Nils Petter Molvær, Norwegian trumpet player, composer and producer, connects multiple music styles - jazz, ambient, house, electronic and break beats, as well as elements from hip hop, rock and pop music - and effortlessly melts them into convincing soundscapes of deep intensity.
His interest in both acoustic and electric music shows the ease with which he handles the conventions of pop, rock and funk, alongside those of modern jazz. These unique sensibilities soon established him as a much sought after musician in Oslo.
After his intermezzo with the Norwegian jazz combo Masqualero, NPM completed his debut album as a leader in 1997, "Khmer” and was honoured with the German Record Critics Award and a Norwegian Grammy.
The eagerly awaited follow-up to "Khmer", released by ECM in May 2000 entitled "Solid Ether", intensified NPM's dialogue with club culture.
Nils Petter Molvær's album "np3", released by Universal Music Group in 2002, sees him continuing the concepts that were developed through "Khmer" and "Solid Ether" by putting significant differing elements together to combine contrasting structures. "Np3" was followed by the beautiful DVD "Molvær live". In the end of year 2003 Nils Petter Molvær receives the highly sought after culture price "Buddy".
Combining jazz, ambient music, house, electronic music and break beats as well as pop music, Molvaer creates exciting and intensive soundscapes. One of the most influential musicians of our time.
Dhafer Youssef Group, consisting of 4 members :
Dhafer Youssef – oud, vocal
Eivind Aarset – guitar
Audun Erlien – double bass
Rune Arnesen – drums
Dhafer Youssef is a young musician coming from Tunisia. Dhafer's band consists of the cream of Norway's electronic nu-jazz scene. Eivind Aarset, one of the finest guitarists in the world today, is renowned for the ambient washes and eastern flavoured drones that have featured on the work of Nils Petter Molvaer, Kjetil Bjornstad and for his own band, Electronique Noire. Drummer Rune Arnesen's urgent beats also feature in Molvaer's work and add a distinctive, contemporary drum'n'bass sensibility ably teamed with the highly in-demand depth charges of bassist Audun Erlien. The line-up is completed by trumpeter Arve Henriksen recipient of one of Norway's Jazz launch Europe awards whose unique style of trumpet playing and vocals is confounding audiences and fellow musicians alike.
I found a very good description of their music on a local web-site and after my visit to the concert I completely agree with it: “The concert you pray that never ends, full of magic you’ll talk about in the years to come.” (Straight No Chaser)
While the live events take place across Sarajevo, local media stations has enabled the Festival to become a truly international event, with a vast amount of the music presented reaching audiencies in Bosnia and Hercegovina and worldwide through broadcasts on the radio, TV and online.