Home » Jazz Musicians » Philip Booth

Philip Booth

Philip Booth, a Florida native, plays upright bass, and fretted and fretless bass guitars, in a variety of bands drawing from jazz, blues, funk, fusion, and New Orleans grooves.

In addition to Acme Jazz Garage, he plays with Swan City Jazz Project, Zensemble, Trio Vibe, the Blue Guava Orchestra, the Juke Joint Kings, and various trios and quartets under his own name, and occasionally subs with the Tomcats Jazz Orchestra and other groups. He formerly led or co-led bands including Greenwich Blue, Ghetto Love Sugar, and spoken word ensemble The Irritable Tribe of Poets.

Philip's bands have played major events including the Gasparilla Music Festival (twice), the Clearwater Jazz Holiday, the WMNF Tropical Heatwave, the Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, and a variety of venues in the Tampa Bay area and Central Florida.

Philip has also played one-off gigs with several notable artists, including guitarist Larry Coryell, B3 organ master & guitarist Lucky Peterson, and pioneering rock 'n' roller Bo Diddley.

Philip has produced and/or played on several recordings, including releases by Acme Jazz Garage Ghetto Love Sugar, Greenwich Blue, and the Irritable Tribe of Poets. Acme Jazz Garage's 2016 debut CD — featuring music largely penned by Philip — was played on about 36 radio stations across the US, and reviewed in Relix and other national publications.

He produced the 1996 compilation disc "Monk in the Sun," an all-Florida project featuring the late Nat Adderley, Kenny Drew, Jr., and Jeff Berlin, as well as Philip's own Greenwich Blue band and other regionally based artists. The CD received coverage in Cadence and JazzTimes, and was heard on Tampa's WUSF, 89.7 FM and WMNF, 88.5 FM and other radio stations.

He attended the University of Florida, where he played in the top jazz band under the direction of Gary Langford. In high school, Philip made the all-state jazz band as a junior, and studied French horn with Ralph Froelich at USF.

Philip is also well-known as a music journalist, having written for DownBeat, Jazziz, JazzTimes, Relix, Bass Player, Spin, Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard, Salon.com, Option, CMJ New Music Monthly, Guitar World, the Boston Globe, the Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times) and many other publications. He was the pop music critic at the Tampa Tribune from 1988 to 1996. He has written liner notes for several jazz recordings.

Awards

Acme Jazz Garage named Best Jazz-Jam Fusion — Creative Loafing (Tampa) Best of the Bay Awards


Tags

Acme Jazz Garage's debut CD —

"The self-titled debut by the Florida-based four-piece is a solid collection of revivalist funk and swing. Influences are rooted in '70s fusion, and the various contemporary pop styles that surrounded it. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience than your average 'trad jazz' album. The entire record is a capable excursion through one of the more playful eras of America's cultural history." — Wayan Zoey, Relix magazine (June 2016)

"Acme Jazz Garage, which is based in Tampa, Florida, performs funky jazz, soul jazz and Latin-flavored r&b grooves. While its music is danceable, it also features excellent musicianship and strong solos. The music, which is comprised of nine originals plus a heartfelt “America The Beautiful,” is spirited and well-played. Acme’s Jazz Garage’s recorded debut is quite accessible, consistently fun, and well worth picking up." — Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene (August 2016)

Read more

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.