Nils

Smooth Jazz

Since moving to Los Angeles from his native Germany in the 1980s, Nils has traveled PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) on numerous occasions. So when it came time for this acclaimed contemporary jazz artist to name the breezy title track of his current album, he looked no further than his virtual backyard. In the same tradition as Nat King Cole’s “Route 66” and Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Pacific Coast Highway is a roadside celebration of America, this time from the musical viewpoint of a bedazzled and grateful immigrant. Featuring nine exquisite original compositions, the disc includes the hit title track and stellar interpretations of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” and the 1980 Toto classic, “Georgy Porgy.” Dreamy, romantic and delectably sexy, Pacific Coast Highway comes off like the jazz-funk soundtrack to some Great American road movie. Accompanying Nils on his musical journey is a contemporary Who’s-Who of jazz and pop, including drummer Steve Ferrone (George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Average White Band), bassist Abe Laboriel (Herbie Hancock, Dionne Warwick, Ray Charles), percussionist Alex Acuna (Wayne Shorter, Rickie Lee Jones, Tracy Chapman), guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Madonna), saxophonist Gerald Albright (Anita Baker, Whitney Houston), and singer Siedah Garrett (Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones). NILS changed his vocation from session guitarist ( Temptations, George Benson, Rick Braun) ...