• He was born in Penclawdd on the Gower Peninsula in 1944.
• As a young boy he studied piano and oboe.
• He went on to study music at Cardiff University and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

• Later he went on to work as a jazz musician and then became a member of a jazz fusion band called Soft Machine during the 1970s.
• He also became known as a composer.
• To date, Karl Jenkins has written many different works in which he explores the fusion of different styles and cultures.
• He combines world and ethnic musical influences from Eastern Europe, Africa and Celtic sounds with western classical techniques.

Music Example from Soft Machine