Jazzfest 2026 ends with a groundbreaking piece of Norwegian jazz history

Nils Petter Molvær is one of the country's most internationally sought-after musicians, and has left a clear mark on improvised music in Europe. Now he looks back on the work that established his career and role in jazz history.

2023 marked the 25th anniversary of Molvær's groundbreaking debut album Khmer, which was released in 1998 and sold over 250,000 copies worldwide. The album combines massive beats and pounding grooves to support Molvær's atmospheric trumpet phrasing and solos. The finished product forms a bridge between the typical soundscapes that artists from the ECM record label are known for, and what at the time represented a brave new world of trip-hop, drum'n'bass, ambient, techno, industrial, electronica and samples.

Molvær's music stretches out in time and space, and submits to the new technology of the moment to give us ever new expressions. As an album, Khmer brings together the freedom of jazz and the sonic potential of pop/rock, and the celebration of this gem in Norwegian jazz history is not something you want to miss!

Nils Petter Molvær – trumpet 
Eivind Aarset – guitar 
Jan Bang - live sampling 
DJ Strangefruit – turntables 
Audun Erlien – bass 
Rune Arnesen – drums
Per Lindvall – drums 
Sven Persson – sound design 
Tord Knudsen – light design