Bear Garden

Bear Garden is a musical expression, neither more nor less. It´s music - it´s everything.

Martin Wirén, the man behind the artist Bear Garden, is a many times rewarded composer and saxophonist with scholarships such as the Swedish STIM award and The Royal Swedish Academy of Music award on his personal record. On request from the Swedish Nobel Prize Museum he is also known for his musical interpretation of the Nobel Prize winner in literature 2016, Bob Dylan.

Born in the small town of Gällivare in northern Sweden, Wirén was introduced to the saxophone at an early age. Spending the two first decades of his life in the garage of his family home practicing the horn, he later moved to Stockholm to attend The Royal College of Music.

In Stockholm, he began working on his debut as a composer. Influenced by the fierce nature of northern Sweden, and aiming at pushing the limits of the saxophone, Bear Garden´s eponymous debut album emerged. The album was released in November 2019 and laid the foundation for Bear Garden´s musical expression.

Compositions defying musical borders, atmospheric soundscapes and an uncompromising movement forward have become trademarks of Bear Garden. His second album, Sunshine Fruit, features them all.

Inspired by the timeless sound of Motown and the contemporary Icelandic music scene, Sunshine Fruit explores the friction between old and new ideas; between using established approaches and looking for new paths. The album is available at www.beargardenofficial.com.

Awards

Swedish STIM award 2017 The Royal Swedish Academy of Music award 2016

Springtime Sunshine

by Geno Thackara
March 19, 2021

Even though they came at different times and are good for all seasons, this is a batch of small delights that all share a certain brightness and playfulness. They make a fine bill when put together, with or without any direct connections. Chance Hayden Grab & Go Ropeadope 2020 The life of a working player is often a nonstop whirl, at least under normal circumstances: zipping around from one setting to the ...

Album Review

Bear Garden: Bear Garden

Read "Bear Garden" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
February 20, 2020

There's just something about the saxophone that goes with sounding big and ambitious. Bear Garden (or Martin Wirén when he's at home) certainly shows some of those signs with unashamedly grand melodicism and a feel for the expansive and cinematic. Though Bear Garden's running time leans toward the short side of LP length, this octet—rhythm section, piano, guitar and four juiced-up horns—makes it feel enormous with wailing lines ringing through the heavens at full volume. With the weighty thundering ...