Simon Phillips

About Simon Phillips

What was your favourite album from 2019?

That's a tough one, we had an amazing year with some great returns and debuts, but Incognito's Tomorrows Dream, Sault's 7 and Ashley Henry's Beautiful Vinyl Hunter were my most played.

What was the album that introduced you to jazz?

Bobbi Humphrey's Blacks and Blues and Donald Byrd's Places and Spaces. My aunty was a huge collector and as a kid, these would be two albums we would listen to on a Sunday Morning - they're very special albums for me.

Who is your favourite contemporary artist?

Cleo Sol

What is your most memorable jazz gig?

One I still get flashbacks from is Jarrod Lawson performing at The Southport Weekender (2015).

I was one of the lucky few to have his music ahead of schedule and I couldn't shout loud enough about the appearance of his debut album. Come showtime, the atmosphere in that room was electric and once the performance was over knew we'd witnessed something very special.

If you were to choose the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Jazz FM Awards, who would you give it to?

Goes without saying BLUEY. There are very few who have contributed to British music and have continued with the consistency and quality for over 4 decades, stood the test of time though the many changing faces of music, given countless musicians and singers the opportunities to tour and developed and have touched so many people in a musical and personal level.

His life has been about service and spreading love through music, not just when there's a new album or soapbox moment, but from his heart! He IS music.

In fact, he needs to be on the Honours list for his contribution to British Music both here worldwide, in terms of modern music - there are few, if at all any like him.