- Simon Phillips
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Simon Phillips
Img_capt = Simon Phillips in 2007
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Born = birth date and age|1957|2|6London ,England
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Instrument = Drums
Genre = Rock,Hard rock , Heavy metal,Jazz fusion
Occupation =Musician
Years_active = 1973–present
Label =
Associated_acts = Toto,The Who ,Whitesnake ,Judas Priest ,Far Corporation , RMS
URL = [http://www.simon-phillips.com www.simon-phillips.com]Simon Phillips (born
6 February 1957 inLondon ) is a prolific Englishjazz and rockdrummer .Career
He gained early prominence as the drummer on the acclaimed 1976 LP "
801 Live " withPhil Manzanera and Eno. He went on to play with a wide array of musicians includingThe Who ,Pete Townshend ,Roger Daltrey ,Big Country , Toto,Jeff Beck ,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 , Asia,Stanley Clarke ,Derek Sherinian ,Nik Kershaw ,Gordon Giltrap andJordan Rudess .He was the drummer for
The Who in their 1989 American reunion tour, and appeared on solo recordings by band membersRoger Daltrey andPete Townshend . He has also worked with heavy metal actJudas Priest on "Sin After Sin " (1977) andMichael Schenker 'sdebut 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 byMike Oldfield . Phillips also appeared withJeff Beck ,Jimmy Page ,Eric Clapton ,Steve Winwood and others in the video for the 1983 A.R.M.S. concert benefit forRonnie Lane . In the late 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 andpianist Jeff Babko,trumpeter Walt Fowler,saxophonist Brandon Fields andbassist 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. Fact|date=July 2007Nicknamed "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 1999Livefields album, and theLive in Amsterdam DVD from 2003.tyle
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 many 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. The ride cymbal is also played left instead of right. However, when playing jazz music, he switches to playing the traditional method with the hi-hat and ride.Discography
olo albums
* "Protocol (1988)"
* "Force Majeure (1992)"
* "Symbiosis (1995)"
* "Another Lifetime (1997)"
* "Out of the Blue (1999)"
* "Vantage Point (2000)"Drum Equipment
Phillips is not known for changing his drum set-up too often but in 2006, he did in fact change it for the Toto "Falling In Between Tour":
*ProMark 707 "Simon Phillips" Signature Drum Sticks
*Tama "Monarch" Signature Snare Drum
*Tama 12" Signature Wooden Snare Drum
*2 Iron Cobra Kick Pedals
*Iron Cobra Hi-hat Stand
*Tama Drum Rack System
*Tama Starclassic Tom 7 x 10"
*Tama Starclassic Tom 9 x 12"
*Tama Starclassic Tom 10 x 13"
*Tama Starclassic Tom 11 x 14"
*Tama Starclassic Tom 12 x 15"
*Tama Starclassic Tom 13 x 16"
*Tama Starclassic Gong Drum 20"
*4 Tama Octobans, Low Set
*Tama Drum Throne
*Zildjian A 14" Custom Hi-hats
*Zildjian 12" Special Recording Hi-hats
*Zildjian A 19" Custom Crash
*Zildjian A 18" Custom Crash
*Zildjian A 17" Custom Crash
*Zildjian A 22" Oriental China "Trash"
*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"
*2 Tama Starclassic Bass drum 16 x 24" with 2 Beta 52 microphones
*Plywood Custom Drum PlinthExternal links
* [http://www.simon-phillips.com Simon Phillips] official website
* [http://members.chello.nl/h.waalwijk/ Simon Phillips Chronology & Releasography Site]
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