Like Sonny: A Tribute to John Coltrane & Sonny Rollins

Born and reared in New Orleans, the cradle of jazz and an evacuee from Hurricane Katrina relocated to Portland, Oregon, Devin Phillips‘ intense affair with the saxophone began at the age of eight. At 14, he was accepted into the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, whose alumni include Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr. and Nicholas Payton. There, trained in music theory and multi-styles composition, he graduated in 2000 with top honors.

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Heading up the prestigious KMHD Jazz Radio Concert at the 2007 Portland Jazz Festival, Phillips has also performed, toured and recorded with top jazz artists, such as Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Palmieri, The Headhunters, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Lenny Kravitz, and Los Hombres Caliente (with whom he recorded two award-winning albums). His reputation as a sax man with intricate and rhythmically innovative sounds made him a popular feature at jazz festivals: France’s Jazz de Vien Festival; Tokyo’s JVC Jazz Festival; Istanbul’s The Ruins; Spain’s Barcelona Jazz Festival; the Netherlands’ North Sea Jazz and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

In 2005, Phillips formed New Orleans Straight Ahead. But in August, Hurricane Katrina muted the music. With all gone, save his sax, and his family scattered throughout the U.S., Phillips evacuated to Portland and reformed New Orleans Straight Ahead with other musician evacuees. His signature sound has not only been featured on radio specials and Northwest festivals but also in newspaper and magazine articles, as well as online articles. Phillips’ debut album “Devin Phillips: Wade in the Water” is now out and available on cdbaby.com.

personnel

Devin Phillips, tenor saxophone
Eric Gruber, acoustic bass
Domo Branch, drums