Jan Garbarek (born 4 March 1947 in Mysen, Norway) is a tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing - marked by a sharp-edged tone, long sustained notes and deliberate use of silence - has been central to ECM Records since his debut album Afric Pepperbird in 1970. He rose to wide recognition through the Keith Jarrett Quartet recordings of the 1970s and reached a broad classical audience with Officium (1994), his landmark collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble. His compositions draw heavily on Scandinavian folk melody, and his work spans jazz, early music and music from the Indian subcontinent.
A 46-track career compilation titled 'Substantial' was released on 27 March 2025, spanning recordings by Jan Garbarek and the Jan Garbarek Group.
Jan Garbarek Group performed at the Berliner Philharmonie on 29 April 2025.
Jan Garbarek Group feat. Trilok Gurtu played at Die Glocke in Bremen on 19 November 2025 and at Tonhalle Düsseldorf on 30 November 2025.
Jan Garbarek Group performed at the Summer Jazz Festival Kraków, with dates in both Kraków and Katowice in late June 2026.
Jan Garbarek has concerts announced at Isarphilharmonie in München (26 October 2026) and Historische Stadthalle in Wuppertal.
