Artist Features
Nylon String Jazz Guitarist, Storm Nilson
JGT contributor Joe Barth talks to one of the outstanding guitarists up and down the West Coast, Storm Nilson.
Storm studied at the California Institute of the Arts and McGill University in Montreal. His largest guitar influencers have been Bruce Forman and Larry Koonse.
JB: You are excellent at both electric and nylon-string guitar. What do you find most rewarding about playing fingerstyle jazz guitar instead of plectrum electric jazz guitar?
SN: The first guitar player I became obsessed with when I started playing was Stevie Ray Vaughan, who primarily played with a pick. That’s where I began and where I’ve always felt most at home. When I was at CalArts, I studied with Larry Koonse, who is amazing at both techniques. He helped me understand the benefits of developing fingerstyle playing to achieve greater independence of motion, similar to a pianist.
The result has been the development of a hybrid approach, where I play primarily with a pick between my thumb and index finger while using my middle, ring, and pinky fingers to grab harmony or secondary lines underneath. Although the Home record is entirely fingerstyle, I consider myself more of a picker than a fingerstyle player. I chose fingerstyle for the record because I love the warm, intimate tone that fingers produce on nylon strings.
One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mom playing a few chords for my sister and me on an old junker acoustic guitar she had from her childhood. I wanted my playing on the album to reflect the intimate, informal setting often associated with nylon-string guitars—like someone playing around a campfire or noodling on chords in the kitchen while cooking dinner.
JB: Let me ask about three people who have impacted you.
Larry Koonse
SN: Larry’s the whole package: flawless technique, impeccable time, and incredible fluency across all styles and vocabularies. I’ve learned so much from him that it’s hard to condense, but one specific aspect he emphasized was the importance of self-sufficiency and comfort with solo playing. Most jazz guitarists are terrified to play solo, but getting comfortable with it can be like a superpower. It frees you from relying on others to make your playing complete, allowing you to redirect that listening energy into a more supportive role on the bandstand. It’s also just a much more relaxing way of existing in the music. That’s not to say I’m particularly great at it myself, but I can certainly attest to the value of making it a priority.
Larry also has a beautiful touch and a way of savoring each note that I’ve always loved and tried to emulate. I consider myself very fortunate to have studied with him.
JB: Bruce Forman
SN: I grew up in Carmel Valley, California, where Bruce is based, and I started studying with him in high school. Since then, he’s remained a close friend and mentor. Beyond his incredible talent, the thing about Bruce is that he just loves playing the guitar! I couldn’t begin to count the number of impromptu duo sessions we’ve had in each other’s living rooms or around the fire in the backyard over the years. For Bruce, the guitar seems to be about as natural a part of life as breathing or speaking. It’s not just a passion but an identity and a way of interacting with the world. I admire that deeply and find myself leaning into it even more as I get older.
JB: Charlie Haden
SN: Studying with Charlie was an incredible privilege. I remember the first time I played with him and thought, “Wow, I sound amazing all of a sudden!”—only to realize it was because I was playing with him.
Charlie had this way, as all true masters do, of communicating complex ideas very simply. I’d ask him how he was able to play such melodic solos, and he’d say something like, “Man, just think of the notes you want to hear and play those notes.” If only it were that easy! He would put on a Bird or Bill Evans record, turn the bass down, and play along. After years of hearing him on so many of the records that made me want to pursue jazz in the first place, hearing that beautiful, woody sound coming out of the bass right in front of me felt truly transcendent. Studying with Charlie made me value music on a deeper level—as an inexhaustible source of beauty and inspiration, a means of expressing vulnerability and authenticity more deeply, and a way to bring people together.
JB: Can you tell us more about your personal development as a guitarist at both CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) and McGill University in Montreal?
SN: CalArts is a very special place. The faculty is top-notch, and the students are already playing at a high level when they arrive, so for a lot of players, it’s a sandbox for honing your voice and charting your creative path forward. Being located just outside of Los Angeles, it also served as a great way to integrate into the music scene there. I loved my time at CalArts and tried to soak up as much as possible during my four years. Just hanging out in a place where cats like Charlie Haden and Mirslav Tadic are walking around the halls pulls you upwards. I also formed lifelong friendships and developed musical collaborations that are still going strong all these years later.
I attended McGill when their master’s program was just getting started and was there for about a year. During that time, I had the privilege of studying composition with the great Polish pianist Jan Jarczyk and collaborating with some great musicians. Montreal is an amazing jazz town—affordable, full of talented players, and culturally supportive of live music. Quebec’s prioritization of arts funding also helps foster a vibrant scene.
JB: What are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums that shaped your sound, and why?
SN: Bill Frisell – Gone, Just Like a Train. This record has everything for me. Bill’s tone is gorgeous, and the interplay between him, Victor Krauss, and Jim Keltner is phenomenal. Every one of Bill’s compositions on this record is beautiful. There’s so much listening, use of space, and dynamic interplay— and there’s an odd sense in which it feels almost through-composed while remaining improvisational. Victor and Jim are masters of creating a supportive musical environment, blending their studio sensibilities with jazz spontaneity. Bill’s tone on this record is like a holy grail for me. Whenever I play an electric or archtop guitar, I aim to get as close as possible to that sound.
Jim Hall – The Complete ‘Jazz Guitar’
This record is pure joy from start to finish. Jim swings his ass off with that beautiful, warm, round tone that we all love, and that little bit of bite through those small Gibson amps he played. The record captures him at his best, in my opinion, and It’s been a big influence on my sense of feel, tone, phrasing, and the energy I try to attempt to bring to small ensemble jazz playing. Every listen just reinforces everything I love about Jim Hall.
Pat Metheny – Bright Size Life
This was one of the first jazz guitar records I ever heard, and it made a lasting impact. I think it’s some of Pat’s best playing to this day, and those compositions are timeless. I love his use of delay and a bit of chorus to enhance the fluidity of his sound, and when I do use effects, I really try to keep a lot of subtle lessons from this record in mind. The problem with playing with a wetter sound is that it can easily drown the dynamics of your playing, obscuring transients and use of sustain. Pat’s playing is crisp and clear even though it’s fairly wet, and it melds with Jaco’s tone beautifully. Obviously, his fluidity comes primarily from his touch, not his effects, but I’ve always admired how tasteful he is in his use of reverb, delay, and modulation effects to round out and subtly enhance his sound without killing any of the dynamic subtlety, which is such a staple of that great sound he gets.
JB: Tell us about your goals in making your debut solo guitar album, Home.
SN: The title Home has a couple of meanings. One refers to my childhood home in Northern California, where I lived and breathed guitar as a kid. This was largely thanks to my mom, whose unwavering support and belief in me gave me the confidence to pursue music seriously. The other meaning relates to music and the guitar itself. The guitar has been a lifelong companion, almost like a spouse—there through thick and thin. It’s a relationship you build, and the more time you invest, the more it exists as an inextricable part of who you are.
JB: I love your rendition of Bill Frisell’s “Ghost Town.” What draws you to his music?
SN: Thanks! I really love that tune. As I said earlier, there’s so much that makes Bill Frisell special: his beautiful tone, melodic clarity, and technical precision—and growing up in the country myself, I connect with the rural sensibility in much of his music.
Above all, Bill plays with an integrity that makes every note feel truthful. Nothing is extraneous. Every note serves a purpose, conveying earnest desire to serve the music and elevate the other players in the band. I’m a huge fan of both his acoustic and electric playing, and he’s probably influenced me more than any other guitarist.
JB: Your renditions of the other standards are great too. How did you select the songs for this recording?
SN: The album was recorded during a period when I was deeply focused on getting my solo playing together. These tunes were some of my favorites from a larger collection I was working on. Each one holds personal significance. “Das Rosas” is a tribute to Baden Powell, the legendary Brazilian guitarist. A few of the other tunes are ones I was fortunate enough to play with Charlie Haden, which makes them particularly meaningful. The only original tune on the record, “Yasha’s Tune,” is dedicated to a small island in Southeast Alaska where I spent a lot of time as a kid. That island holds a lot of nostalgic value for me, and I wanted to capture its essence in the music.
JB: Tell us about the Red Oak Duo. Do you play steel-string guitar with pianist Adam Benjamin?
SN: The Red Oak Duo is my long-standing project with pianist Adam, who some of your readers might know from the band Kneebody. We’ve been playing together for twenty years, ever since we met at CalArts, where we hit it off immediately.
What I love about Adam is how much his playing reflects his personality—smart, funny, and irreverent. I think this is true of all great musicians, but it’s especially apparent with him. We’ve released two records as a duo, the more recent being Seven American Monuments. We’ve also collaborated with drummer Jason Harnell under the name the Ithaca Trio.
As for instrumentation, I mostly play electric guitar with Red Oak and Ithaca, and particularly on gigs. That’s mainly because I struggle with getting a good amplified acoustic guitar sound. I don’t love how acoustics sound going direct into a PA, and live mic’ing can be challenging. So, I feel more comfortable with electric for live settings.
In the studio, though, it’s a different story. I love recording with acoustic guitar and piano. Some of my favorite pieces we’ve done were recorded with that instrumentation—like the tune “Joseph” from Seven American Monuments.
JB: Talk about the guitars you play the most.
SN: Lately, my main guitar has been a beautiful Collings I-35. It’s a Gibson ES-335-style guitar and an incredible instrument. I grew up playing a 335, so that style has always felt like home.
I also have a couple of acoustics that I love. One is a 1948 Martin 000-18—it’s a truly special guitar. There’s something about those old Martins; the richness and deep resonance of the aged wood is just incredible. The other is a Collings Waterloo, modeled after vintage Gibson Waterloo guitars. It’s more of a parlor guitar, and it has a unique charm.
Beyond that, I play a Nash Strat that I adore and an archtop made by German luthier Steven Sonntag. I’ve always loved the sound of an archtop but struggled to find one that felt right until I came across Steven’s guitars. Bruce Forman has been playing them for years, and after trying his, I knew I’d need to get my hands on one eventually. I’m currently working on a bossa nova record with LA-based Brazilian guitarist and singer Nick Kello, and I’ve been using the Sonntag almost exclusively for that project.
JB: You live in both Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles. How do you balance gigs and make a career in music work?
SN: I juggle a few different things to make a living. I teach privately, do clinics and workshops, and perform a lot of solo gigs in the Pacific Northwest, where I’m based. I also try to get down to California as often as I can for gigs in LA and the Bay Area. Additionally, I do some mixing in my home studio and supplement my income with day trading, which I got into during the pandemic.
Making a career in music is challenging, but it’s still doable if you enjoy teaching and are willing to piece things together in a way that works for you. For me, it’s about building a flexible life that revolves around what I love most—playing and sharing music.
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