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Flip Phillips, who angered some critics early on because he gained riotous applause for his exciting solos during <a href="spotify:artist:1MrfEFvDJwmXQJADGBSEPV">Jazz at the Philharmonic</a> concerts, for over 50 years was an excellent tenor saxophonist equally gifted on stomps, ballads, and standards. He played clarinet regularly in a Brooklyn restaurant during 1934-1939, was in <a href="spotify:artist:2wko1HAL8BbDIKHSXVveHn">Frankie Newton</a>'s group (1940-1941), and spent time in the bands of <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Benny Goodman</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1FmlPBCDxT2lgFy3S6BYtG">Wingy Manone</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6TDBjaKrCj3BvbxhiUSbog">Red Norvo</a>. However, it was in 1944 that he had his breakthrough. As a well-featured soloist with <a href="spotify:artist:2KSxJY1WxGGVYSmoM0N54P">Woody Herman's Herd</a> (1944-1946), Phillips became a big star. His warm tenor was most influenced by <a href="spotify:artist:34W7ZCX0LZeJd8q6boKGOk">Ben Webster</a> but sounded distinctive even at that early stage. He toured regularly with <a href="spotify:artist:1MrfEFvDJwmXQJADGBSEPV">Jazz at the Philharmonic</a> during 1946-1957, scoring a bit of a sensation with his honking solo on "Perdido" and holding his own with heavy competition (including <a href="spotify:artist:4Ww5mwS7BWYjoZTUIrMHfC">Charlie Parker</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:05E3NBxNMdnrPtxF9oraJm">Lester Young</a>). He occasionally co-led a group with <a href="spotify:artist:7EJH0v6Lf4tjfiCqabhzme">Bill Harris</a>, and that band was the nucleus of the ensemble that <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Benny Goodman</a> used in 1959. Phillips then retired to Florida for 15 years, playing on just an occasional basis, taking up the bass clarinet as a double and making only a sporadic record date. But by 1975 he was back in music full-time, making quite a few records and playing at festivals and jazz parties. Even as he passed his 80th birthday, Flip Phillips had lost none of the enthusiasm or ability that he had a half-century earlier. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
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