Jan Garbarek | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jan Garbarek in Oslo in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1947-03-04)4 March 1947 (age 78) Mysen,Østfold,Norway |
| Origin | Oslo,Norway |
| Genres | Jazz,classical,world |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | ECM,Flying Dutchman |
| Website | www.garbarek.com (No longer available) |
Jan Garbarek (Norwegian pronunciation:[ˈjɑːnɡɑɾˈbɑ̀ːɾək]) (born 4 March 1947)[1] is a Norwegianjazz saxophonist, who is also active inclassical music andworld music.
Garbarek was born inMysen,Østfold, southeasternNorway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Garbarek, and a Norwegian woman. He grew up inOslo, 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 composerAnja Garbarek.[2]
Garbarek's style incorporates a sharp-edged tone, long, keening, sustained notes, and generous use of silence.[3] He began his recording career in the late 1960s, notably featuring on recordings by the American jazz composerGeorge Russell (such asElectronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature). By 1973 he had turned his back on the harsh dissonances ofavant-garde jazz, retaining only his tone from his previous approach. Garbarek gained wider recognition through his work with pianistKeith Jarrett's European Quartet which released the albumsBelonging (1974),My Song (1977), and the live recordingsPersonal Mountains (1979), andNude Ants (1979).[2] He was also a featured soloist on Jarrett's orchestral worksLuminessence (1974) andArbour Zena (1975).[4]
As a composer, Garbarek tends to draw heavily fromScandinavian folk melodies, a legacy of hisAyler influence. He is also a pioneer of ambient jazz composition, most notably on his 1976 albumDis a collaboration with guitaristRalph Towner,[3] that featured the distinctive sound of awind harp on several tracks. This textural approach, which rejects traditional notions of thematic improvisation (best exemplified bySonny Rollins) 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 asnew-age music, or spiritual ancestors thereof. Other experiments have included setting a collection of poems ofOlav H. Hauge to music, with a single saxophone complementing a full mixed choir; this has led to notable performances withGrex Vocalis.
In the 1980s, Garbarek's music began to incorporatesynthesizers and elements ofworld music. He has collaborated with Indian and Pakistani musicians such asTrilok Gurtu,Zakir Hussain,Hariprasad Chaurasia, andBade Fateh Ali Khan.[3] Garbarek is credited for composing original music for the 2000 filmKippur.
In 1994, during the heightened popularity ofGregorian chant, his albumOfficium, a collaboration withearly music vocal performers from theHilliard 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 1999.Officium Novum, another sequel album, was released in September 2010. In 2005, his albumIn Praise of Dreams was nominated for aGrammy Award. Garbarek's first live albumDresden was released in 2009.
Knight 1st Class of theOrder of St. Olav Norwegian Arts Council Award
Willy Brandt Award[5]Garbarek is foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Music.[6]
WithEgberto Gismonti
WithCharlie Haden andEgberto Gismonti
WithKeith Jarrett
WithEleni Karaindrou
WithKarin Krog
WithGary Peacock
WithTerje Rypdal
WithGeorge Russell
WithL. Shankar
WithRalph Towner
WithJan Erik Vold
WithMiroslav Vitouš
WithEberhard Weber
With others
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Recipient of theBuddyprisen 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by First award in 1982 | Recipient of theGammleng-prisen 1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Recipient of theNorsk kulturråds ærespris 2004 | Succeeded by |
