Podcast 152 : A Conversation with Nick Phillips

Podcast 152 gives listeners a chance to hear from a man behind the scenes - Nick Phillips, one of the key archivists, producers and project coordinators working today. He works the extensive Prestige and Fantasy Records vaults now owned by Concord, and has produced a number of important reissues. Click here to listen to a conversation with Nick, as well as musical contributions from: Kenny Burell & John Coltrane - "Why Was I Born" from Kenny Burell & John Coltrane. A track selected for The Very Best of Prestige 2-CD set, this came from Coltrane's final sessions as a sideman for the label. What a session it was - Coltrane on sax, Burrell on guitar, Miles Davis stalwarts Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums, and Tommy Flanagan on piano. Karrin Allyson - "A Long Way to Go (Equinox)" from Footprints. Nick Phillips produced, and played a little trumpet, on this album from the talented singer. This is a vocal treatment of the John Coltrane tune, with lyrics added by Chris Caswell, who works often with Ms. Allyson. She plays piano as well as sings, with support from Frank Wess on flute, Peter Washinton on bass and Todd Strait on drums. Red Garland - "Crazy Rhythm" from Dig It!. Red Garland on Piano, John Coltrane on Tenor Saxophone, Donald Byrd on Trumpet, George Joyner on Drums, and Paul Chambers on Bass. This album will get the Rudy -Van Gelder Remasters treatment in September. George Benson - "Shadow Dancers" from The New Boss Guitar of George Benson. One of the albums Nick says he regretted leaving a track off from was this debut as a leader of the 21 year old guitar whiz George Benson. He's matched with his mentor Jack MacDuff on organ, and Ronnie Boykins (bass), Red Holloway (tenor sax), Joe Dukes (drums) and Montego Joe (percussion) round out the band. Charles Earland - "More Today Than Yesterday" from Black Talk. "The Mighty Burner" actually had a hit record with this recording, a soul-jazz winner from 1969. Earland is on hammond B-3 Organ, backed by Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Houston Person on sax, Idris Muhammad on drums, and Buddy Caldwell on conga. Gene Ammons - "The Real McCoy" from The Big Sound. A Mal Waldren tune recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJJanuary 3, 1958. Quite a saxophone front line here: Gene Ammons (tenor sax), John Coltrane (alto sax), Paul Quinichette (tenor sax). andPepper Adams (baritone sax), with Jerome Richardson (flute), Mal Waldron (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Arthur Taylor (drums). This track will be part of a new five CD set due next year entitled Side Steps, collecting all of Coltrane's sessions as a sideman for artists such as Ammons, Mal Waldron, Red Garland and Tadd Dameron. Miles Davis - "Airegin" from Bag's Groove. Miles Davis (trumpet) Sonny Rollins (tenor sax) Horace Silver (piano) Percy Heath (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums) were the all-stars recording at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio, in Hackensack, NJ, on June 29, 1954. A seminal recording of a Rollins' clasic, this is on The Very Best of Prestige, and  will be included in one of Phillips' next reissues, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins: The Classic Prestige Sessions, 1951-1956.