Life Score Nils Kugelmann

• 1 A Good Day 04:53
• 2 Turtles and Cocktails 05:11
• 3 Coffee in the Rain 03:40
• 4 Life Score 04:47
• 5 The Unspoken Dreams of a Dragon 04:46
• 6 Waiting for Your Loved Ones 04:29
• 7 Clap and Dance 03:54
• 8 Key Moment 05:26
• 9 Dark Light 05:51
• Total Runtime 42:57

Info for Life Score

21st-century-jazz full of infectious grooves, catchy melodies and cinematic intensity.

Nils Kugelmann likes telling stories. That much is clear from the titles of his compositions...from the way he talks when he introduces them at concerts...and – naturally – from the music itself. ‘For me, making the connection between music and stories, feelings and situations is so important,’ says the bassist/ composer/ bandleader, now based in Berlin. ‘At concerts I consciously talk to the audience and go into the background of each piece in some detail. It’s something I enjoy. I can hardly imagine presenting music on stage without having this kind of communication.’ Above all, however, the music which Nils Kugelmann plays and composes has real urgency, strong energy and hypnotic power. As an artist he has broken through in a way that no other double bassist of the under-30 generation in Germany has done, in particular his way of making his instrument the central feature of his music. Immediately after completing his master's degree in 2022, Kugelmann launched his debut album ‘Stormy Beauty’ on ACT. German media called him a ‘bass berserker’ and a ‘mega-talent.’ Awards, sold-out concerts duly followed. Kugelmann has a core trio, but beyond that he is free to play in the contexts and styles he likes – first and foremost in a duo and quartet with pianist and composer Shuteen Erdenebaatar.

There are so many dimensions to Kugelmann’s musical personality, something which the trio he leads with pianist Luca Zambito and drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber gives him the freedom to express. ‘Life Score’ is in many ways a further development and concentration of the qualities of the band and its leader. ‘Our first album was still from the Corona period. We hardly had a chance to play live and the studio recordings were the first real opportunity to try out the pieces,’ Kugelmann recalls. ‘With ”Life Score’ it's completely different. We have now played a lot of concerts and as a trio we have grown together and got closer. The pieces seem much more compact and concrete.’

ACT CEO and producer Andreas Brandis has played a significant role in this. The trio did try-outs of the new repertoire written by Nils Kugelmann over the course of several live concerts. This was followed by intensive, collective discussions about the selection of pieces, arrangements, sound and dynamics. This meant that the trio was able to go into the studio perfectly prepared and, together with their producer, concentrate on the finer details and find the ideal versions of the pieces for the album. Andreas Brandis says: ‘Nils Kugelmann is not only an incredible bassist, but above all a great songwriter. And precisely because his music is so concise and catchy, it was important to reduce the pieces to their essence.’

All the compositions on the album have a cinematic quality, they are like short films about the lives of their protagonists. These ‘life scores’ draw inspiration from experiences on tour, such as a visit to the Galapagos Islands, but also from moods inspired by balmy summer evenings, the scent of the night, or the incomparable experience of love. These stories are there compositions, in clear, present melodies, in the groovy, flowing rhythm of a homogenous-sounding trio and also in the naturalness of melodic music. Because Nils Kugelmann not only wants to tell stories. He also wants to be heard and understood – by a broad audience and also by listeners of his own generation.

‘Life Score’ is a complex and captivating blueprint, showing us a new kind of film-like Gen Z jazz.

Nils Kugelmann, double bass
Luca Zambito, piano
Sebastian Wolfgruber, drums

Nils Kugelmann
born in Munich in 1996, came to music at an early age thanks to a musical home. It started with the recorder and was quickly followed by piano, clarinet and finally the bass. He wrote his first composition for clarinet at the age of 11, his first piece for big band at 15 and his first works for orchestra and two musicals at 18. These premiered under his baton at venues including the Herkulessaal of the Residenz, Nymphenburg Palace, the Wagenhalle and the Gasteig in Munich.

After graduating from the Pestalozzi-Gymnasium in 2016, Kugelmann studied double bass at the "Hochschule für Musik und Theater München" with Henning Sieverts, graduating with a Master's degree in 2022. During his studies, Kugelmann already attracted attention as a sideman in various projects. He played concerts with the Benny Golson Quartet, Trio Elf and Johannes Enders, among others. In addition to winning first prize at the "European Young Artists' Award Burghausen 2023" and prizes at the "Biberacher Jazzpreis", "Förderpreis des bayerischen Jazzverbands" or the "Future Sounds Wettbewerb" in Leverkusen, Kugelmann has also just been honoured for his work as a composer and musician with the "Musikstipendium der Stadt München" and the "BMW Young Artist Jazz Award". He is also part of various permanent bands such as the "Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet" (Young Munich Jazz Award), the "Luca Zambito Quartet" (Young Munich Jazz Award) or "Renner".

Nils Kugelmann Trio
The beauty of nature, deep human feelings and the pure joy of making music together inspire Nils Kugelmann when writing for this line-up. He has just been awarded the "BMW Young Artist Jazz Award" for his work as a musician and composer and first prize at the "European Young Artist Award Burghausen 2023" with his trio.

With pianist Luca Zambito (winner of the "Young Munich Jazz Award", among others) and drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber (LBT, Fazer, Embryo), his trio features two equally award-winning and passionate musicians of young German jazz. Together, the three long-time companions have already won prizes at the "Förderpreis des Bayerischen Jazzverbands" and the "Future Sounds Wettbewerb" in Leverkusen.

In addition to the communicative and risk-taking interplay, Kugelmann's compositions create an unmistakable band sound. His history as a classical composer is clearly noticeable. Cinematically energetic soundscapes are created that captivate and touch the listener from the very first note.

The basis and the common heartbeat of the three exceptional talents, however, is the deep connection and love for jazz. What emerges from this is music that wants to be heard - driven by palpable joy in playing, full trust in each other, the lightness of friendship and a wonderfully powerful and driving bass sound that bears Nils Kugelmann's unmistakable signature.

Booklet for Life Score