about

Soprano and alto saxophones in mainly jazz/improvisational settings.

Initially selftaught, later studied saxophone and music theory. Also studied Musicology, Ethnology, Philosophy and History of Ideas at Stockholm University.

Collaborations at EMS, the electronic music studio in Stockholm, ca 1979-1982, combining Buchla synthesizer with wind instruments. Worked in different studio jazz/impro sessions in duo/trio/quartet settings in the mid to late 80s. From the 90s and onwards mostly small temporary groups and solo saxophone improvisations and recordings.

Played and studied scores by among others Cornelius Cardew, Jan Bark/Folke Rabe, Terry Riley and participated in conduction performances led by Gino Robair, Adam Rudolph, Ricardo Tejero, Terry Day.

Played at concerts and festivals in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, England, Germany among other places.

2009-2010 a member of Total Vibration (including among others Markus Breuss and Tsukiko Amakawa), a group based in Spain concentrating on playing mainly Don Cherry-compositions, touring Andalusia in 2009 and playing at a festival in Huesca 2010. Also played at Hurta Cordel Festival in Madrid 2012 with an off-shoot project as Amakawa-Gärdin-Shalev.

2013-2014 playing and recording in Portugal with The Red Trio and other members of the Lisbon scene (octet). Concert recording from Lisbon's St George's church with Rodrigo Pinheiro and Pedro Lopes released as "History of the Lisbon chaplaincy" in 2017. 2014 a new recording session in Lisbon with Rodrigo Pinheiro, Marco Franco and Travassos documented in the release of "Oblique Mirrors" in 2015 and "Oblique (trio)" in 2018. 

Since 2018 performing in a duo constellation with Lars Bröndum exploring interaction between live electronics and saxophone. The duo have played frequently in and around Stockholm and also in Berlin. They have released two cds, "Adhara" in 2019 and "The Tail of the Snake" 2020. http://antennaemedia.se/Home/Brondum_Gardin.html

Since 2021 a member of The Aleatoric Chamber Ensemble, the ensemble explores indeterminate processes, improvisation and graphic notation. http://www.antennaemedia.se/Home/Aleatoric_Chamber_Ensemble.html

Played in different constellations with among others Tsukiko Amakawa, Andreas Axelsson, Bengt Berger, Johannes Bergmark, Markus Breuss, Lars Bröndum, Todd Capp, Lawrence Casserley, Javier Carmona, Harris Eisenstadt, Marco Franco, Jörgen Adolfsson, Niklas Korssell, Sven Larsson, Pedro Lopes, Yoko Miura, RED trio (Rodrigo Pinheiro, Hernani Faustino, Gabriel Ferrandini), Gino Robair, Adam Rudolph, John Russell, Mark Sanders, Sara Schoenbeck, David Stackenäs, Vasco Trilla, Travassos, Rainer Weber, Simone Weissenfels, Mia Zabelka