Jan Garbarek's "Rites" is a monumental double album that blends his Nordic saxophone with the Hilliard Ensemble's sacred vocal music, creating a vast, spiritual soundscape. It's where ECM's signature chamber jazz expands into something almost orchestral, and it remains one of his most ambitious, deeply satisfying statements.
In the winter of 1998, Jan Garbarek released an album that sounded like a cathedral in the middle of a blizzard. “Rites” is a double album—nine parts of the title suite bookended by shorter pieces—and it asks you to sit still. Garbarek had been skirting the edge of the large ensemble for years, but here he finally let the space win.
The record was cut at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, with Jan Erik Kongshaug at the board. That room, that engineer—they gave ECM its sound. But “Rites” pushes even that canvas wider. Garbarek brought in the Hilliard Ensemble, a vocal quartet known for their clean, unblinking intonation. He set them against his own group: Rainer Brüninghaus on keyboards, Eberhard Weber on bass, Marilyn Mazur on percussion. Then he added a string section conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.
It could have been a mess. Instead, it’s a kind of weather.
Garbarek’s soprano saxophone has always been his most spectral voice. On “Rites,” it floats above the choir like smoke from an old incense burner. The piece “Moonshadows” is the clearest entry point—eight minutes where the sax and voices weave around each other, finding a harmony that feels less written than discovered. The strings enter softly, almost apologetically, then fade.
The title suite unfolds in movements. Some are chant-like, built on long tones and Weber’s dark, unhurried bass. Others, like “It’s OK to Listen to the Gray Voice,” let the quartet stretch into something closer to free jazz, but with restraint. Garbarek never fills the silence. He trusts it.
The second disc opens with “Brooklyn Makes Me Laugh,” which is the only moment that briefly breaks character.
The Shape of the Record
What makes “Rites” work is the architecture. Garbarek recorded the Hilliard parts first, then overdubbed his quartet and strings. But it doesn’t sound layered. Kongshaug’s recording gives everything the same distance—voices, sax, strings all sit in the same cold, resonant room. There is no front row.
Weber’s bass is unusually present, almost a second melody. Mazur’s percussion is mostly small sounds: bells, shakers, the soft mallet of a marimba. Brüninghaus plays chords that hang in the air like frost. And Garbarek—his tone is so pure on the title track that one note could hold the whole album together. It nearly does.
This is not background music. It’s not even foreground music in the usual sense. It’s the kind of record you play at 11 PM with the lights down, when the world outside has stopped yelling. It doesn’t demand your attention. It simply earns it.
Personally, I think the second disc is stronger. The suite has moments of aimless beauty, but “All Those Born with Wings” and “We Are the Stars” tighten the focus. The latter uses the Hilliard voices in close harmony, and Garbarek plays a long, unhurried solo that sounds like someone reading a list of old names.
Why It Holds
Twenty-five years later, “Rites” still sounds outside of time. It never got a proper follow-up—Garbarek moved back to quartet records and duets with the Hilliard. But this album stands as his most complete statement on what happens when jazz, new classical, and plainchant are allowed to share the same air.
There is no better record for a snowbound evening with a good stereo. Put it on, turn it down, and let the cathedral fill up.
What is the Hilliard Ensemble, and why are they on a jazz album?
The Hilliard Ensemble was a British vocal quartet specializing in early music and contemporary composition. Garbarek had collaborated with them on the 1994 album 'Officium,' which blended Gregorian chant with his saxophone. 'Rites' extends that idea into a larger orchestral context, turning sacred vocal textures into a backdrop for jazz improvisation.
Is 'Rites' a good starting point for someone new to Jan Garbarek?
It depends on your patience. 'Rites' is long, slow, and demands concentration. A better starting point is the earlier quartet albums like 'Dis' (1976) or the earlier collaboration 'Officium' (1994). But if you already love ambient or modern classical, 'Rites' might be exactly where you should begin.
How does this album differ from Garbarek's other work with the Hilliard Ensemble?
'Officium' was simpler—voice and sax, with minimal electronics. 'Rites' adds a full rhythm section, keyboards, and strings. The scale is much grander, and the composition is more through-composed. It feels less like a collaboration and more like a singular vision where every element serves Garbarek's architecture.
Further Reading
More from Jan Garbarek