Nils Kugelmann

One of the most exciting young figures in European jazz.
Jazzwise (UK)
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Nils Kugelmann, born in 1996 in Munich, discovered music at an early age. Starting with the recorder, he soon expanded to piano, clarinet, and the double bass. At just eleven, he wrote his first composition for clarinet; by fifteen, a first piece for big band followed, and before finishing high school, he had already composed orchestral works and two musicals, which were premiered under his direction in prestigious venues such as Munich’s Herkulessaal and Schloss Nymphenburg.
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After graduating in 2015, Kugelmann studied jazz double bass at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich with Henning Sieverts, completing his Bachelor’s degree in 2020 and Master’s in 2022. During his studies, he gained recognition as a versatile sideman, performing with ensembles such as the Benny Golson Quartet, Trio Elf, and Johannes Enders.
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In 2023, his debut album Stormy Beauty was released on ACT Music with Luca Zambito (piano) and Sebastian Wolfgruber (drums). The recording was met with enthusiastic reviews and was promptly nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. Since then, the Nils Kugelmann Trio has toured widely, with performances at the Jazz Festival Quito (Ecuador), Ronnie Scott’s (London), the Jazz Festival Oradea (Romania), Bird’s Eye Basel.(Switzerland), and major German festivals and clubs including Jazzahead, the Leverkusen Jazz Days, Unterfahrt, and Jazzhall Hamburg. In 2025, the trio released its second album Life Score (ACT), which they are currently touring internationally.
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A second major artistic focus is Kugelmann’s duo with Mongolian pianist and composer Shuteen Erdenebaatar ("Shuteen Erdenebataar & Nils Kugelmann"). Here, alongside double bass, he features prominently on the rare contralto clarinet – an instrument he brings into a unique jazz context. Their debut duo album Under the Same Stars was released on September 12, 2025 by US label Motéma Music, followed by a current release tour with concerts in Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and France.
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Kugelmann is also an active member of the Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet, with which he has appeared at renowned stages worldwide including the North Sea Jazz Festival (NL), Jazzbaltica (DE), Reykjavik Jazz Festival (IS), Blue Note Beijing & Shanghai (CN), and the Philharmonie Ulaanbaatar (MN).
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With his versatility as a bassist, clarinetist, and composer, Nils Kugelmann is emerging as one of the most compelling new voices in the European jazz scene.