The latest release by American jazz guitarist Nils Jiptner reaches me from Los Angeles. I previously reviewed several of his albums for www.smoothjazz.eu. This new album was largely written by him in Munich, during the summer and autumn of last year, when Nils was staying there with his late father.  The latter died in October of that year. Nils not only plays guitar here, but also synthesizer, Rhodes and programmed the drum parts. On the fun opener 'Nine 2 Five' Johnny Britt plays braces and trumpet, followed by 'Tangie'.  The uptempo song 'Step Into the Beat' is infectious and makes you dance. A song title like 'Hey Joe' naturally reminds you of the late Jimi Hendrix, and Nils pays tribute to that guitar god. 'Wind Surfer' obviously refers to the Californian beaches, just think of the surf music of The Beach Boys. Then comes the soft 'Sweet Soul', followed by a night in Portugal, more specifically with the mid-tempo of 'Night in the Algarve'. Nils probably refers to the annual Smooth Jazz Festival, which I hope to experience one day.  The title track is a pleasant song, after which the funky 'Walkin' the Dog' reminds me of the late soul singer Rufus Thomas. With 'Our Last Goodbye' he says goodbye to his father, and Johnny Britt sings to it. 'Waiting on Hold' is a calm, but nice rippling track, after which 'My Friends' is sung by Clydene Jackson. Nils closes with 'The Fade', on which he is only assisted by Oliver C. Brown on percussion. Nils did all the rest himself.  So again a nice album, which once again proves his craftsmanship. To enjoy in the cool shade!
		Website Nils Tracks: 1) "Nine 2 Five" (4:00) 2) "Tangie" (3:44) 3) "Step Into the Beat" (3:53) 4) "Hey Joe" (3:48) 5) "Windsurfer" (3:49) 6) "Sweet Soul" (4:02) 7) "Night In the Algarve" (3:46) 8) "Cool Shades" (4:26) 9) "Walkin' The Dog" (4:10) 10) "Our Last Goodbye" (4:23) 11) "Waiting on Hold" (4:12) 12) "My Friends" (4:04) 13) "The Fade" (2:52) Copied with the permission of the author from culturrmania.