Molvær was born and raised on the island of
Sula, Møre og Romsdal,
Norway, and left at age nineteen to study on the Jazz program at
Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1980–82). He joined the bands
Jazzpunkensemblet with
Jon Eberson and
Masqualero, alongside
Arild Andersen,
Jon Christensen and
Tore Brunborg.
Masqualero (named after a
Wayne Shorter composition originally recorded by
Miles Davis) recorded several albums for
ECM Records, and Molvær recorded with other ECM artists before his 1997 debut solo album,
Khmer. The record was a fusion of
jazz,
rock, electronic soundscapes, and
hip-hop beats – and quite unlike the delicate "chamber jazz" typically associated with ECM. Molvær's muted trumpet sound, sometimes electronically processed, had an obvious debt to Miles Davis's work of the 1970s and 1980s, but without being a slavish copy. For the first time,
ECM released singles: "Song of Sand", backed with three remixes, and "Ligotage". In 2000, a second album followed,
Solid Ether, after which Molvær left
ECM. He has recorded several albums since, and has also produced film and theater music. He often works with guitarist
Eivind Aarset. He has also played with
Tabla Beat Science, created by
Zakir Hussain and
Bill Laswell. ==Honors ==