Sid Phillips

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Sid Phillips (born June 14, 1907 in London , † May 25, 1973 in Chertsey ) was a British jazz musician ( woodwind ), composer , arranger and band leader .

Live and act

Sid Phillips grew up with seven siblings in London's East End. During his school days he already performed with his older brothers Harry (trumpet) and Ralph (banjo). He began his career in the 1920s with The Riviera Five , a group led by Sid Kreeger (piano) and Joe Badis (drums), with whom he toured Europe, from 1927 under the new band name The Melodians . After the band broke up, he worked as an arranger for Lawrence Music Publishing; from 1933 to 1937 he was a saxophonist in the Bert Ambrose Orchestra. For Ambrose he arranged jazz tracks such as Caravan , Deep Henderson and the signature tune of the Ambrose Orchestra Hors D'oeuvres , which Phillips later took over as the out-theme for his own orchestra. His own compositions include Night Ride, Streamline Strut, Hullabaloo, An Amazon Goes A-Wooin, B'Wanga, Message From Mars, Early Morning Blues, Mister Reynard's Nightmare, Plain Jane and Cotton Pickers' Congregation . In the late 1930s he worked as a freelance arranger for numerous British bands. In 1938 he recorded a few big band tracks in the United States.

During the Second World War he was assigned to a special police unit in London before serving as a translator in the Royal Air Force . After the war he founded a Dixieland jazz band; the musicians who played at Phillips included a. George Shearing , Kenny Ball , Dickie Hawdon and Tommy Whittle . In the 1950s he performed in front of Princess Margaret , who was among his fans, at the annual Windsor Castle Christmas Ball ; she also had radio appearances. Phillips, who was considered England's King of the Clarinet , recorded around 200 records for His Master's Voice . He died in 1973 of a heart attack while playing cricket . In the field of jazz he was involved in 179 recording sessions between 1927 and 1971.

Sid Phillips is the father of the drummer Simon Phillips (* 1957).

Discographic notes

  • The Fabulous Mr Phillips (His Master's Voice, 1958)
  • Rhythm Is Our Business (Fontana, 1970)
  • Chicago and All That Jazz (Rediffusion, 1970)
  • Fascinating Rhythm (Contour, 1971)
  • Sid Phillips Plays Barrel House Piano (Rediffusion, 1972)
  • Stomp, Rags and Blues (Rediffusion, 1972)
  • I Got Rhythm (EMI, 1990)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Portrait of John Pope
  2. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed June 11, 2015)
personal data
SURNAME Phillips, Sid
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz musician, arranger, composer and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH May 25, 1973
Place of death Chertsey (Surrey)