Nils Petter Molvær () also known as NPM (born 18 September 1960) is a Norwegian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trumpeter, composer, and record producer. He is considered a pioneer of

future jazz The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, a genre that fuses jazz and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

, best showcased on his most commercially successful album, '' Khmer''.

Biography

Molvær was born and raised on the island of Sula, Møre og Romsdal,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and left at age nineteen to study on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1980–82). He joined the bands

Jazzpunkensemblet Jazzpunkensemblet (established 1983 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz ensemble orchestra led by the famous musicians Jon Eberson on guitar and Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, and known for a clean style duel between two rhythm sections, and the ...

with

Jon Eberson Jon Arild Eberson (born 6 January 1953) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer, the son of jazz guitarist Leif Eberson (1925–1970), and the father of keyboardist Marte Maaland Eberson. He was a member of the bands Moose Loose (1973–77), ...

and

Masqualero Masqualero (1983–1991) was a Norwegian jazz group. Originally named "The Arild Andersen/Jon Christensen Quintet", the group soon changed its name to ''Masqualero'' Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) in celebration of the Wayne Shorter compo ...

, alongside

Arild Andersen Arild Andersen (born 27 October 1945) is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene. Career Andersen was born at Strømmen, Norway. He started his musical career as jazz g ...

, Jon Christensen and

Tore Brunborg Tore Brunborg (born 20 May 1960) is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer who plays saxophone. He was born in Trondheim but grew up in Voss where a jazz environment was flowering. Known from numerous appearances with international greats includ ...

(named after a

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

composition originally recorded by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

) recorded several albums for

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

, and Molvær recorded with other ECM artists before his 1997 debut solo album, ''Khmer''. The record was a fusion of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, electronic soundscapes, and hip-hop beats – and quite unlike the delicate "chamber jazz" typically associated with ECM. 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. He often works with guitarist

Eivind Aarset Eivind Aarset (born 23 March 1961) is a Norwegian guitarist who has worked with Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ute Lemper, Ketil Bjørnstad, Andy Sheppard, Mike Mainieri, Arild Andersen, Abraham Laboriel, Dhafer Youssef, Django Bates, and Nils ...

. He has also played with

Tabla Beat Science Tabla Beat Science was a musical group founded in 1999 by Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell. Its style consists of a mixture of Hindustani music, Asian Underground, ambient music, drum and bass and electronica. In 2001 Karsh Kale was approached by ...

, created by

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

and

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, w ...

Honors

*1996:

Kongsberg Jazz Award Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

*1997:

Spellemannprisen Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...

in the Open class *1998:

Gammleng-prisen The Gammleng Award ( no, Gammleng-prisen) is a Norwegian culture award created by ''The Fund for Performing Artists'' in 1982, 25 years after the fund was established in 1957. The award's official name is the ''Rolf Gammleng award to performing art ...

in the class Jazz *1996:

*2000: Spellemannprisen in the Open class *2003:

Buddyprisen Buddyprisen (established 1956 in Oslo, Norway) is an award, given annually by the Norwegian Jazz Forum to a Norwegian jazz musician that has "been an excellent performer and significantly involved in Norwegian jazz by other means". The award was a ...

*2005: Spellemannprisen in the Open class

Discography

In
Masqualero Masqualero (1983–1991) was a Norwegian jazz group. Originally named "The Arild Andersen/Jon Christensen Quintet", the group soon changed its name to ''Masqualero'' Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) in celebration of the Wayne Shorter compo ...

* 1983: ''Masqualero'' * 1985: ''Bande À Part'' * 1987: ''Aero'' * 1990: ''Re-Enter''

Solo

* 1997: '' Khmer'' * 1998: ''Khmer: The Remixes'' (promo only) * 1998: ''Ligotage'' (EP) * 2000: ''

Solid Ether ''Solid Ether'' is an album by Norwegian trumpeter, composer and producer Nils Petter Molvær, recorded in 1999 and released on ECM May the following year.

'' (feat.

Sidsel Endresen Sidsel Endresen (born 19 June 1952) is a Norwegian singer, composer, and actress. She was part of the Jon Eberson group. Since 1987, Endresen has pursued a successful solo career, recording for ECM. Career Endresen was one of the most prono ...

and others) * 2001: ''Recoloured'' (remixes) * 2002: ''NP3'' * 2004: ''Streamer'' (2002, live) * 2005: ''Er'' * 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) * 2009: ''Hamada'' * 2011: ''Baboon Moon'' * 2014: ''Switch'' * 2016: ''Buoyancy'' * 2021: ''Stitches''

Collaborations

* 1990: ''So I Write'', with

Django Bates Django Bates (born Leon Bates, 2 October 1960) is a British jazz musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and educator. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. Bates has been described as "one of the most talented musici ...

, Jon Christensen * 1995: ''Hastening Westward'', with Robyn Schulkowsky * 1997: ''Small Labyrinths'' (recorded 1994), in

Marilyn Mazur Marilyn Mazur (born January 18, 1955) is an American-born Danish percussionist. Since 1975, she has worked as a percussionist with various groups, among them Six Winds with Alex Riel. Mazur is primarily an autodidact, but she has a degree in ...

's Future Song * 2005: ''Electra'', in

Group * 2008: ''Corps Electriques'', with

Hector Zazou Hector Zazou (11 July 1948 – 8 September 2008) was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He worked on his own and other artists' albums, inclu ...

KatieJane Garside Katrina Jane Garside (born 8 July 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, visual artist, and poet. She is known for her dynamic musical projects, which have ranged in style from noise rock to acoustic folk-influenced, and featured vocals ranging ...

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scene ...

, Lone Kent * 2013: ''1/1'', with

Moritz von Oswald Moritz von Oswald (born 1962) is a German record producer and percussionist from Hamburg and based in Berlin. He is a co-founder of the production duo and record label Basic Channel. He has collaborated with Juan Atkins, Carl Craig, and Nils Pett ...

* 2015: ''Infolding'', in Spin Marvel (

Martin France Martin France (born 1964) is one of the top jazz drummers in the UK. He has recorded on over 100 albums and is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is sponsored by Paiste cymbals Career France began performing at the age of ...

- drums,

Tim Harries Tim Harries (born 1959) is a British bass player, who has played with various folk rock and jazz bands in his career. Biography Harries studied music at the University of York, graduating in 1981 before going on to study double bass with Tom ...

- bass, Terje Evensen - live electronics, Nils Petter Molvaer - trumpet, Emre Ramazanoglu - production and further drums) * 2015: ''Høst: Autumn Fall'' (OST), with Mapping Oceans * 2018: ''Nordub'', with

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

* 2019: ''Music For Paintings, with'' Terje Evensen, Leo Abrahams, Anna Stereopoulou, Anthony Cox, Manongo Mujica

As featured artist

* 1990: ''Nonsentration'' -

Jon Balke Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian jazz pianist who leads the Magnetic North Orchestra. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke. Career Balke started playing classical piano but switched to blues at 12, though he pe ...

* 1992: ''Night Caller'' -

Rita Marcotulli Rita Marcotulli (born 10 March 1959) is an Italian jazz pianist and composer. Career Born in Rome, Marcotulli is the daughter of a sound engineer who collaborated with Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone, among others. She started playing piano at ...

* 1993: ''Exile'' -

* 1997: ''Brytningstid'' - Kenneth Sivertsen * 1998: '' Électronique Noire'' -

* 2001: ''Radioaxiom – A Dub Transmission'' -

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

* 2003: ''Digital Prophecy'' -

Dhafer Youssef Dhafer Youssef ( ar, ظافر يوسف; born 19 November 1967) is a Tunisian composer, singer and oud player. Biography Dhafer Youssef was born in Téboulba (a small village of coastal Tunisia); his grandfather was a muezzin. He calls the radio ...

* 2004: ''Seafarer's Song'' -

Ketil Bjørnstad Ketil Bjørnstad (born 25 April 1952) is a pianist, composer and author. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) ...

* 2006: ''Mélange Bleu'' -

Lars Danielsson Lars Danielsson (born 5 September 1958) is a Swedish jazz bassist, composer, and record producer. Biography Danielsson was born in Smålandsstenar, and was educated at the music conservatory in Gothenburg. He plays double bass, electric bass ...

* 2007: ''A Pure Land'' -

Sienna Sienna (from it, terra di Siena, meaning "Siena earth") is an earth pigment containing iron oxide and manganese oxide. In its natural state, it is yellowish brown and is called raw sienna. When heated, it becomes a reddish brown and is call ...

* 2007: ''Ataraxis'' -

Deeyah Deeyah Khan ( ur, , , born 7 August 1977) is a Norwegian documentary film director and human rights activist of Punjabi/Pashtun descent. Deeyah is a two-time Emmy Award winner, two time Peabody Award winner, a BAFTA winner and has received th ...

* 2007: ''23 Wheels of Dharma'' - Somma * 2008: ''Dome'' - Johannes Enders * 2008: ''Lodge'' - Fanu &

* 2012: ''Manu Katché'' -

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

* 2015: ''Deeper Green'' - Christof May * 2017: ''Hypersomniac'' - Lef * 2019: ''Hyperuranion'' - Chat Noir * 2021: '' Roses of Neurosis'' -

Sivert Høyem Sivert Høyem (born 22 January 1976) is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist of the rock band Madrugada. After the band broke up following the death of Robert Burås in 2007, he has enjoyed success as a solo artist and is also a m ...

Also appears on

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

References

External links

* *
Nils Petter Molvær Biography
by Johs Bergh on

Store Norske Leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molvaer, Nils Petter Norwegian jazz composers Male jazz composers Jazz fusion musicians Avant-garde jazz musicians Spellemannprisen winners 20th-century Norwegian trumpeters 21st-century Norwegian trumpeters Norwegian University of Science and Technology alumni 1960 births Living people Musicians from Langevåg Norwegian jazz trumpeters Male trumpeters ECM Records artists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians 1300 Oslo members Jazzpunkensemblet members Masqualero members Thirsty Ear Recordings artists