Jan Gunnar Hoff

Norwegian pianoplayer and composer educated at the Jazzdepartment, Trondheim Conservatory and at NMH, composition. Hoff has played and collaborated with Alex Acuña, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Kenwood Dennard, Joanna McGregor, Lars Danielsson, Cæcilie Norby, Fathy Salama, Martin France, Chick Corea, Arild Andersen, Nils Petter Molvær a.o. In 1982 he was part of a national all star band performing Jan Garbareks composition for the FNJ, Norwegian Jazz Forum.

Norwegian pianoplayer and composer educated at the Jazzdepartment, Trondheim Conservatory and at NMH, composition. Hoff has played and collaborated with Alex Acuña, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Kenwood Dennard, Joanna McGregor, Lars Danielsson, Cæcilie Norby, Fathy Salama, Martin France, Chick Corea, Arild Andersen, Nils Petter Molvær a.o. In 1982 he was part of a national all star band performing Jan Garbareks composition for the FNJ, Norwegian Jazz Forum.

Hoff has released five CDs with his own Jan Gunnar Hoff Group that consists of leading Norwegian jazzperformers Audun Kleive (dr) and Bjørn Kjellemyr (bass). This band has toured all over Scandinavia and played major festivals in London, Molde, Bergen etc.

In 2005 Hoff received the prestigous Edvard Grieg prize as a composer for his jazz mass Meditatus. He wrote the commission work “Free flow songs” for Vossajazz in 2005. Recently he has become a professor at the University in Tromsø and at the University in Kristiansand.

His last solo CD MAGMA (2008) has an international line up with Mike Stern, Mathias Eick, Maria Joao, Eivind Aarset a.o. A new trio with Alex Acuna (dr) and Per Mathisen (bass) is a main project for 2010.

In 2008 and 2009 Hoff has performed and toured in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Croatia, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Sweden, USA, England and Norway, including major cities such as New York, London, Stockholm, Zagreb and Moscow.

Awards

- "Northern Lights"- prize 2006 as an important musician and composer from Northern Norway
- The Edvard Grieg Prize 2005 for his jazzmass "Meditatus"
- The Stubö- prize 1997 for his efforts in North-Norwegian Jazz