Keep (it) Swinging: Nils Petter Molvær opens Jazz Festival Middelburg

Nils Petter Molvær opmaat voor Jazzfestival Middelburg (Nederlands) Nils Petter Molvær opens Jazz Festival Middelburg (English)

Third International Jazz Festival Middelburg
NILS PETTER MOLVÆR and GROUP
18th of April - 16th - 30th - 31st of May - 1st of June 2009
Hans Koert

On Saturday the 18th of April 2009, the Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær performed with his group in the Stadsschouwburg of Middelburg, in the south west part of The Netherlands. This concert was the overture of the 3rd International Jazz Festival of Middelburg at Whitsuntide.

Nils Petter Molvær ( Stadsschouwburg Middelburg April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

With this concert the organization wants to make the festival known as one of the most important festivals of The Netherlands. The Nils Petter Molvær group was a great choice to start with. The group released its new album Hamada last Friday and this concert was the first one in a two week tour along German, Italian and Austrian venues. Nils Petter Molvær ( Stadsschouwburg Middelburg April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

The group featured Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, Eivind Aarset on the guitar and Audun Kleive on drums; all three possessed electronic equipment that made, together with a video show, to concert impressive.

Nils Petter Molvær & Group ( Stadsschouwburg Middelburg April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

The music selected, like Icy Attitude, was from their new album Hamada and, although the organisation had labelled Nils as “The electronic Miles Davis” the music was not a clone of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, but contained long harmonic structures and sound lines that had ethnic, most Arabic elements and reminded me now-and-then to the music as played by Don Ellis and Lloyd Miller in the 1960s, who were the first to use world music and electronic effects into their compositions. Nils Petter Molvær (Stadsschouwburg, Middelburg April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Nils Petter Molvær was born in the 1960s in Sula in Norway in a musical family. He studied at the conservatory of Trondheim and became a sought after musician in the Norwegian jazz, funk and pop scene. He founded his own band in the second half of the 1980s, named Masqualero and recorded numerous albums for the ECM label. In the last decade Nils Petter’s music developed into a progressive and experimental style, with this Hamada album as his latest product. Molvær’s music was also used as film music, in films like Frosset Hertje, Edy and Hoppet. This film music was released in his album ReVison.

Eivind Aarset ( Stadsschouwburg, Middelburg - April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Eivind Aarset is an important musician in the Norwegian Jazz underground scene, and his first album, Electronique Noir, was labelled as one of the best post Miles Davis electric albums.
He started to play the guitar, fascinated by Jimi Hendrix and he developed his musical interests thanks to bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Santana and Pink Floyd to the music of the electric Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Return to Forever. He has performed with his own groups, with musicians like Bendik Hofseth and Bugge Wesseltoft and is a member of this Nill Petter Molvær group.

Nils Petter Molvær & Group ( Staddschouwburg Middelburg, April 2009) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Drummer Audun Kleive started his career in jazz-rock bands like Lotus and Oslo-13 and made his first records early 1980s and in his second ( and latest album so far) he shows his fascination for electronic music. He impressed in Middelburg with a lengthy solo.
Nils Petter Molvær (Stadsschouwburg Middelburg April 2009) (photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

This Nils Petter Molvær concert was a great appetizer for the festival later next month. A festival, which has something to suit all tastes: from the New Orleans Ale Stars with Herriët Lewis; our own New Orpheans featuring Eric Vloeimans as guest trumpet player; with Hein van De Geyn and Fay Claassen up to the New Cool Collective with Jules Deelder and the US giant on the bass Dave Holland. The band of Avishai Cohen, that was scheduled for the festival, has cancelled and will be replaced by Bad Plus, the US trio of bass player Reid Anderson, piano player Ethan Iverson and drummer David King. A good choice !!

Nils Petter Molvær Group - f.l.t.r.: Eivind Aarset - Nils Petter Molvær - Audun Kleive ( Stadsschouwburg Middelburg - April 2009) ( photo courtesy Hans koert)