Idris Phillips
Encyclopedia
Idris Phillips is a musician
, composer
, songwriter
, and music producer based in Nashville Tennessee
, U.S.
.
In recent years, he is best recognized for his work as a pianist, guitarist and producer for Canadian singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby, co-writing the songs "War", "Eight Years Old" and "Let It Go" on Wharnsby's 2007 album "Out Seeing The Fields". The two artists tour together regularly as a duo worldwide and are currently at work on several collaborative recording projects.
Phillips found himself as a session player in a recording studio for the first time at the age of 16. Shortly thereafter, his composition and arranging skills tweaked the interests of record label executives who saw the talented and handsome young prodigy as a possible candidate for investment. Music industry politics and pressures pushed Phillips and his music out on the road where live performance earned him his reputation as a versatile and skillful player, opening for the likes of other popular jazz performers like Mose Allison
and crossing backstage circles with artists like Richie Havens
and Livingston Taylor
.
Touring throughout the United States during the mid 1980s as a member of several jazz ensembles and rock bands, Phillips made his home in Phoenix, Arizona
.
In 1989 he embraced Islam
and became known as Idris Phillips - Idris
being the Qur'anic form of the name Enoch
.
Taking a break from cross country tours, Phillips worked briefly in the early 1990s as a hotel entertainment booking agent in Phoenix, AZ. He eventually found himself back on the road again, touring the U.S.
and parts of Western Canada
until the late 1990s when he settled outside Hollywood California to work as a session musician
and composer
for film and television music libraries.
In 2009 Idris Phillips re-located to Nashville, Tennessee
living and working more closely with his son Matthew Bubel, an active session musician
in Nashville.
program "Hayyat".
Phillips returned to live performance in June 2006, reaching out to international audiences alongside Canadian folk/world-music artist Dawud Wharnsby at a concert in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia (performing alongside South African singer-songwriter Zain Bhikha
and Malaysian boy-band Raihan
.) The concert also aired in Malaysia on the national holiday of Eid ul Fitr in November 2006.
In November 2006 Phillips and Wharnsby also toured the United Kingdom
with Canadian percussionists The Fletcher Valve Drummers, concluding their tour of UK with a brief performance of their song "War" at the Global Peace and Unity
Event held in London's Excel Center, to an audience watching various acts and speakers throughout the weekend of over 20,000. The event was televised via satellite by England
's Islam Channel
throughout Europe and North Africa.
As the lawfulness of "musical instruments" has long been a debate among teachers and students of the Islamic faith, Idris Phillips' rendition of "War" - with guitar - at the Global Peace and Unity
event marked the first time in British history that a Muslim musician appeared on stage with a stringed instrument at a major mainstream Islamic religious conference. His performance challenged stereotypes that "music" is "categorically unlawful" according to Islamic theological teachings, warming the audience and the stage for world renowned singer-songwriter and peace activist Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens
) who performed immediately afterward, also with guitar
.
In 2009 Idris Phillips toured as percussionist with South African singer/songwriter Zain Bhikha
in the USA and Holland.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and music producer based in Nashville Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In recent years, he is best recognized for his work as a pianist, guitarist and producer for Canadian singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby, co-writing the songs "War", "Eight Years Old" and "Let It Go" on Wharnsby's 2007 album "Out Seeing The Fields". The two artists tour together regularly as a duo worldwide and are currently at work on several collaborative recording projects.
Early career
Born Phillip Bubel, Phillips began playing classical guitar as a child and by his teens was also an accomplished pianist.Phillips found himself as a session player in a recording studio for the first time at the age of 16. Shortly thereafter, his composition and arranging skills tweaked the interests of record label executives who saw the talented and handsome young prodigy as a possible candidate for investment. Music industry politics and pressures pushed Phillips and his music out on the road where live performance earned him his reputation as a versatile and skillful player, opening for the likes of other popular jazz performers like Mose Allison
Mose Allison
Mose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
and crossing backstage circles with artists like Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
and Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor is an American singer-songwriter, born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He attended the Westtown School in Pennsylvania...
.
Touring throughout the United States during the mid 1980s as a member of several jazz ensembles and rock bands, Phillips made his home in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
In 1989 he embraced Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and became known as Idris Phillips - Idris
Idris
Idris may refer to:* Idris, a fictional dragon in Ivor the Engine* Idris, the TARDIS personified in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife"* Idris , giant and astronomer of Welsh tradition...
being the Qur'anic form of the name Enoch
Enoch
Enoch "initiated, dedicated, disciplined") is a Hebrew name...
.
Taking a break from cross country tours, Phillips worked briefly in the early 1990s as a hotel entertainment booking agent in Phoenix, AZ. He eventually found himself back on the road again, touring the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and parts of Western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
until the late 1990s when he settled outside Hollywood California to work as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
for film and television music libraries.
In 2009 Idris Phillips re-located to Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
living and working more closely with his son Matthew Bubel, an active session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in Nashville.
Career as Idris Phillips
Becoming formally and professionally known as Idris Phillips in 2005 , the writer/performer has recently found recognition worldwide for his melodic compositions which blend varying musical styles (jazz, pop, new-age) with diverse instrumentation. Beyond his work as a composer for Hollywood music libraries, to the growing independent film industry of the Middle East, Phillips' music was recently used to underscore the Egyptian documentary "The Fog Is Lifting" and acted as the theme music for the Islam ChannelIslam Channel
Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
program "Hayyat".
Phillips returned to live performance in June 2006, reaching out to international audiences alongside Canadian folk/world-music artist Dawud Wharnsby at a concert in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia (performing alongside South African singer-songwriter Zain Bhikha
Zain Bhikha
Zain Bhikha is an Indian South African singer-songwriter, who has achieved success as a performer of Islamic nasheed songs. Associated with prominent Muslim personalities, including Yusuf Islam and Dawud Wharnsby, Bhikha has collaborated on albums and also released several solo albums...
and Malaysian boy-band Raihan
Raihan
Raihan is a Malaysian nasheed group originally composing of five members that took Malaysia by storm with the release of their debut album Puji-Pujian in October 1996. The group's original lineup comprised Nazrey Johani, Che Amran Idris, Abu Bakar Md Yatim, Amran Ibrahim, and Azhari Ahmad as the...
.) The concert also aired in Malaysia on the national holiday of Eid ul Fitr in November 2006.
In November 2006 Phillips and Wharnsby also toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with Canadian percussionists The Fletcher Valve Drummers, concluding their tour of UK with a brief performance of their song "War" at the Global Peace and Unity
Global Peace and Unity
The Global Peace and Unity event is an annual two-day conference held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Royal Victoria Dock, London and organized by the Islam Channel. It is the largest Muslim, interfaith and multicultural event of its kind in Europe, having attracted over 55,000 visitors from...
Event held in London's Excel Center, to an audience watching various acts and speakers throughout the weekend of over 20,000. The event was televised via satellite by England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Islam Channel
Islam Channel
Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
throughout Europe and North Africa.
As the lawfulness of "musical instruments" has long been a debate among teachers and students of the Islamic faith, Idris Phillips' rendition of "War" - with guitar - at the Global Peace and Unity
Global Peace and Unity
The Global Peace and Unity event is an annual two-day conference held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Royal Victoria Dock, London and organized by the Islam Channel. It is the largest Muslim, interfaith and multicultural event of its kind in Europe, having attracted over 55,000 visitors from...
event marked the first time in British history that a Muslim musician appeared on stage with a stringed instrument at a major mainstream Islamic religious conference. His performance challenged stereotypes that "music" is "categorically unlawful" according to Islamic theological teachings, warming the audience and the stage for world renowned singer-songwriter and peace activist Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
) who performed immediately afterward, also with guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
In 2009 Idris Phillips toured as percussionist with South African singer/songwriter Zain Bhikha
Zain Bhikha
Zain Bhikha is an Indian South African singer-songwriter, who has achieved success as a performer of Islamic nasheed songs. Associated with prominent Muslim personalities, including Yusuf Islam and Dawud Wharnsby, Bhikha has collaborated on albums and also released several solo albums...
in the USA and Holland.