Contact Info

Biography

Earl Phillips is active as composer/arranger, educator, and bass trombonist in the greater Philadelphia area. As a composer/arranger, Earl directs and writes for the Earl Phillips Big Band and has led his own 17-piece big band since 2007.

As an educator, Earl is the Professor of Jazz Trombone and a member of the Composition / Arranging faculty at Rowan University.  Earl is also the Director of thel Jazz Ensemble, and teaches Music Theory and Music Technology at Cherokee High School.  Earl has also directed the Philadelphia Grammy Band (2005-2007), the All South Jersey Jazz Ensemble (2008 &2012), the All Central Jersey Jazz Ensemble (2014) and he has been a clinician/manager with the New Jersey All State Jazz Ensemble (2009-2014). In 2020, through the COVID pandemic, Earl ran 2 All-State Jazz Ensembles to keep region jazz running and, for those efforts, was recognized as  the 2020 New Jersey Association of Jazz Education “Teacher of the Year” award.  

Earl is a graduate, with honors, of the University of the Arts, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Bass Trombone Performance (’04), a Masters Degree in Music Education (’05) and a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance / Jazz Composition from Rowan University (’11). Among performances and recording sessions as the leader of the Earl Phillips Big Band, Earl, as a bass trombonist, has shared the stage with Wayne Newton, Patti Austin, Kurt Elling and has also recorded with, most notably, Kid Cudi, Will Smith, Boyz II Men, and John Legend, among others. The John Legend recording (So Amazing: A Tribute to Luther Vandross) won 2 Grammy Awards in 2005.

In his spare time, Earl is also working in the Thad Jones Living Archive, housed at William Patterson University, archiving the original manuscripts of his hero, Thad Jones.  Earl’s research and individual study of Thad has also enabled him to be a contributor to the Thad Jones Living Archive. Earl is also a published author having articles printed in the ‘Jazz Education Journal’, and ‘Downbeat Magazine’, as well as a published composer/arranger through Northeastern Music Publications.

Earl Phillips resides in West Deptford, New Jersey with his beautiful wife Jennifer and their three children, Madeline, Zachary, and Luke. For more information, to hear the Earl Phillips Big Band, and/or to reach Earl directly, please use the contact and social media links below.

www.earlphillipsmusic.com 

Facebook: @Earl Phillips Music

Twitter: @EP3_Music

YouTube: “earlphillipsbigband”

Instagram: “earlphillipsmusic”