Jan Garbarek (born March 4, 1947 in Mysen, Norway) a Norwegian tenor and soprano saxophonist, active in the jazz, classical, and world music genres. Garbarek was the only child of former Polish prisoner of war, and a Norwegian farmer's daughter. Garbarek grew up in Oslo. At 21, he married Vigdis, and his daughter Anja Garbarek is also a musician.

Garbarek's sound is one of the hallmarks of the ECM record label, which has released virtually all of his recordings. His style incorporates a sharp-edged tone, long, keening, sustained notes strongly reminiscent of Islamic prayer calls, 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 Othello Ballet Suite and Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature). If he had initially appeared as a devotee of Albert Ayler and Peter Brötzmann, by 1973 he had turned his back on the harsh dissonances of avant-garde jazz, retaining only his tone from his previous approach.

As a composer, Garbarek tends to draw heavily from Scandinavian folk melodies, a legacy of his Ayler influence. He is also a pioneer of ambient jazz composition, most notably on his 1976 album Dis. This textural approach, which rejects traditional notions of thematic improvisation (best exemplified by Sonny Rollins) in favor 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, a style generally scorned by more orthodox jazz musicians and listeners, or spiritual ancestors thereof.

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download_cd: Jan Garbarek Group (2009) -Dresden: In Concert http://bit.ly/3VRyg
dresden_live (Dresden Live) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:27:54 -0000
download_cd: Jan Garbarek Group (2009) -Dresden: In Concert http://bit.ly/3VRyg
Jan Garbarek Group (2009) -Dresden: In Concert « Interlacing Shadows http://bit.ly/xmw7Q
dresden_live (Dresden Live) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:27:52 -0000
Jan Garbarek Group (2009) -Dresden: In Concert « Interlacing Shadows http://bit.ly/xmw7Q
BUCHAREST MASTERS OF JAZZ CONTINUĂ CU JAN GARBAREK GROUP (25.11): http://bit.ly/1RBVpV
julijovi (Iulia Radu) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:49:48 -0000
BUCHAREST MASTERS OF JAZZ CONTINUĂ CU JAN GARBAREK GROUP (25.11): http://bit.ly/1RBVpV
I favorited a YouTube video -- Jan Garbarek & Anouar Brahem - Bahia! http://bit.ly/eLKCT
philippebertaud (philippebertaud) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:05:31 -0000
I favorited a YouTube video -- Jan Garbarek & Anouar Brahem - Bahia! http://bit.ly/eLKCT
♫ Jan Garbarek - Iceburn
sonicuniverse (sonicuniverse) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:20:56 -0000
♫ Jan Garbarek - Iceburn
♫ Jan Garbarek - Aichuri, The Song Man
sonicuniverse (sonicuniverse) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:18:04 -0000
♫ Jan Garbarek - Aichuri, The Song Man

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