Hoff was born in Bodø. He is a graduate of the Teachers' College in Bodø and Bergen, and was further educated in the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium under Terje Bjørklund (1986–89), and in composition at Norges Musikkhøgskole (2001). He had his jazz debut with his own trio on Ad Lib Jazzklubb (1976). Hoff's background includes classical piano, progressive rock, pop and jazz.
Hoff has released 20 recordings as soloartist and co-leader and he has composed 250 works for different settings. In 2005 he received the prestigious Edvard-prize (named after Edvard Grieg) for his jazz mass Meditatus and the same year he wrote the commission work for Vossajazz. In 2013 Jan Gunnar Hoff and his “Hoff Ensemble” was nominated for US Grammy Awards with their album Quiet winter night.
Hoff's quartet album Fly North with Marilyn Mazur, Anders Jormin and Arve Henriksen was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, Spellemannpris 2014. Jan Gunnar Hoff has performed in Los Angeles, New York, London, Zagreb, Milano, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Stockholm, Istanbul, Havana, Riga and other major cities.
In January 2014 Hoff received the highest distinction in Norwegian Jazz, the Buddy-award. In May 2014 he was credited internationally as an official Steinway Artist. Since 2016 Hoff has released a number of albums: Stories - solo piano 2L 2016, Terra Nova w/mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland, Lawo classics 2017, Polarity with Audun Kleive, Anders Jormin, Morten Lindberg, 2L April 2018, Barxeta II with Per Mathisen and Horacio Hernandez, Losen Records June 2018, Jan Gunnar Hoff Group feat. Mike Stern on Losen Records November 2018, Gladiator w/Gary Novak, Per Mathisen in 2021 and the solo album HOME in 2022 (2L, Morten Lindberg). Hoff is working as a professor at the University of Tromsø and the University of Agder. He co-founded The Groove Valley JazzCamp in Beiarn, and was artistic director for TGV Jazz camp from 2005 to 2009. Hoff also initiated Bodø Jazz Open which was launched in January 2011, where he was artistic leader and festival head until 2020.
