Search - Flip Phillips :: Swing Is the Thing

There's never been an 85-year-old tenor saxophonist as vibrant as Flip Phillips, and the sheer marvel of his longevity influences one's reaction to this record. After retiring from golf some years back and releasing a few competent records on Chiaroscoro during the 1990s, he's primed for this major-label comeback, holding his own with a premiere, propulsive rhythm section that includes Christian McBride, Kenny Washington, and Benny Green. His tone is a bit flabby in places, and he can't sustain the roustabout phrases he once unfurled with Woody Herman's First Herd or during Norman Grantz's Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. But on "Where or When," paired with the pyrotechnics of James Carter--whose showboating style bears some resemblance to a young Phillips mugging his way through "Perdido" decades ago--Phillips proves his mettle as a wizened counterpuncher. He's also pretty spry playing tenor tag with Joe Lovano on "Flip the Whip." As the album title indicates, however, Phillips's facility for swing is the thing that may have actually gotten better with age. His lilting tempos always hit the sweet spots (especially on tracks he has cowritten with guitarist Howard Alden) but also plumb little nuances with a pause or an aside that deepens the quality of the groove. His durably delightful duet with McBride on Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone" not only highlights this set but stands among the best work either man has ever done. --Britt Robson