All About Jazz

Home » Musicians » Flip Phillips

Flip Phillips

Joseph Edward Fillippelli, known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts from 1946 to 1957. Phillips recorded an album for Verve when he was in his 80s. He performed in a variety of genres, including mainstream jazz, swing, and jump blues.

During the 1930s, Phillips played clarinet in a restaurant in Brooklyn. After that he was a member of bands led by Frankie Newton, Red Norvo, Benny Goodman, and Wingy Manone. He was a regular soloist for the Woody Herman band in the middle 1940s and for the next ten years performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic. He retired to Florida, but after fifteen years he returned to music, recording again and performing into his 80s.

He recorded extensively for Clef in the 1940s and 1950s, including a 1949 album of small-group tracks under his leadership with Buddy Morrow, Tommy Turk, Kai Winding, Sonny Criss, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne. He accompanied Billie Holiday on her 1952 album Billie Holiday Sings.

Tags

Flip Phillips saxophone, tenor

Album Review

Swing is the Thing by AAJ Staff
Swing Is The Thing by Mark Corroto

Read more articles

August 21, 2001

Flip Phillips: Hard Swinging Tenor Star of JATP

August 20, 2001

SAXOPHONIST FLIP PHILLIPS DIES AT AGE 86

August 18, 2001

Flip Phillips, one of the last swing stars dead at 86

Photos

Albums

Recent Releases

Album Swing is the Thing by Flip Phillips

Swing is the Thing

Verve Music Group
2003

A Real Swinger

Sue Records Inc.
1988

A Sound Investment

Sue Records Inc.
1987

Flipenstein

Sue Records Inc.
1981

Live! At The Beowulf

Sue Records Inc.
1979

Together

Sue Records Inc.
1978

Watch

Similar

Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet

Lester Young
saxophone

Scott Hamilton
saxophone, tenor

Stan Getz
saxophone, tenor

Lee Konitz
saxophone, alto

Dexter Gordon
saxophone, tenor

Benny Golson
saxophone, tenor

Art Pepper
saxophone, alto

Ben Webster
saxophone, tenor

Zoot Sims
saxophone, tenor

Coleman Hawkins
saxophone, tenor

Gerry Mulligan
saxophone, baritone

Benny Carter
saxophone, alto

Woody Herman
band/orchestra

Archie Shepp
saxophone

Stanley Turrentine
saxophone, tenor

Shop Amazon

All About Jazz needs your support

All About Jazz & Jazz Near You were built to promote jazz music: both recorded and live events. We rely primarily on venues, festivals and musicians to promote their events through our platform. With club closures, shelter in place and an uncertain future, we've pivoted our platform to collect, promote and broadcast livestream concerts to support our jazz musician friends. This is a significant but neccesary effort that will help musicians now, and in the future. You can help offset the cost of this essential undertaking by making a donation today. In return, we'll deliver an ad-free experience (which includes hiding the bottom right video ad). Thank you.