One of the most exciting projects to emerge in recent years is Jazz Is PHSH, a tribute to the jam band Phish that features all-instrumental interpretations of their music. By adding the jazz background, Jazz Is PHSH takes the band’s music and twists it in new and exciting directions. Of course, infusing Phish with jazz requires a strong musical know-how, and Jazz Is PHSH never fails to tour with an elite ensemble. This time around, the group will include members of Dave Matthews Band, Snarky Puppy, Rubblebucket, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, With Lions, The Chase Brothers, James Brown Dance Party, Cindy Blackman Group and Miles Davis’s band.
With the group’s tour starting just next week, November 26th at The Cutting Room in New York, NY (tickets can be found here), we wanted to shine a light on the talented musicians of this elite ensemble. Check them out below, and don’t miss Jazz Is PHSH on tour!
Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Flecktones)
Saxophonist Jeff Coffin is a globally recognized musician, composer, educator, and author. He is a member of Dave Matthews Band, a 3x Grammy winner, and 14 year former member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (1997-2010). Jeff also fronts his own group, Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet, founded the Nashville Jazz Composers Collective. Some of the artists Coffin has shared the stage and the recording studio include a “who’s who” of musicians such as Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Dave Matthews Band, Branford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, DJ Logic, New Orleans Social Club, Maceo Parker, McCoy Tyner, Baaba Maal, Phish, Mike Clark’s Prescription Trio, Galactic, Kirk Whalum, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, Chris Thile, Willie Nelson, Chester Thompson, Garth Brooks, Van Morrison, J.D. Souther, Vinnie Colaiuta, The Dixie Chicks, ‘Rakalam’ Bob Moses, Stanton Moore, Brooks and Dunn, Tuvan Throat Singers – the Alash Ensemble & Konger Ol Ondar, George Porter Jr., Umphrey’s McGee, Del McCoury, John Scofield, Yonder Mountain String Band, Marc Broussard, Martina McBride, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Wailers and many, many others.
Coffin has presented over 300 solo and Mu’tet music clinics from Farmington, Maine to Perth, Australia to Johannesburg, South Africa to students of all ages to rave reviews.
Living in Nashville, TN since 1991, Coffin graduated with a music education degree from the prestigious University of North Texas in 1990 where he played in the acclaimed One O’Clock Lab Band.
At the 2000 Grammy Awards, in addition to Bela Fleck & the Flecktones winning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Recording for the cd ‘Outbound’, Coffin & Fleck’s tune, ‘Zona Mona’ – also from ‘Outbound’ – was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Composition.
Chris Bullock (Snarky Puppy)
Chris Bullock is a tenor saxophonist, flutist, and clarinetist from the culturally rich Appalachian town of Asheville, North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University and went on to the University of North Texas grad program, where he played in the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band. Chris devotes a large amount of his time performing, recording, and touring with the band Snarky Puppy. With this band and Lalah Hathaway, he won a Grammy Award in 2014 for the Best R&B Performance.
Some of the artists he has had the opportunity to perform/record with include Banda Magda, Jon Hendricks, Lalah Hathaway, Jason Marsalis, Bernard Wright, Clyde Stubblefield, Ari Hoenig, Jeff Coffin, and N’dambi.
Chris has actively been involved with educational activities. He was an adjunct instructor of Saxophone at the University of Texas -Arlington for two years. He has also taught clinics and saxophone lessons at many schools, colleges, and conservatories around the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Justin Stanton (Snarky Puppy)
Equally expressive on trumpet and keyboards, Justin Stanton is constantly pushing Snarky Puppy into new musical directions. He grew up in the tiny town of Elizabethton, Tennessee, and after two degrees from Eastern Tennessee State University and the University of North Texas in jazz studies, made his way to Brooklyn. He has toured Europe with UNT’s world-famous One O’Clock Lab Band and recorded with Kirk Franklin, Myron Butler, Trombone Shorty, John Popper, Karl Denson, Ivan Neville, and a crazy little project called Shake It Like A Caveman. Stanton is equally active on the NYC music scene as a horn player and keyboardist. The jazz trumpeter and pianist has also appeared recently with Gin Wigmore on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Jimmie Kimmel Live,” “The Ellen Show” and “Good Morning America.”
Stanton began taking trumpet in the sixth grade and piano in the seventh grade, but was primarily a trumpeter during his school years. However, after their keyboardist left, Snarky Puppy invited him to join the band and play keyboard.
Adam Dotson (Rubblebucket)
Trombonist for Slavic Soul Party, Rubblebucket and #1 Kid, Adam has made a name for himself as an innovative, composer, trombonist and multi-instrumentalist. Adam was a student of jazz at the New England Conservatory. Adam has studied world music and has a very intricate unique perspective to how he approaches trombone. He is truly a one of a kind player.
Felix Pastorius (Cindy Blackman Group, YellowJackets)
Felix Pastorius is a rising young bass force poised to broaden the technical and musical conceptions of the instrument. The son of bass immortal Jaco Pastorius, Felix tried violin and piano before settling on bass guitar, at age 10, inspired by Flea, Les Claypool and Victor Wooten. Joining the band of Weather Report percussionist Bobby Thomas, Jr., at 15, Felix gained invaluable performance experience. Upon attending a Wooten Bass Camp at 19, Felix was recommended by Victor for the bass slot in Jeff Coffin’s Mu’tet. Three albums later, Felix had fleshed out his surging style on 5- and 6-string bass, leading to stints with Cindy Blackman and his own steady gig at the Zinc Bar in New York City. In late-2011, Felix auditioned for and landed the bass chair with Grammy-winning jazz mainstay, the YellowJackets, at last providing an international platform for his forward-thinking fretboard work.
Josh Myers (Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds)
Josh Myers is a New York city bassist that has found success with Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds as well as Heather Christian and The Arbornauts and Kinan Azmeh’s Cityband. Harmonically and rhythmically Myers knows how to play his roll in the band and has crafted his own unique warm tone and disciplined approach to holding down the low end. Myers has performed on stages around the world including a performance in Cairo with world renown clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh.
Jay Rodriguez (Miles Davis, Groove Collective)
Jay Rodriguez is a Grammy Nominated Saxophonist, Flautist, Clarinetist, Film Composer, Producer and Arranger. Jay’s family immigrated to NYC from Colombia when he was 3 and he commenced his musical studies at the age of 7 on clarinet. When he turned 10 he began studying alto saxophone and conducting with Tito D Rivera (Father of the famed Paquito D’Rivera ). By the time Jay turned 12, he had begun studying saxophone with Joe Allard. At 13 Paquito D Rivera featured him as a guest soloist at the famed Salsa Meets Jazz concerts at the then well known Village Gate. Jay went on to work with the well known Jazz and Latin artists like Wilfredo Vargas, Bross Townsend, Vincente Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Jose Alberto, Candido and many more.
Jay co founded the NYC phenomenon of the early 90’s the Groove Collective which influenced bands like the US 3, Roots, a Tribe called Quest and Modern Hip Hop and Dance music.
He has performed, produced recorded and or arranged for artists like Elvis Costello, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Roy Hargrove, Fred Wesley, George Porter Jr, Teruo Nakamura, Bobby Sanabria, Musiq Soulchild, Natalie Cole, Little Louie Vega, Dennis Ferrer, Melissa Manchester, Film Directors Godfrey Reggio, Shawn Batey and Michele Stephenson, Mino Cinelu, Alex Foster, Alex Blake, Patti Labelle, Sara Dash,Guru, DJ Nicodemus, DJ Premiere, Chucho Valdez, Victor Jones, Arturo O Farrill, Bernie Worrell, Roy Hargrove, The Roots, The Mingus Big Band, Al Macdowell, Widespread Panic, Mike Clark, Kenny Barron, Dave Schools, Widespread Panic, Irakere, Mongo Santamaria, Eddie Palmieri, Selah Sue, Jerry Wonda, The Gil Evans Band, Celia Cruz, Doc Cheatham, Miles Davis, Prince amongst many. He has taught/lectured all over the world including the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark, Berlin, Estonia, Japan, University of Cairo, Uninorte in Colombia and Unam in Mexico
Jay currently is busy as a TV, film/documentary composer, arranger and soloist on his respective instruments. He has been a guest on the Jimmy Fallon Show with the Roots as a soloist for English sensation singer song writer Michael Kiwanuka and Jim James of my Morning Jacket.
Adam Chase (The Chase Brothers)
Adam Chase is the founder of Jazz is PHSH and an accomplished drummer, percussionist, song writer, teacher and multi-instrumentalist. Adam studied percussion at University of Colorado Boulder and studied percussion and sound engineering at University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Adam has recorded, collaborated and/or performed with Santana, Aerosmith, Kiss, Crosby Stills and Nash, Derek Trucks, Dicky Betts, Victor Wooten, Oteil Burbridge, Kofi Burbridge as well as members of The James Brown Band, Bootsy Collins Band, Galactic, Lettuce, Trey Anastasio Band, Victor Wooten Band, Snarky Puppy, Trombone Shorty, Break Science, Pretty Lights Live Band, Aretha Franklin Band, Saturday Day Night Live Band, Cage The Elephant, The Word, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jazz is Dead and many more.
Adam is also the founder and co-director of The James Brown Dance Party and has appeared on The Discovery Channel with Ludacris, Tommy Lee, and Big Boi.
Matthew Chase (James Brown Dance Party)
Matthew Chase is an accomplished guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and teacher.
Considered a child prodigy, Matthew found himself performing in front of large crowds at a young age. By the time Matthew was in high school he was being tapped to warm up stages for musical legends including Derek Trucks, Victor Wooten, Carlos Santana and more. Matthew went on to study jazz at Towson University. Matthew is also the co-director of The James Brown Dance Party as well as the music director for Navasha Daya, Allison Taylor, Rob 7even, and former band leader for child prodigy, Ethan Bortnick.
Josh Thomas (With Lions)
Just as Dusty Springfield famously sang, Josh Thomas is the son of a preacher man and cut his teeth in a Baltimore church playing piano, organ and drums at just 5 years old, with an early affinity for gospel, classical, jazz, soul, funk and rock n’ roll. After graduating from Baltimore’s School for the Arts, he spent the next handful of years producing and composing for a variety of well-known Baltimore area artists. In 2013, he began working for Steve Wright as an assistant engineer at WrightWay Studios. Two years later, and Josh is now one of the studio’s chief engineers and has emerged as one of Baltimore’s top up-and-coming composer-producers. His multi-instrumentalist chops and ability to compose in every genre give him an incredibly versatile voice. Josh has performed and recorded with a number of international recording artists including Navasha Daya, Mousey Thompson, Jennifer Hartswick, Kofi Burbridge, Dennis Chambers and more.
Jazz Is PHSH will be performing their new album and more goodies at The Cutting Room on November 26th. You can find tickets here. From there, the band will embark on a tour of the Southeast in December, and all dates can be found on the band’s website.
[Photo by Andrew Scott Blackstein Photography]