Composer and pianist Keith Jarrett has won Sweden's Polar music prize, an award previously won by Bob Dylan and songwriter Burt Bacharach.

The prize, given out by awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, was presented to Jarrett on Tuesday.

The awards were set up in 1989 by Stig Anderson, a member of the academy and the former producer of Swedish pop band Abba.

It has previously been won by acts ranging from Bob Dylan to violinist Isaac Stern, pop star Elton John and songwriter Burt Bacharach.

Jarrett played with jazz legend Miles Davis

Last year it was won by South African singer Miriam Makeba and Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina.

Jarrett, 57, was honoured for "his ability to effortlessly cross boundaries in the world of music," the award committee said.

They said he was a "pianist, composer and master of the field of improvisational music".

Jarrett began his career in the 1960s and worked with a variety of jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Jan Garbarek and Billy Cobham.

He is also famous for a series of improvisational concerts, which started in 1972.

Jarrett is regarded as a hugely influential artist.

He will receive the prize from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf on 12 May, as well as a cheque for 1m krone (£75,000).

The prize fund was given $6m (£3.77m) by Stig Anderson before his death in 1997.