Nils Petter Molvær on DeBaser: electro‑jazz, ambient dub, and trumpet atmospheres

The Profile

Nils Petter Molvær is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter and composer known for fusing jazz with electronics, ambient, and dub. He gained international attention with Khmer (ECM, 1997) and continued to evolve on Solid Ether, NP3, Er, and Hamada.

Norwegian trumpeter and composer; active since the 1990s; associated with ECM in the late 1990s; blends jazz trumpet with electronic, ambient, and dub elements; influenced in discussions by Miles Davis and Brian Eno; has collaborated with Gary Peacock, David Sylvian, Bill Laswell, and guitarist Eivind Aarset; noted live use of loops, drums, keyboards, and turntables; recognized as a leading figure in nu jazz.

The reviews celebrate Molvær’s blend of trumpet lyricism and electronics, from ECM-era atmospheres to club‑tinged beats. Live in Berlin highlights heavy loops and turntables. NP3 draws lines from Miles Davis to Brian Eno. Er leans cold, electro, and dub. Hamada pares back the flash for refined, ambient spaciousness.

Notable Quotes

❝ A great concert: a confirmation of an artist who knows how to make electronic jazz that can appeal to the most discerning tastes, despite the influences of club rhythms.

❝ For those most frightened by jazz, this artist might offer the inspiration to venture into a new world. For jazz purists, Nils Petter Molvær represents a pebble in their shoe that, however, has the future on its side.

❝ There is something cold, electro, sometimes dub. Many and reinterpreted influences of Eno.

❝ In the opinion of the writer, "Hamada" (2009) is also the most beautiful album by Nils Petter Molvaer, a Norwegian trumpeter who, in addition to boasting numerous collaborations (from Gary Peacock to David Sylvian and Bill Laswell), now has several solo works including soundtracks to his credit.