Jazz Articles about Nils Petter Molvaer

Nils Petter Molvaer: Hamada

by Chris May
February 13, 2010

Despite ample evidence to the contrary, for many people trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær is synonymous with understated, electronica-drenched, ambient music. The perception gets stronger the further the Norwegian's name travels from its home turf, despite his record company's best efforts. In 2006, Sula Records released the fierce, high temperature An American Compilation, partly to increase Molvær's profile in North America, partly to define it more accurately. To little avail. Beyond his core audience, the trumpeter continues to be known as ...

Nils Petter Molvaer: Re-Vision

by John Kelman
May 12, 2008

The music of Norwegian trumpeter/Nu Jazz progenitor, Nils Petter Molvaer, has always been cinematic. Call it music for a non-existent movie or a film of the mind, Molvaer's albums, beginning with the groundbreaking Khmer (ECM, 1997), have always been about aural landscapes evocative of highly personal imagery and plenty of club-ready grooves. Even in performance, the lighting provided by Tord “Prince of Darkness" Knudsen is intended to provoke the imagination rather than focus attention on the musicians. It's ...

Lars Danielsson: Melange Bleu

by John Kelman
April 21, 2007

Music--improvised or scored--is inextricably linked with how it's arranged or orchestrated, a point made crystal clear by Lars Danielsson's Mélange Bleu. The bonus track on the Swedish bassist/cellist/ pianist's Libera Me (ACT, 2004) hinted at the direction Danielsson would take on Mélange Blue--a blending of acoustic instruments, concert orchestra and technology to create a lush new mix (or Mélange) that retains Danielsson's innate lyricism, but places it in the sonic realm of Nu Jazz. With some of ...

Lars Danielsson: Mélange Bleu

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 31, 2007

Ormai lanciato sulla strada di altri scandinavi, come Nils Petter Molvaer e Bugge Wesseltoft (non a caso presenti nell’organico), il contrabbassista, violoncellista e pianista Lars Danielsson si spinge un po’ oltre il precedente lavoro Libera me (clicca qui per leggerne la recensione) e mette in scena un album molto artefatto, elettrificato e ricreato in studio (il mitico Rainbow Studio di Oslo, sotto la supervisione dell’ingegnere del suono Jan Erik Kongshaus). Ecco così che gli strumenti sono ampiamente sostituiti da sampler, ...

Nils Petter Molvaer: er

by Samuel Chell
November 15, 2006

Upon reading the titles of the tracks on er, I was prepared for a Windham Hill sampler of programmatic nature-music pieces. But Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer's muse, it soon becomes evident, is more closely related to the genius presiding over In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew and similar projects by some of Miles Davis' '70s progeny. It's New Age music with a beat, but with nuanced textures mixed so deliberately and motifs insinuated so subtly that the inattentive listener ...

Nils Petter Molvaer: Streamer

by Nic Jones
November 14, 2006

Originally released in Europe in 2004, Streamer has finally been released in the US, allowing listeners on the other side of the pond to hear performances recorded on Nils Petter Molvaer's 2002 world tour. In terms of musical evolution, this might be some way off the mark relative to where the man is in 2006, but that doesn't alter the fact that this music is pretty vapid stuff. The Norwegian musician employs a risky “less is more" approach in his ...

Nils Petter Molvaer: An American Compilation

by James Taylor
June 14, 2006

An American Compilation introduces stateside audiences to the electronica-meets-jazz sound of Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer. Mixing jazz, ambient, house, breakbeat and drum 'n' bass, Molvaer's sound is best summed up as “Neo-Cool. Seriously--all the elements of classic 1950's cool jazz are there, from Molvaer's sensual and lyrical playing (a la Chet Baker) to the lush, synthesized string arrangements (think Birth of the Cool electronica).

Molvaer's debut came in 1997 with the release of Khmer on ECM. An American Compilation, ...