Simon Phillips

An adept and versatile British drummer, Simon Phillips is a highly regarded bandleader and session player known for his jazz, fusion, and rock work. Phillips initially emerged in the late ’70s, and established himself as a go-to session and touring pro for artists like Jeff Beck, the Who, and Frank Zappa. He replaced the late Jeff Porcaro in Toto and has collaborated on projects with Hiromi, Joe Satriani, Lee Ritenour, Stanley Clarke, and many others. He brings this diverse experience to his own ambitious jazz-oriented work, as on 1997′s Another Lifetime, 2000′s Vantage Point, and 2005′s Empty Time. Phillips also leads the ever-evolving fusion group Protocol, who earned a Grammy nomination for 2017′s Protocol, Vol. 4 and returned in 2022 with Protocol, Vol. 5.
Born in 1957 in London, Phillips showed affinity for the drums quickly — beginning with a toy kit at age four, and moving on to a snare and cymbal set at six. By age 12, Phillips was performing and recording with his father’s Dixieland jazz band. After his father’s death, Phillips left the jazz band and began exploring other musical styles, including rock and musicals. A gig as a drummer for a production of Jesus Christ Superstar led to session work, drumming on the demos of various cast members.
As his connections in the music scene grew, so did his session credits: From the ’70s onward, Phillips performed with prominent rock and jazz artists like Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Gil Evans, Stanley Clarke, Frank Zappa, and Peter Gabriel. In 1989, he joined the Who on their American reunion tour. That same year, Phillips made his solo debut with Protocol, a genre-bending recording in which he played all the instruments. He would later expand the Protocol concept with other musicians.
By the early ’90s, Phillips had moved to Los Angeles, where he took over percussion duties in Toto following the death of the band’s longtime drummer Jeff Porcaro. Between stints with Toto, he also began leading his own group. Joined by a cast of seasoned rock and jazz musicians including guitarists Ray Russell and Andy Timmons, saxophonist Wendell Brooks, bassist Anthony Jackson, percussionist Peter Michael Escovedo, and others, Phillips began touring as a bandleader. During this period, he delivered several well-regarded virtuoso jazz, rock, and fusion-influenced albums including 1995′s Force Majeure and 1997′s Another Lifetime. The live date Out of the Blue appeared in 1999.
Phillips then turned his attention toward driving acoustic post-bop jazz on 2000′s Vantage Point, which featured pianist Jeff Babko, trumpeter Walt Fowler, saxophonist Brandon Fields, and bassist Dave Carpenter. The drummer returned in 2010 with the eponymous The Simon Phillips Band, followed a year later by 21 Spices. He then delivered several volumes of his Protocol project including 2017′s Protocol, Vol. 4, which featured guitarist Greg Howe, keyboardist Dennis Hamm, and bassist Ernest Tibbs. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Following recordings with Derek Sherinian, Hiromi, and others, Phillips returned to his own work with Protocol, Vol. 5, which arrived in 2022 and again featured Tibbs, along with keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz, saxophonist Jacob Scesney, and guitarist Alex Sill. ~ Matt Collar & Heather Phares