The Phil Collins Big Band was a side project of English rock drummer, singer and musician Phil Collins, which performed in 1996 and 1998. Although best known for his work in pop as a solo artist and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

with

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, one of Collins' earliest influences had been the American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

drummer

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

. The group presented big band renditions of Collins and Genesis songs, including big hits such as " Sussudio" and "

Invisible Touch ''Invisible Touch'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and on 9 June 1986 by Charisma/Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in 19 ...

". They also did performances of jazz standards such as " Stormy Weather" sung by Collins himself, and other numbers such as "Chips & Salsa", "Birdland" and " Pick Up The Pieces". The group was primarily an instrumental act, with Collins remaining behind the drums. The group split up in 1999, when Phil Collins started to work on the music for the then upcoming movie, ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

''. In 2004 Phil, along with the big band, played at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

, covering the song "

There'll Be Some Changes Made "There'll Be Some Changes Made" ("Changes") is a popular song by Benton Overstreet (composer) and Billy Higgins (lyricist). Published in 1921, the song has flourished in several genres, particularly jazz. The song has endured for as many years ...

" with

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

on vocals, accompanied by pianist

Ralph Sharon Ralph Simon Sharon (September 17, 1923 – March 31, 2015) was a British-American jazz pianist and arranger. He is best known for working with Tony Bennett as his pianist on numerous recordings and live performances. Biography Ralph Sharon was bo ...

and double bassist Douglas Richeson. That can be found on Phil Collins 4 CD boxset '' Plays Well with Others'', published in 2018. The group released one album, '' A Hot Night in Paris'', recorded in 1998 and released in 1999. The footage of Montreux Jazz Festival 1996 was featured as a bonus feature on the 2010 DVD ''Phil Collins Live at Montreux''. Collins' work with the Phil Collins Big Band received acclaim and ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' readers voted him Big Band drummer of the year in 2000.

Personnel

Rhythm section * Phil Collins – drums, band leader, rare vocals ('' Stormy Weather'') * Brad Cole – keyboards *

Daryl Stuermer Daryl Mark Stuermer (born November 27, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer best known for playing the guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most solo tours and albums. He has ...

– guitars * Doug Richeson – double bass *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best-known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

– percussion Horn section * Harry Kim – musical director, trumpet,

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

* Daniel Fornero – trumpet, bugle * Tito Carrillo – trumpet * Alan Hood – trumpet, bugle * Ron Modell – trumpet, bugle * Scott Bliege – trombone * Mark Bettcher – trombone * Antonio Garcia – bass trombone * Matt James – alto saxophone, woodwinds * Kevin Sheehan – baritone saxophone, woodwinds * Chris Collins – tenor saxophone, woodwinds * Ian Nevins – tenor saxophone, woodwinds * Larry Panella – tenor saxophone, woodwinds

References

Big bands Phil Collins {{UK-band-stub