Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvaer is at the forefront of Norwegian nu jazz. Just like Bugge Wesseltoft, among others, he managed to fuse atmospheric Scandinavian jazz with techno, ambient and other electronic styles. His album Khmer, released in 1998 on the ECM label, can safely be called a milestone in a genre that continued to develop since then. Molvaer, however, took a different turn,
… as can be heard on Baboon Moon. With only two accompanists (multi-instrumentalists Stian Westerhus and Erland Dahlen) the Norwegian created a dark album that leans more towards post-rock than nu-jazz. Ghostly and rhythmless soundscapes are alternated with heavy and unwieldy drum patterns from Dahlen. It will never swing. Molvaer's trumpet playing, framed with many effects and abstraction, is mainly supported by the distorted and noisy guitar playing of Westerhus, who also produced the album. This produces monumental music, like a dark Norwegian winter night. (MR)more
