Karl Jenkins( 凯尔·真金斯)1944年出生于高尔半岛(Gower,英国威尔士南部),6岁开始随着他的父亲学习钢琴,11岁开始学习双簧管,并随后成为威尔士青年交响乐团的首席。而后他进入了威尔士大学的作曲系。在经过几年正规的作曲学习后,他考入了英国最高的音乐学府——伦敦皇家音乐学院(Royal Academy of Music, London)继续他的研究生课程。在那里,他开始学习爵士萨克斯管。再后来他接触的爵士乐反而令他得到第一个音乐上的大奖——在1972年的蒙特利爵士节上,他获得了年度最佳爵士双簧管演奏者和全能器乐演奏者两项大奖。接着,他无心插柳地成就了ADIEMUS这首经典的广告金曲,也因此引出了大红大紫的ADIEMUS系列。
Composer, arranger, keyboardist and woodwinds player Karl Jenkins fell in with the London jazz scene of the late '60s while studying at the Royal Acedemy of Music. Prior to spending over a decade in the last incarnations of Soft Machine, he spent time in a number of jazz groups, along with the Graham Collier Band and Nucleus; he also leant his services to recording sessions and tours for PJ Proby and Scott Walker.
Along with John Marshall, the Welshman navigated Soft Machine through most of the '70s, which saw the group developing their sound significantly away from their earlier years. After the band decided to call it quits, Jenkins turned to film, TV, theater, and orchestra work. In the '90s, he spearheaded Adiemus, a studio project that released a series acclaimed ethno-classical discs. He has recorded under his own name as well, including 1998's Imagined Oceans.