Did you know that Jan Garbarek, the great Norwegian saxophonist, was born in Mysen, Indre-Østfold? Garbarek was the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war and a Norwegian farmer’s daughter. Entirely self-taught (he began playing the saxophone aged 14), he started recording in the late 1960s. His big breakthrough came after he performed with Keith Jarrett, which brought his talent to the attention of a wider international audience. Deeply rooted in Norwegian folklore, his sound is unique – and as clean and clear as the big open spaces of his native Norway. His is a distinctively European kind of jazz, but one that has won him fans the world over – he is widely recognised as one of the most significant jazz musicians of his generation. Some of his best known albums include Twelve Moons (1992), Visible World (1995), Rites (1998), and In Praise of Dreams (2003). Garbarek issued his first live album, Dresden, in 2009. His latest offering, Officium Novum, in cooperation with the Hilliard Ensemble, came out earlier this year. His daughter Anja Garbarek (born 24 July 1970), who is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, received the Spellemannsprisen (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards) in 2001 for her album Smiling & Waving (open class category).

More info on Garbarek at www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=170

Official website at www.garbarek.com