollsyn'' (TrollCD, 1994) for promotion * '' Visible World'' (ECM, 1995

996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Emp ...

* '' Rites'' (ECM, 1998) * ''

'' (ECM, 1999)
with the Hilliard Ensemble * '' In Praise of Dreams'' (ECM, 2004) * ''

'' (ECM, 2009) live album * '' Officium Novum'' (ECM, 2010) with the Hilliard Ensemble * '' Remember Me, My Dear'' (ECM, 2019) with the Hilliard Ensemble

As sideman

With Egberto Gismonti * '' Sol Do Meio Dia'' (ECM, 1977) * '' My Song'' (ECM, 1978) With

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

and Egberto Gismonti * '' Magico'' (ECM, 1980) * '' Folk Songs'' (ECM, 1981) * '' Magico: Carta de Amor'' (ECM, 2012) With

* '' Belonging'' (ECM, 1974) * '' Luminessence'' (ECM, 1974) * ''

'' (ECM, 1975) * '' My Song'' (ECM, 1977) * '' Personal Mountains'' (ECM, 1979) * '' Nude Ants'' (ECM, 1979) * '' Sleeper'' (ECM, 2012) With

Eleni Karaindrou Eleni Karaindrou ( el, Ελένη Καραΐνδρου, born 25 November 1941) is a Greek composer. She is best known for scoring the films of the Greek director Theo Angelopoulos. Biography Karaindrou moved with her family to Athens when she wa ...

* ''Music For Films'' (ECM, 1991) * ''Concert in Athens'' (ECM, 2013) With

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in ...

* ''Jazz Moments'' (1966) * ''Joy'' (1968) With

Gary Peacock Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, pianis ...

* '' December Poems'' (ECM, 1977) * '' Voice from the Past - Paradigm'' (ECM, 1981) * '' Guamba'' (ECM, 1987) With Terje Rypdal * ''Bleak House'' (Polydor, 1968) * '' Terje Rypdal'' (ECM, 1971) With George Russell * '' Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature'' (Flying Dutchman, 1969) * ''

Trip to Prillarguri ''Trip to Prillarguri'' is a live album by George Russell originally recorded in 1970 and subsequently released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1982, featuring a performance by Russell with Stanton Davis, Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Ande ...

'' (Soul Note, 1970) * '' Listen to the Silence'' (Soul Note, 1971) With L. Shankar * ''

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

'' (1983) * '' Song for Everyone'' (1985) With

* ''

Solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many count ...

'' (ECM, 1975) * ''

Solstice/Sound and Shadows ''Solstice/Sound and Shadows '' is an album by American guitarist Ralph Towner that was released on the ECM label in 1977. It is the second album to feature the ''Solstice'' quartet of Towner with Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber and Jon Christense ...

'' (ECM, 1977) With

* ''Hav'' (Philips, 1971) * ''Ingentings Bjeller'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United State ...

, 1977) With Miroslav Vitouš * '' Universal Syncopations'' (ECM, 2003) * '' Atmos'' (ECM, 1992) With Eberhard Weber * ''

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

'' (ECM, 1984) * ''

Stages of a Long Journey ''Stages of a Long Journey'' is a live album by German double bassist and composer Eberhard Weber recorded in Germany in 2005 and released on the ECM label.

'' (ECM, 2007) * ''

Résumé A résumé, sometimes spelled resume (or alternatively resumé), also called a curriculum vitae (CV), is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. Résumés can be used for a variety of rea ...

'' (ECM, 2012) * '' Hommage à Eberhard Weber'' (ECM, 2015) With others * Bill Connors, ''

Of Mist and Melting ''Of Mist and Melting'' is the second album by American guitarist and composer Bill Connors recorded in 1977 and released on the ECM label.David Darling, '' Cycles'' (ECM, 1981) *

Paul Giger Paul Giger (born 1952 in Herisau, Switzerland), is a Swiss violinist and composer. He plays contemporary classical music, jazz, and free improvisation, free improvised music, and specializes in extended techniques. He has released six CDs on the ...

, ''

Alpstein The Alpstein are a subgroup of the Appenzell Alps in Switzerland. The Alpstein massif is in Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen. Despite it being rather low when compared to other Alpine peaks – the highest mountain ...

'' (ECM, 1991) * Trilok Gurtu, ''Living Magic'' (1990) *

, '' Making Music'' (ECM, 1986) with John McLaughlin and Hariprasad Chaurasia *

Giya Kancheli Gia Kancheli ( ka, გია ყანჩელი; 10 August 1935 – 2 October 2019) was a Georgian composer. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia but resided in Belgium. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli lived first in ...

, ''Caris Mere'' (1995) *

Kim Kashkashian Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She is recognized as one of the world's top violists. She has spent her career in the US and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy ...

, ''Monodia'' (2002) *

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

, ''

Neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural a ...

'' (ECM, 2006) *

Art Lande Art Lande is an American musician who was born in New York City, United States, on 5 February 1947. Born in New York, Lande began piano at age 4. He attended Williams College and moved to San Francisco in 1969. In 1973 he recorded ''Red Lanta,'' ...

, '' Red Lanta'' (ECM, 1973) *

Marilyn Mazur Marilyn Mazur (born January 18, 1955) is an American-born Danish percussionist. Since 1975, she has worked as a percussionist with various groups, among them Six Winds with Alex Riel. Mazur is primarily an autodidact, but she has a degree in ...

, ''Elixir'' (2007) *

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active i ...

, '' Deer Wan'' (ECM, 1977)

References

External links

*
Jan Garbarek on ECM Records
*
Jan Garbarek's daughter, singer Anja Garbarek's websiteJan Garbarek Group @ Theatre Lycabettus concert review, Greece
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garbarek, Jan 1947 births Living people People from Eidsberg Avant-garde jazz musicians Spellemannprisen winners Norwegian people of Polish descent Freedom Records artists ECM Records artists 20th-century Norwegian saxophonists 21st-century Norwegian saxophonists Norwegian jazz saxophonists Norwegian jazz composers 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians