Flip Phillips

Jazz saxophonist Flip Phillips at the Village Jazz Lounge in Walt Disney World

Flip Phillips (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1946 to 1957.

Biography

Born Joseph Edward Filipelli in Brooklyn, New York, United States, and over a long career, he played on many albums, retired to Florida for fifteen years, came back to music, and recorded a CD for Verve Records when he was in his 80s. Phillips performed in a variety of genres, not just jazz. These include bebop, mainstream jazz, swing, jump blues and East Coast blues.

In the mid 1940s, Phillips was one of the anchors of the Woody Herman band, prior to going out on his own and prior to joining Jazz at the Philharmonic. He also played with the Woodchoppers, a small spin-off group that Herman led. His deep, strong and articulate playing with a very full sound contrasted him to his successors such as Stan Getz in the subsequent Herman bands.^{[citation needed]}

His orchestra, which recorded for Verve in 1949, included Buddy Morrow, Tommy Turk, Kai Winding, Sonny Criss, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne. Phillips was a frequent player at the Odessa Jazz Party in Odessa, Texas.

In 1958 he played some solos for Billie Holiday.

Phillips died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in August 2001, at the age of 86.

Discography

• Crazy 'Bout Flip (Ocium, 1947–49) with Howard McGhee, Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Billy Bauer, Ray Brown, Gene Ramey, Hank Jones, Shelly Manne, J. C. Heard, Max Roach, Jo Jones
• Flippin' the Blues (Ocium, 1949–51) with Harry Sweets Edison, Bill Harris, Hank Jones, Lou Levy, Jimmy Woode, Buddy Rich
• Keep on Flippin´ (Ocium, 1952) with Al Porcino, Charlie Shavers, Jerome Richardson, Cecil Payne, Richard Wyands, Oscar Peterson, Freddie Green, Barney Kessel, Clyde Lombardi, Alvin Stoller
• Flipenstein (Progressive Records, 1981) with Lou Stein, Michael Moore, Butch Miles
• Try a little Tenderness (Chiaroscuro Records, 1986) with Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Al Cohn, Scott Hamilton, John Bunch, Major Holley, Chris Flory
• A Real Swinger (Concord Records, 1988) with Howard Alden, Dick Hyman, Butch Miles, Wayne Wright(rhythmguitar), Jack Lesberg
• Spanish Eyes (Candid Records)
• Swing Is the Thing! (Verve, 1999) with James Carter, Joe Lovano, Benny Green, Howard Alden, Christian McBride, Kenny Washington