Simon Phillips (drummer)

For other people named Simon Phillips (drummer), see Simon Phillips (drummer) (disambiguation).

Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips (born 6 February 1957 in London) is a prolific English jazz, pop and rock drummer. Phillips was voted by Rolling Stone magazine as the seventeenth greatest drummer of all time^[1].

Career

Simon Phillips found an early prominence as the drummer on the acclaimed 1976 LP 801 Live with Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno. He went on to play with a wide array of musicians including Big Jim Sullivan, The Who, (including the solo efforts of Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey), Big Country, Toto, Steve Lukather and Los Lobotomys, Jeff Beck, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Michael Schenker, Jack Bruce, Brian Eno, Duncan Browne, Toyah, Mike Oldfield, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Gary Moore, 10cc, Mick Jagger, Ph.D., Mike Rutherford, Phil Manzanera, John Wetton, flamenco guitarist Juan Martin, Asia, Stanley Clarke, Derek Sherinian, Nik Kershaw, Gordon Giltrap, Jordan Rudess and Joe Satriani.

He was the drummer for The Who in their 1989 American reunion tour, and appeared on solo recordings by band members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. He has also worked with heavy metal act Judas Priest on Sin After Sin (1977) and Michael Schenker's debut album The Michael Schenker Group.

Phillips has played on, co-produced, and mixed four Derek Sherinian solo records - Inertia (2001), Black Utopia (2003), Mythology (2004) and Blood of the Snake (2006). He also co-produced and mixed two albums by Mike Oldfield. Phillips also appeared with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and others in the video for the 1983 A.R.M.S. concert benefit for Ronnie Lane. In the early 1980s, Phillips formed part of RMS with fellow session musicians, Mo Foster and Ray Russell.

Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. He quickly became a sought-after session player and in 1992, he released two instructional videos displaying some of his best work.

He has released four studio albums of varying styles.

In 2006, Phillips released a DVD with his jazz band, Vantage Point, called Resolution with writer and pianist Jeff Babko, trumpeter Walt Fowler, saxophonist Brandon Fields and bassist Alphonso Johnson.

Joining Toto

In 1992, Phillips joined American group Toto, replacing Jeff Porcaro after his sudden death. He was the first and only drummer that the band contacted to replace Porcaro.

Nicknamed "Si-Phi" or "Si" by his bandmates in Toto, Simon is noted to be the group's 'technical' guru; handling the engineering duties on both the 2002 Through the Looking Glass and 2006 Falling In Between albums. He also engineered the 1999 Livefields album, and the Live in Amsterdam DVD from 2003.

Recent work

In 2009, Simon Phillips joined with keyboardist Philippe Saisse and bassist Pino Palladino in forming an instrumental jazz/funk rock trio: Phillips Saisse Palladino or PSP, who toured in Europe in 2009 through 2010, spotlighting the talents of each performer in the songs chosen for their set list.

Style

Phillips playing in PSP in Rome, 2009
Photo: Luca Fiaccavento

Phillips' trademark is his precise, creative and very dramatic style. His fills often begin earlier than is expected, often beginning on the "2-and" and continuing to build until "1" of the next bar. His use of metric modulation is notable, and he often uses it to build tension in sections of songs with repeated chord progressions. He often uses double bass drums in the context of a fill.

Phillips has been an endorser of Tama drums for 30 years. His carefully tuned and dynamic drum sound is highly identifiable, and he uses large drums and incorporates octobans and a gong drum in his kit.

Noted for his versatility, Phillips plays diverse styles, including rock, fusion, metal, prog, and jazz. He also plays open-handed, meaning that he plays the hi-hat with his left hand and the snare with the right, not crossing his hands, though he usually uses this technique when playing jazz fusion. The ride cymbal is also played left instead of right, even though he is right-handed. He will occasionally ride with the right hand, especially on the 22" china, and the 12" Special Recording hi-hats on the right side of his kit (they were abandoned for a third floor tom).

Discography

Solo albums

• Protocol (1988)
• Force Majeure (1992)
• Symbiosis (1995)
• Another Lifetime (1997)
• Out of the Blue (1999)
• Vantage Point (2000)

The Who

• The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend [Tracks 4 & 11] (1989)
• Join Together (1990)
• Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin [Track 4] (1991)
• Thirty Years of Maximum R&B [Disc 4, tracks 19 & 21] (1994)
• Greatest Hits Live [Disc 2, tracks 1-5] (2010)

Drum Equipment

• ProMark 707 "Simon Phillips" Signature Drum Sticks
• Tama "Gladiator"(bronze), "Monarc"(maple) Signature Snare Drum
• Tama 12" "Pageant"(maple) Signature Wooden Snare Drum
• 15"x 24" Bass Drum w/Base Mount(Mounted in special position) 2
• 14"x 20" Gong Bass Drum 1
• 14"x 18" Floor Tom 1
• 13"x 16" Floor Tom 1
• 12"x 15" Floor Tom 1
• 11"x 14" Tom Tom 1
• 10"x 13" Tom Tom 1
• 9"x 12" Tom Tom 1
• 7"x 10" Tom Tom 1
• 6.5 x 14" Snare Drum 1
• 5 x12" Snare Drum with mount MRM12S 1
• Octoban 443mm 1
• Octoban 472mm 1
• Octoban 536mm 1
• Octoban 600mm 1
• Iron Cobra Hi-hat Stand w/o legs 1
• Hi-hat Attachment 1
• Double Tom Holder 2
• Special Hardware for Octoban SD & Cymbal 1
• Special Hardware for Gong Bass 1
• SP164HAS
• Simon Phillips Anniversary Snare Drum SP1465HA
• Shell Material Maple2/Bub3/Maple2ply w/SFR (same shell)
• Shell Size 6.5x14"

Shell Finish Simon Phillips Anniversary finish (SPA) Head (Batter) REMO Ambassador Coated Head (Bottom) REMO Ambassador Snare Side Lug MSL35HN Hoop Customized Triple Flanged Hoop(8 tension) Strainer/But MUS80AH/MUS80BH Snappy Snare MS20S-S + certification card

• Zildjian A 14" Custom Hi-hats
• Zildjian 12" Special Recording Hi-hats(discontinued)
• Zildjian A 19" Custom Crash}
• Zildjian A 18" Custom Crash} These have temporarily been replaced with Zildjian prototypes(see below)
• Zildjian A 17" Custom Crash}
• Zildjian A 22" Oriental China "Trash" or swishknocker (depends)
• Zildjian A 20" Oriental Classic China
• Zildjian A Custom 22" Ride
• Zildjian A Custom 12" Splash
• Zildjian Proto Type Sound Lab 19"
• Zildjian Proto Type Sound Lab 18"
• Zildjian Proto Type Sound Lab 17"
• Zildjian Proto Type Sound Lab 14"
• Plywood Custom Drum Plinth
• Remo Clear Ambassador drum heads(toms, bass, and octobans)
• Remo Coated Ambassador drum heads(snares)
• Remo Timpani drum head(Gong Bass)

External links

• Simon Phillips official website
• Simon Phillips Chronology & Releasography Site