| Jazz |
Have you ever sipped a coffee in the rain?
If so, you’re probably ready to press play on this CD. The trio led by double bassist Nils Kugelmann is bound to surprise you; not only through the originality of its musical propositions but also through the sheer quality of its compositions and arrangements. There’s little point in drawing comparisons here. Like Céline Bonacina, Nesrine, or Nguyen Lê, once you’ve heard Nils Kugelmann’s music, you’ll recognize it instantly. His sound is unmistakably modern, laced with a kind of springlike lyricism; fresh, vibrant, and perfectly in step with the season.
“For me, connecting music to stories, emotions, and lived moments is essential,” says Kugelmann — bassist, composer, and bandleader now based in Berlin. “In concert, I make a point of speaking to the audience, of sharing the context behind each piece. It’s something I genuinely enjoy. I can’t imagine presenting music on stage without that kind of dialogue.”
Listeners with classical training may pick up on those familiar influences. But listen closer, and you’ll hear threads of jazz, and hints of folk. Yet above all, what seems to drive Kugelmann is this irresistible desire to tell stories. Each track on Life Score feels like a chapter from a novel; turning pages not with your fingers, but with your ears.
Kugelmann’s musical personality is multifaceted, and the trio he leads; alongside pianist Luca Zambito and drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber; allows him to fully explore each of those facets. Their debut album, Stormy Beauty (2022), was met with warm praise from both press and public. But Life Score goes further. It refines and deepens everything the trio set in motion with their first effort.
“Our first album was born during the height of the pandemic,” Kugelmann recalls. “We had very few chances to play live; the studio was really our first opportunity to test those pieces. Life Score is a completely different story. We’ve played so many concerts together since then, we’ve grown tighter as a trio. The pieces are more compact, more grounded.”
Think of Life Score as a travel journal, each song a sketch taken from the road; fragments of emotion, bursts of momentum, impressions left by the passing landscapes of performance and connection. The result is a music charged with kinetic energy, like watching a crew assemble a stage; lights, cables, even a touch of set design; just before the curtain rises.
It’s hard not to fall for this album. Life Score brims with youth, vitality, culture, power; and even poetry. What more could we ask for?
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
Editor for All About Jazz
PARIS-MOVE, April 8th 2025
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
::::::::::::::::::::::
Musicians: Nils Kugelmann (bass, composition), Luca Zambito (piano), Sebastian Wolfgruber (drums)
Tracklisting :
A Good Day
Coffee in the Rain
Life Score
Turtles and Cocktails
The Unspoken Dreams of a Dragon
Waiting for Your Loved Ones
Clap and Dance
Key Moment
Dark Light