Nils - Blue Planet (1998)

A popular contemporary jazz guitarist, Nils Jiptner, aka Nils, is a successful solo artist, session player, and instructor, with a groove-based sound influenced by his love of funk and fusion. A native of Munich, Nils first started playing guitar in his teens, inspired by bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Later, he discovered funk, jazz, and fusion and began expanding his skills as he investigated the music of Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, and Chic's Nile Rodgers. In the mid-'80s he relocated to Los Angeles, where studied composition, arranging, and film scoring. He also found session work, playing with artists like guitarist George Benson, trumpeter Rick Braun, and the Temptations. As a solo artist, he debuted in 1998 with Blue Planet, which featured guest appearances by Benson, Nathan East, Chante Moore, and others.

Pacific Coast Highway However, it was his next album, 2005's Pacific Coast Highway, which broke his career wide-open. The title track peaked at number ten on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, and became a huge radio favorite. A second single, "Summer Nights," fared even better hitting number one. Nils followed up with several more well-received albums, including 2007's Ready to Play and 2009's Up Close and Personal. During this period, he furthered his studio work, producing music for film and working behind the scenes on TV shows like Weeds and Undeclared. He also continued to offer guitar instruction, teaching young musicians, and releasing videos and books.

What The Funk? He returned to his solo work with 2010's What the Funk?, which included the top six smooth jazz single "Jump Start." He then delivered City Groove, featuring the number two charting Billboard contemporary jazz single "Let's Bounce." Alley Cat followed in 2015 and included contributions from Nate Harasim, Ricky Lawson, and others. In 2018, Nils returned with his eighth studio album, Play, which featured contributions from longtime associate, trumpeter Johnny Britt. ~ Matt Collar