Jan Gunnar Hoff is a Norwegian pianist and composer born in Bodoe 1958. His background includes classical piano, progressive rock, jazz and popular music. Hoff was educated at NTNU, Jazzdep in Trondheim 1986-89 and studied arranging and composing at NMH, Oslo 2001/2002. His career as a jazz musician started in 1976 with piano trio and as a backing musician for drummer Jon Christensen and other jazz artists at the local club Ad Lib. Hoff became a professional musician in 1979 and toured with Arild Andersen and Nils Petter Molvær in 1982. His debut CD “Syklus” was recorded in 1992, and since 1993 he has worked with Jan Gunnar Hoff Group in different line ups. Major band events include Vossajazz in 1995, Oris London Jazzfestival and Molde Int. Jazzfestival 1996 with EBU-broadcast to 12 European countries. The Hoff Group did a very successful collaboration with Pat Metheny in Molde 2001 and toured with Mike Stern 2006, 2007 and 2008. From 2008 Hoff has been working with percussionist Alex Acuna and bassplayer Per Mathisen in the new trio “Acuna/Hoff/ Mathisen”. February 2010 the trio recorded a concert DVD at Drumchannel in Oxnard California. Two albums with the trio, “Jungle City” and “Barxeta”. Hoff works part time as a professor at the University of Tromsø and Kristiansand and he is the initiator and head of Bodø Jazz Open, a new jazzfestival in his home town. As a composer he has made works for chamber orchestra, sinfonietta, choir and other settings, in addition to compositions for his solo recordings. Hoff did the prestigious annual commission for Vossajazz 2005 “Free flow songs” and received an Edvard (Grieg) -prize for his jazzmazz “Meditatus” in 2006. “Meditatus” has been performed in Norway, Iceland, Canada, USA and recorded on CD in Norway and CD/DVD in Riga, Latvia. Several duo constellations a.o with Maria Joao in Norway, Croatia and France 2008. Worth mentioning is also the Harstad festival in Northern Norway 1995 where Hoff did a spontanous duo session with Chick Corea. From 2008-2014 Hoff has performed and toured in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Croatia, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Sweden, USA, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Kirghistan, Peru, England, Japan and Norway. Several concerts in major cities such as New York, London, Stockholm, Zagreb, Los Angeles, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Tokyo. In 2011 Hoff contributed as bandleader, arranger and pianist for the album “Quiet winter night”, later nominated for US Grammy Awards 2013 (Best surround sound album, Morten Lindberg, 2L). Hoff continued his collaboration with 2L on the solo piano album LIVING, released April 2013. His latest recording “Fly North” was released in January 2014. The same month Hoff received a Buddy prize, the highest distinction in Norwegian jazz. May 2014 Hoff was appointed an official Steinway Artist. from http://jangunnarhoff.no
