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#nordicjazz — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nordicjazz, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Khmer Live in Bergan (Nils Petter Molvær)

    Nearly 30 years have passed since ECM released Nils Petter Molvær’s popular ‘Khmer’ album.  It was a departure from the ECM fare of the day, and not without risk, but it found a receptive audience and sold like hot cakes. NPM (Molvær) laid down a new direction for Jazz, and the 1990s saw a subsequent rise of ambient-leaning improvised music (a genre variously labelled as Jazz acoustic/electronica, future jazz, Nu jazz, etc). It has exerted an increasingly pervasive influence on other Jazz forms over time.  

    Since the release of ‘Khmer’, NPM has released dozens of albums, and his status on the European jazz scene is unimpeachable. Many of his albums, such as the original ‘Khmer’, were studio-recorded, but, superb as those albums are, this music thrives on live performance. It is mostly danceable, and the club lighting and pulsating audience create a feedback loop, intensifying the atmosphere. In ‘Khmer Live in Bergen’, you can sense that added energy. 

    There is an unmistakable filmic quality to this mood-dominant music, conjuring up imaginary worlds that linger on the outer edge of reality. The listener is invited on a journey, and a narrative unfolds, but it remains elusive. Unless you immerse yourself. The song titles hint at a narrative, but the ebb and flow of the music fleshes it out. Ambient-leaning music always exalts mood over the strictures of form. 

    Song of Sand

    Despite the title, this is not an exact recreation of the original ‘Khmer’ album. There is no ‘Khmer’ track, for instance, but there are four tracks from the original. As much as a fresh take on the title track might have appealed, the inclusion of ‘Song of Sand’ more than makes up for it. If ever a track evokes powerful dreamscapes, it is this. A distant pulse is heard, soft at first, followed by muffled voices – then the trumpet as the music becomes more immediate, the sound of a caravan navigating its way through dunes, perhaps – each step evenly paced, as it advances over the vast sand-blown landscape. Five of the tracks have appeared on other albums. Of those, I particularly liked ‘Vilderness’, with its Jon Hassell-like resonance, punchy basslines and soaring multiphonic interludes. 

    This is an ensemble in the truest sense, and in many ways, a traditional offering in fresh raiment. Everything you hear, including the samples, is created in real time. This is a collective improvisation that moves freely inside a flexible form. Sculpting sound in this way requires many deft hands. Four of the musicians played on the original ‘Khmer’ album: Molvær, Jan Bang, Eivind Aarset and Rune Arnesen. The full ensemble: Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Eivind Aarset (guitar & electronics), Jan Bang (live sampling), Pål “Strangefruit” Nyhus (DJ, MPC, programming), Audun Erlien (bass), Per Lindvall (drums), Rune Arnesen (drums, percussion). 

    It is on Edition Records and will be released on August 5, 2025. You can pre-order from Bandcamp now.  

    JazzLocal32.com was rated as one of the 50 best Jazz Blogs in the world by Feedspot. The author is a professional member of the Jazz Journalists Association, a Judge in the 7VJC International Jazz Competition, and a poet & writer. Some of these posts appear on other sites with the author’s permission.

    #AmbientLeaningJazz #AudunErlien #EditionRecords #EivindAarset #filmicMusic #JanBang #Jazz #KhmerLiveInBergan #LiveImprovisation #Music #NilsPetterMolvær #NordicJazz #NorwegianJazz #PålStangefruitNyhus #PerLindvall #reflectiveMusic #Review #RuneArnesen

  2. Excited to hear the latest from Hvalfugl, "Bag Vore Øjne Strømmer Drømme Sagte Forbi" which translates to "Behind Our Eyes Dreams Flow Slowly By". A three-piece usually, guitar/bass/piano, I love all their stuff, peaceful and wonderfully melodic.

    hvalfugl.bandcamp.com/album/ba

    #folk #jazz #nordic #danish #folkjazz #nordicjazz #scandinavianfolk #scandinavianjazz #Aarhus

  3. Excited to hear the latest from Hvalfugl, "Bag Vore Øjne Strømmer Drømme Sagte Forbi" which translates to "Behind Our Eyes Dreams Flow Slowly By". A three-piece usually, guitar/bass/piano, I love all their stuff, peaceful and wonderfully melodic.

    hvalfugl.bandcamp.com/album/ba

    #folk #jazz #nordic #danish #folkjazz #nordicjazz #scandinavianfolk #scandinavianjazz #Aarhus

  4. Excited to hear the latest from Hvalfugl, "Bag Vore Øjne Strømmer Drømme Sagte Forbi" which translates to "Behind Our Eyes Dreams Flow Slowly By". A three-piece usually, guitar/bass/piano, I love all their stuff, peaceful and wonderfully melodic.

    hvalfugl.bandcamp.com/album/ba

    #folk #jazz #nordic #danish #folkjazz #nordicjazz #scandinavianfolk #scandinavianjazz #Aarhus

  5. Excited to hear the latest from Hvalfugl, "Bag Vore Øjne Strømmer Drømme Sagte Forbi" which translates to "Behind Our Eyes Dreams Flow Slowly By". A three-piece usually, guitar/bass/piano, I love all their stuff, peaceful and wonderfully melodic.

    hvalfugl.bandcamp.com/album/ba

    #folk #jazz #nordic #danish #folkjazz #nordicjazz #scandinavianfolk #scandinavianjazz #Aarhus

  6. Excited to hear the latest from Hvalfugl, "Bag Vore Øjne Strømmer Drømme Sagte Forbi" which translates to "Behind Our Eyes Dreams Flow Slowly By". A three-piece usually, guitar/bass/piano, I love all their stuff, peaceful and wonderfully melodic.

    hvalfugl.bandcamp.com/album/ba

    #folk #jazz #nordic #danish #folkjazz #nordicjazz #scandinavianfolk #scandinavianjazz #Aarhus

  7. This morning's #workout #music is from Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvaer. A great harmony of styles in this live set. Chill #vibes from Scandanavia meet tropical grooves from Jamaica. The trumpet reminds me much of my dear friend Dave with whom I have collaborated frequently (see comments)

    youtu.be/f702zmB5en4

    #dub #Reggae #jazzFusion #NordicJazz #Jazz #ECM #Trumpet

  8. This morning's #workout #music is from Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvaer. A great harmony of styles in this live set. Chill #vibes from Scandanavia meet tropical grooves from Jamaica. The trumpet reminds me much of my dear friend Dave with whom I have collaborated frequently (see comments)

    youtu.be/f702zmB5en4

    #dub #Reggae #jazzFusion #NordicJazz #Jazz #ECM #Trumpet

  9. This morning's #workout #music is from Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvaer. A great harmony of styles in this live set. Chill #vibes from Scandanavia meet tropical grooves from Jamaica. The trumpet reminds me much of my dear friend Dave with whom I have collaborated frequently (see comments)

    youtu.be/f702zmB5en4

    #dub #Reggae #jazzFusion #NordicJazz #Jazz #ECM #Trumpet

  10. This morning's #workout #music is from Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvaer. A great harmony of styles in this live set. Chill #vibes from Scandanavia meet tropical grooves from Jamaica. The trumpet reminds me much of my dear friend Dave with whom I have collaborated frequently (see comments)

    youtu.be/f702zmB5en4

    #dub #Reggae #jazzFusion #NordicJazz #Jazz #ECM #Trumpet

  11. This morning's #workout #music is from Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvaer. A great harmony of styles in this live set. Chill #vibes from Scandanavia meet tropical grooves from Jamaica. The trumpet reminds me much of my dear friend Dave with whom I have collaborated frequently (see comments)

    youtu.be/f702zmB5en4

    #dub #Reggae #jazzFusion #NordicJazz #Jazz #ECM #Trumpet