Nils Jiptner (aka Nils) is a popular jazz guitarist. He has been a session player, solo artist, and teacher. His groove-based sound is influenced by his love for funk and fusion. Nils, a Munich native, began playing guitar as a teenager, having been inspired by artists like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. He discovered funk, jazz and fusion later on and continued to improve his skills by studying the music of Robben Forman, Larry Carlton, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, and Chic’s Nile Rodgers. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-80s, to study composition, arranging and film scoring. Sessions were also available, where he played with musicians like Rick Braun, guitarist George Benson, and the Temptations. He debuted as a solo artist in 1998 with Blue Planet. It featured appearances from Nathan East, Chante Moore and Benson. His next album, Pacific Coast Highway, was released in 2005. It was this album that broke his career open. The title track reached number ten on Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs charts and was a popular radio hit. The second single, “Summer Nights”, reached number one. Nils released several other well-received albums after that, including Ready to Play in 2007 and Up Close and Personal in 2009. He continued his studio work during this time, producing music for film and working behind-the scenes on TV shows such as Weeds or Undeclared. He continued to teach guitar lessons, as well as publishing videos and books. With 2010’s What the Funk? (which featured the smooth jazz number six single Jump Start), he returned to solo work. The album, which featured the Billboard number two-charting contemporary jazz song “Let’s Bounce”, was then released as City Groove. In 2015, Alley Cat was released. It featured contributions by Ricky Lawson and Nate Harasim. Nils released Play in 2018, his eighth studio album. It featured contributions by Johnny Britt, a long-time associate. Allmusic
