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Nils Petter Molvær (NPM), Norwegian trumpet player, composer and producer, takes multiple music styles -
jazz, ambient, house, electronic and break beats, as well as elements from hip hop, rock and pop music - and
effortlessly reshapes them into unique and dramatic soundscapes of deep intensity.
NPM was born in 1960 on the little island of Sula (Norway). From an early age his father - jazz clarinettist
and saxophonist, Jens Arne Molvær - introduced NPM to jazz, although his musical diet would become
increasingly diverse. After playing in school bands and local clubs, he left Sula in 1979 to study music at
the Trondheim Conservatory, where he began developing his singular style, and proceeded to gain a reputation
as one of Norway's emerging new talents.
His remarkable ease in handling the often-contrary conventions of pop, rock, funk, and modern jazz ensured a
strong interest in both acoustic and electric music. This chameleon-like ability soon established him as a
much sought-after musician in Oslo, which ultimately led to his a colourful and diverse curriculum vitae as a
sideman. During his time with acclaimed jazz combo, Masqualero, NPM was introduced to Manfred Eicher, who
welcomed him into his prestigious and much-lauded roster. Alongside the three ECM Masqualero releases, NPM
recorded many classic studio sessions for ECM with artists such as Robyn Schulkowsky, Marilyn Mazur, Jon
Balke's Oslo 13, and Sidsel Endresen. However, NPM wanted to do something different, both in terms of
composition, and trumpet technique.
His debut album as a bandleader, Khmer, was completed in 1997, and showcased NPM's new direction and
the scope of his ambition. The album interweaves improvisation with hypnotic beats, using conventions
previously associated with dance music and the electronic avant-garde to create an immediate and exciting new
musical vocabulary. Khmer received extraordinary public and media response, and was honoured with the
German Record Critics Award and a Norwegian Grammy. So successful was it, ECM - for the first time in its
history - released singles from an album: Khmer: The Remixes, offered now-classic remixes by The
Herbaliser, Mental Overdrive and Rockers Hi-Fi.
ECM released the eagerly awaited follow-up, Solid Ether, in May 2000. It showed an intensification of
NPM's dialogue with club culture, incorporating deeper grooves and harder edges than Khmer, but did so
without alienating the listener or compromising on artistic vision. The Solid Ether concept is one
that has become central to NPM's output to date. Its main premise is that a piece of music is never really
finished and that composing and producing are an ever-evolving process. Ether does not exist, so how can
it be solid? It's a paradox - like life.
Following on from the concept of Solid Ether, NPM invited like-minded artists such as Funkstörung,
Bill Laswell, Joakim Lone and Jason Swinscoe/Cinematic Orchestra, to remix tracks from that album. The
resultant Recoloured - The Remix Album was released in April 2001. I like space and poetry. The
trumpet needs space to create its own language and poetry can be minimalist and express things with
precision. The remixers on this collection create that space and express themselves in a precise but
minimalistic way. They are looking for clarity, the essence of sound.
NPM's third album np3, marked a parting from ECM, and was released by Universal Music Group in 2002.
This album saw him continuing the concepts that were developed through Khmer and Solid Ether,
juxtaposing elements normally regarded as separate in such a way that they seemed to have always been part of
each other. A strong presence on np3 is NPM's soulful and creative use of new music technology,
especially in the area of trumpet processing. Importantly, NPM manages to do this without dehumanising the
music: All these new tools are, in themselves, both positive and negative. The question is all about
timing - when to stop the 'moment' and then freeze it and squeeze it. Time changes, sound changes, and music
changes. Coming from a generation that didn't grow up with the traditional standards, this is a taste of my
tradition. A future tradition. Enhancing the 'musical travel' experience intended, the album is
punctuated with small ambient islands that unify the individual parts of album (including the vitriolic
Axis of Ignorance and the beautiful Little Indian) as a single entity.
np3 was followed by the beautiful DVD Molvær live which showcased a live performance in
Hamburg, and mainly features material from Khmer and Solid Ether, although the np3 track
Nebulizer appears, in typical Molvær fashion, in a substantially different form from the version from
that album. The DVD also included interviews that allowed NPM to explain his methods and his ambitions for
his music, making it compulsory viewing for his growing fan base. As with Solid Ether, NPM invited
artists - including Bugge Wesseltoft, Funkstörung, Matthew Herbert, Clive-Lowe/Dego, Bill Laswell and Martin
Koller - to remix tracks from np3, and these were released as Remakes in 2005. One critic
proclaimed: Remakes confirms once again that NPM's music upholds its quality from here to eternity, and
that it is a small kingdom for the world's best sound manipulators.
At the end of 2003, NPM received the highly sought-after cultural prize, the Buddy, which is the highest
accolade a jazz musician can receive in Norway. In its decision, the jury stated: NPM has developed a
personal and distinctive mode of musical expression, and has distinguished himself as an instrumentalist and
composer. He has one of the strongest international careers in Norwegian music.
NPM is well known for his superb live concerts, and born from his successful world tour in 2002, his first
live album, Streamer was produced from recordings of amazing performances at London's legendary
Marquee Club and the Tampere Jazz Festival in Finland. Once again, the concept of Solid Ether re-
emerges and shows how tracks that appeared on previous albums had evolved. Streamer was released in
2004 and has been called a celebration of NPM's live performances and received great reviews.
Living up to his reputation as a hard-working musician, composer and producer, NPM often works with diverse
projects simultaneously. During the composition and production of his next album (ER), he produced
music for Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts on commission from Riksteateret (National Theatre Productions). He
also produced music for the downbeat French comedy Edy, directed by Stephan Guérin-Tillié featuring
the well-known and acclaimed actors Francois Berléand and Philippe Noiret. Guérin-Tillié said The three
main pillars of 'Edy' are the two main actors and NPM's music, which plays a central role in the motion
picture. The soundtrack was subsequently released on CD.
Rikskonsertene (The National Producer of Live Performances) commissioned NPM to compose a solo performance.
This composition became a creative fusion of music, light and video. NPM performed solo on stage with his
trumpet, supported by digital sound, co-ordinated lighting and video designs. NPM toured Norway and some
selected cities in Europe during the winter 2004 with this project to great acclaim.
NPM's next studio album was ER. This record contained a wide spectrum of musical expression: from the
soft, downbeat and low-key to the strong, powerful and epic. ER marked a new direction, built upon
concepts that had emerged from the creation of the solo performance for Rikskonsertene and the soundtrack for
Edy. Despite the changes, however, ER retained a feeling of familiarity, something
unmistakeably Molvær. More creative space was given to programmers like Knut Sævik, DJ Strangefruit,
Reidar Skaar and Jan Bang: It's important to use people in what they're good at.
While vocal tracks had appeared on his previous releases, in ER they too were given more space. The
dynamic Water featured Sidsel Endresen's unique voice, singing a wordless song of dynamic intensity.
In the beautiful song Only These Things Count, Sidsel's voice again leads the way, with beautifully
restrained accompaniment from Eivind Aarset on guitar, Magne Furuholmen on acoustic piano, and Ingebrigt
Flaten on acoustic bass. NPM's trumpet provides layered chords as well as some beautiful soloing in this
strong and emotionally charged ballad. Common to the eight tracks on ER is NPM's strong melodic
playing, this time with more emphasis on his superb and distinctive technique than the application of effects
and processing of the previous albums. The album subsequently won a Norwegian Grammy.
While the expectation of a third album of third-party remixes based on ER might seem reasonable, NPM
instead opted to try something more personal. Rather than sending his music out to third parties for re-
imagining, he decided to re-call his own music created for films and reassemble it in a much more personal
and intimate form. The result is the emotionally charged and atmospheric re-vision, a selection of
some of his finest compositions for film. Featuring Nizamettin Aric, Anders Engen, Paolo Vinaccia and regular
collaborators Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, and Reidar Skaar, re-vision contains a diversity of textures
previously unheard in NPM’s music. The arrangements straddle the world’s musical genres in effortless leaps,
from East to West and from North to South: muezzin calls and Armenian duduk blend into an exciting electro-
acoustic melange familiar to long-time fans.
The future holds yet more exciting developments, many of which have already begun. With changes to the line-
up of his live band, a planned Trilogy of albums, and more soundtracks and scores commissioned, including one
for a German film, Hannah’s Words, it is clear that NPM has every intention of making the coming years
as innovative and productive as those that began with the release of Khmer.
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