Nils Petter Molvær (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈmɔ̂ɫvæːr]), also known as NPM (born 18 September 1960), is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer, and record producer. He is considered a pioneer of future jazz, a genre that fuses jazz and electronic music, best showcased on his most commercially successful album, Khmer.[1]

Nils Petter Molvær
Background information
Born (1960-09-18) 18 September 1960 (age 64)
Langevåg, Møre og Romsdal, Norway
GenresJazz, future jazz, jazz fusion, electronica
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentTrumpet
LabelsECM
Websitenilspettermolvaer.com
Norway 2020
Photo Hreinn Gudlaugsson
Molvær in Neuwied, Germany, 2011

Biography

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Molvær was born and raised on the island of Sula, Møre og Romsdal, Norway, and left at age nineteen to study on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1980–82).[2] He joined the bands Jazzpunkensemblet with Jon Eberson and Masqualero, alongside Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen and Tore Brunborg. Masqualero (named after a Wayne Shorter composition originally recorded by Miles Davis) recorded several albums for ECM Records, and Molvær recorded with other ECM artists before his 1997 debut solo album, Khmer. The record was a fusion of jazz, rock, electronic soundscapes, and hip-hop beats – and quite unlike the delicate "chamber jazz" typically associated with ECM.[3] Molvær's muted trumpet sound, sometimes electronically processed, had an obvious debt to Miles Davis's work of the 1970s and 1980s, but without being a slavish copy. For the first time, ECM released singles: "Song of Sand", backed with three remixes, and "Ligotage". In 2000, a second album followed, Solid Ether, after which Molvær left ECM. He has recorded several albums since, and has also produced film and theater music.[4][5]

He often works with guitarist Eivind Aarset. He has also played with Tabla Beat Science, created by Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell.[6]

Honors

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Discography

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  • 1983: Masqualero
  • 1985: Bande À Part[7]
  • 1987: Aero
  • 1990: Re-Enter

Solo

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  • 1997: Khmer
  • 1998: Khmer: The Remixes (promo only)
  • 1998: Ligotage (EP)
  • 2000: Solid Ether (feat. Sidsel Endresen and others)
  • 2001: Recoloured (remixes)
  • 2002: NP3
  • 2004: Streamer (2002, live)
  • 2005: Er [8]
  • 2005: Edy (soundtrack to the film by Guérin-Tillié)
  • 2005: Remakes (remixes)
  • 2005: An American Compilation (compilation)
  • 2008: Re-Vision (OST outtakes merged into an album) [9]
  • 2009: Hamada [10]
  • 2011: Baboon Moon
  • 2014: Switch
  • 2016: Buoyancy
  • 2021: Stitches

Collaborations

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Also appears on

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  • Beginner's Guide to Scandinavia (3CD, Nascente 2011)

References

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  1. ^ Genzel, Christian. "Khmer: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  2. ^ "Jazzlinja NRNU.no". NTNU.no. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  3. ^ Geoff Dyer in The Observer
  4. ^ Dalane, Anders (29 June 2022). "Nils Petter Molvær Biography". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon. Kunnskapsforlaget.
  5. ^ "Molvær, Nils Petter". Norsk Musikkinformasjon.
  6. ^ "Molvær, Nils Petter". Norsk Musikkinformasjon.
  7. ^ Also listed as Bande à Part and Bande à part.
  8. ^ The title is er, the common suffix for the names of the tracks ("Hover", "Softer", "Dancer", etc.) and their author.
  9. ^ Re-Vision press release Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Hamada info". Archived from the original on 2017-05-07. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  11. ^ "Marilyn Mazur's Future Song – Small Labyrinths". Discogs. 1997. Retrieved 5 Jul 2018.
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Awards
Preceded by
First award in 1996
Recipient of the Kongsberg Jazz Award
1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Open class Spellemannprisen
1997
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Jazz Gammleng-prisen
1998
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Open class Spellemannprisen
2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Buddyprisen
2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Open class Spellemannprisen
2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the «Open class» Edvardprisen
2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Jazz Spellemannprisen
2016
Succeeded by