NILS PETTER MOLVÆR

Norwegian Nils Petter Molvaer (b. 1960) is a genre-bending musician whose main instrument is trumpet. A part of his career is connected to the famous ECM label. Switch is not an ECM release, but mentioning that highly distinctive label surely helps to get some idea of the music. Especially as a trumpeter creating hazy and moody ambiences, I find him more or less reminiscent to Jon Hassel who has worked with Brian Eno among others. In addition to trumpet Molvaer handles here acoustic guitar, synths and programming, and his four co-musicians are also multi-instrumentalists. Less ordinary instruments include xylophone, zither and harmonica.

The approximately 45-minute album starts with the title track, which is the longest one (6:54). It's a slow, delicate and beautifully moody piece. Only little sonic details reveal that the performers are no strangers to electric experimentalism. This music breathes widely and goes straight to the listener's emotions and inner visions. 'The Kit' has a strong drum pattern but IMHO loses in emotion what it wins in dynamics. 'Intrusion I' is a brief and serene ambient piece mainly for trumpet and guitar. Later on Intrusions VII, VI and III (sic) continue giving spatial and dreamy slots amid more worked out tracks. 'Quiet Corners' builds its tension more by holding back than by letting go. The zither and steel drum make appearances.

'Strange Pillows' finds a good balance between the trumpet-centred mood and the more hectic and somewhat industrial soundscape with cool percussion. I get an association to Peter Gabriel's fourth album. 'Bathroom' has heavy drum work (indeed in a Gabriel-ish manner), and therefor trumpet is also played more intensely, but still it maintains its capacity to create the deep mood -- which it naturally does more effectively on the more delicate pieces.

I think this is the only Molvaer album I've entirely listened to this far, so I cannot evaluate it against his output. Nevertheless, I believe Switch to be in every way a fine place to start. A strong and cinematic listening experience for those with patient ears and an open mind. Recommended, if you enjoy slightly experimental, ambience-based music and -- most of all -- appreciate melancholic moods.

"Edy" soundtrack is Nils Petter Molvaer's seventh album and in some sense it's a standalone work.Widely known by his aerial atmospheric soundscapes full of Nordic ethos and (especially on later albums)electronic rhythms, on "Edy" Molvaer sounds different.

From very first sounds nervous atmosphere and tension flows around you. I haven's seen the movie, but from soundtrack it doesn't look like "National Geographic" series (and to be honest some Molvaer's albums sound as good soundtrack to "Traveller Guide").Musicians team contains more or less regular Nils collaborators including interesting guitarist Eivind Aarset. But music all album long differs from his other works - there are not many traces of relaxed airy atmosphere,so characteristic for Nordic nu jazz. In fact - not at all.

All music here are full of blood and flesh and nerves. It's not a flamenco-based passionable soundtrack to Spanish movie for sure, but Molvaer's music never before sounded so full- bodied,even heavyweight in moments. All compositions are different and change one another by some internal logic,this album is one of rare (for soundtrack albums) cases when you don't need to see video-line to enjoy the music. Film director 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."

I expect music on this album is seriously influenced by film requirements and it's different from what you hear on Molvaer's "regular" albums. Album closes with the only vocal song - Marion Cotillard sings "It Had To Be You", heavily orchestrated composition copying the style of Hollywood movies' songs from 50s-60s. It was just a movie ....

If you like nu jazz, Molvaer's music or want to hear great modern nu jazz movie soundtrack, try to find this album. Differently from other Molvaer's releases it was released in France and it looks it wasn't noticed outside of the country.

It's funny how some things pass you by - for instance, I had no idea that one of my favourite modern jazz trumpet players was featured here on PA. Just goes to show how big of a place this is. Here the other day - I googled this album and found a link to our website, and suddenly the year 2011 just got a tad sweeter. Had I known this, I'd most likely have included Baboon Moon in my list of the year, but then again I'm constantly bumping into last year releases that just blow me out of the water.

It's not like this is a wild affair - and saying things like being blown out of the water in regards to this particular album, is perhaps a bit far fetched. This is ethereal jazz - oozing out over hilltops and misty mornings. The trumpet playing is like a melodic dog with a soar throat - moaning the loss of its owner. The closest thing to Molvær's playing is without a doubt Miles Davis, and the way he wielded his instrument in the more quiet and mellow stretches of his career. Another current player who has built his sound up on Miles' chill out phase is Danish trumpet player Palle Mikkelborg, who incidentally also wrote the material for one of Miles' last efforts. The reason I point this out is the fact that both Molvær and Mikkelborg, whilst utilizing a lot of the master's brush strokes, - still manage to dish out an altogether different sounding atmosphere. Our Norwegian friend here is much like a jazz player sniffing around in other people's bushes, trying to figure out what next to infuse into the mix. "Damn that's a nice branch there!"

Baboon Moon flies around in different zones - alternating between the rare post-rock sections with wild drumming and KAPOW slapstick bass lines that are fat as mud, - and the more frequent lofty esoteric bits, where things dissolve into these misty emanations - sounding like wet paint running down the walls like sleepy caterpillars.

I don't necessarily think this album is Molvær's best, but it still ranks as one of the finest he has produced in a long while. My fave is still his debut, where his style relied more on psychedelic back-drafts, but then again that probably says more about my penchant for saucy psychedelics than anything else.

If you want music that speaks about the beauty of mountain peaks and early morning dew laying to rest on empty fields, or want something that takes what Miles was trying to do in times of contemplative moods and pensive outbursts, then you should definitely check out Baboon Moon. This album is like being wrapped in warm wet linen, whilst watching the patterns of a thousand cigarettes burn out - sending up grey spiralling smoke against a giant stoic rock face.

North European nu jazz has often been described as a synthesis of Jon Hassell's 4th world experiments, Miles' ethereal productions and modern psychedelic trip-hop/acid jazz. If that is so, than those elements describe this album to a T. To that thumbnail description I would also add that Molvaer's European ascetic brings to this album an almost goth like somberness that sometimes drifts into post-punk industrial eeriness, a sound that may seem on the cold side for those who like the kinetic urban sound of acid jazz from the states and elsewhere.

On the negative side, this album's lack of resources and technology reveal themselves in the simplistic drum loops used throughout the album. Most of the loops used are edited at four beats and are used without any variations, breaks or effects. These short looped beats sound dated by today's standards and were probably already a little dated when this album came out in 1997. The overall sound of this album reminds me of early efforts by fellow psychedelic groove meisters Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell, they too were big on ideas but short on cash and technology at first.

On the plus side Molvaer's playing and arrangements are excellent as is the playing of the various psychedelic guitarists who contribute. This CD is highly recommended for fans of psychedelic nu jazz.

It's not easy to say, what this music is. Just try to imagine Nordic melancholic saga, with cool and airy atmosphere around mixed with same relaxed club electronics. And the space between these two poles just fill with acoustic jazzy sounds. Not very usual mix, but sounds organically, just differently from all you ever heard before.

Mostly slow or mid-tempo pulsating compositions with electronic loops and sounds, strange acoustic drumming, very ascetic guitar sounds and flying trumpet sound over them. Even some folksy/soul vocals. Not everyone will agree that this music is jazz, but many will like it without any importance how it should be named.

One of the best NPM work!

Album's music still saved all traces of the mix, invented on the debut , but became more accessible, more club-sound oriented and less interesting. There two short compositions with vocals are included as well ( just Nils' acoustic piano and guest singer Sidsel Endresen voice), but the result is less then attractive.

Still good album, but doesn't have that freshness and innovativeness of debut. And ( for bad) showed the trend to more club-oriented music, which will change his music more in his later albums.

Distorted guitars and trumpet, sounding almost in cool jazz traditions, built tension and romance at the same time. There I believe, that Nils often mentioned between greatest jazz figures of late 90-s.

If you're new for nu.jazz - start here. If you 're searching on new sound in jazz-fusion - try this! Very recommended!

Nils Petter Molvaer is a bit different case. His roots came from ECM label, and as many nu.jazz/nu.fusion leaders, he represents "cold" Scandinavian school of jazz sound. So - what you will find there, in his newest to time album (2009)?

Some compositions are almost pure neo new-age (or acid-jazz mixed with new age). Happily there are not too many of them. Bigger part of music there is down tempo relaxed electronic/ambient sounds, often only half structured, with blueprints of rhythm, and trumpet soloing sound, placed under its. All the music is bulky, with strong acid jazz and lounge music feeling. Happily some moments are more experimental, they are more interesting and at least remind classic jazz/fusion roots of that music.

Often nu.jazz is stated as most modern form of jazz-rock fusion. I can agree in part only, because you will hardly find rock - component there. If in best moments you still can catch jazz improvisations ( without classic jazz virtuosity), rock component could be represented by possibly new age or ambient sounds, which is not very logical. I can see this music as one of jazz-fusion side-tracks ( another is so called "punk-jazz", which contains less jazz, but stronger rock component). Possibly jazz-fusion future is somewhere in between.

Being in part interesting for listening, this album could mostly attract serious lounge jazz/acid jazz or modernised new age listener.

Man who left a high-quality work in ECM through competing of Gary Peacock and Elvin Jones might be a musician who has both the music character with wide width of oneself and flexibility. The acknowledgment level as ..excess.. Jazz musician might have gone up because it had the part where it had provided with the ability only of the answer corresponding enough to the intention and the of course color of ECM, too. The flow is a well-known fact.

He might be being acknowledged as a part that exists in the category of Jazz as a trumpeter by the listener. However, it is said that he listens to the music such as POP and Hard Rock when it is young, becomes accustomed, and was familiar. It is said that he devoted himself to music with Rock and electronic element without touching the album of Jazz that father owned. And, it is said that he expands the width of music further and it devoted himself to the music such as The Golden Palominos, Brian Eno, and Jon Hassell. In such a flow, his music character develops the original world not exactly installed on Jazz with an original direction.

Uniting the music character to which he devoted himself from the work to listen with ECM further has been introduced in this album. It might be exactly music of shape in the future that he creates. Sidsel Endresen has been appointed to Vocalist. And, TeeBee that took charge of Beat took charge of Re-Mix of "Solid Ether" that Nils Petter Molvaer had announced in 2000. The directionality of this album might have been decided to the part where the programming had been strengthened.

"Tubula Rasa" progresses with the element of quiet ambient music. It might be a flow that exactly gives the position to the directionality of this album. The anacatesthesia continues.

"Axis Of Ignorance" has the start that receives the flow from "Tubula Rasa" and continues. The narration twines and the sound of a mysterious trumpet is emphasized. The rhythm shifts from the scratch of the turntable to hit Beats. The narration will twine and an advanced rhythm have the element of hit Beats and abstract. The trumpet will have the role of the decoration. The music of shape will be exactly progressed in the future.

"Hurry Slowly" might give the impression of various music. The sound contains the element of techno and ambient music. An electronic part is continued. And, it progresses with hit Beats flow.

As for "Marrow", the programming of various music is given from the flow with the tension. The sound of a glossy trumpet to a steady rhythm twines. The element of abstract is included in the flow of a slow rhythm.

The sound of the trumpet with the anacatesthesia twines from the part of the sound with a metallic decoration round "Frozen". The rhythm might have complete hit Beat. The progress of Chord has an impressive part. A little loose flow exists as an impression though the sound of the trumpet that is reminiscent of the idea and Jon Hassell of the tune has succeeded, too.

The flow of ambient music twines from the sound of a grand trumpet round "Presence". The anacatesthesia continues. The element of the music of shape will gone out exactly in the future that he creates.

"Simply So" starts with a complete anacatesthesia. The impression of the solemnity might already exceeded the frame of Jazz. The sound of the trumpet in close relation to hit Beat that flows slowly advances attended with the sound in which the programming is variously done. The tune gives the rhythm the change and continues the anacatesthesia. The sound of the guitar is also impressive.

Hit Beats twines from the flow with heavy atmosphere round "Little Indian". The sound of the trumpet is a sound with gloss that doesn't do the mute. The element to which the progress of Chord that there is a tension in the rhythm that flows slowly is taken continues the flow of this album.

The tempo of fast hit Beats appears from the part of abstract in "Nebulizer". The element of various music is introduced and the sound of the trumpet plays the role of the decoration. The part where the frame of Jazz was greatly expanded is established as one music and expressed about the album as a whole. The rhythm chaotically gives the tension. The rhythm is excluded on the way and presents an ambient aspect.

The flow of original Jazz that he had them listen in the work of ECM that is develops further by this album. It might be proof where elements of a variety of music characters that Nils Petter Molvaer exactly cultivated were expressed by this album.