Jazz. Rock. Jazz-rock. Across more than five decades, legendary drummer Simon Phillips has shown an uncanny ability to excel in most any musical environment. Precision, intensity and emotion are hallmarks of Simon’s sound in every setting.

While still in his teens, Simon gained a reputation as someone who could make music sound good, leading to lots of London recording sessions. By his twenties, Simon had already worked with iconic figures including Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce, Pete Townshend, Al Di Meola, Jon Anderson, Jan Hammer, Stanley Clarke, Jon Lord, Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno and others. Several of these artists had been important pioneers of the jazz-rock genre in the early and mid-1970s, also called fusion.

High-profile recordings and/or tours were soon to come with the likes of Mick Jagger, Asia, The Who, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani and many more. But it was the untimely death of drummer Jeff Porcaro that led to Simon’s 21-year presence in Toto (1992-2014), highlighted by ten albums and numerous world tours. During this period Phillips also worked on various projects led by Steve Lukather, Michael Schenker, Derek Sherinian and others.

More squarely within the realm of the jazz world, Simon worked in a trio led by virtuoso pianist Hiromi along with the late electric bassist Anthony Jackson (Chick Corea). This rich association lasted seven years, producing five albums from 2011-16 and touring extensively.

Although he released the first Protocol album way back in 1989, Simon’s compositions really began to gel with Protocol II in 2013. This release brought together high-profile rock guitarist Andy Timmons with jazz-funk keyboardist Steve Weingart (Dave Weckl) and electric bassist Ernest Tibbs (Allan Holdsworth). Protocol II firmly established Simon’s new lineup as one of the truly great bands in jazz-rock history. Progress continued in 2015 with the release of Protocol III, featuring the same quartet.

In 2017, Simon fine-tuned his group concept with Protocol 4. While Ernest Tibbs continued in the bass chair, this record featured rock session guitarist Greg Howe (Michael Jackson), along with blazing keyboardist Dennis Hamm (Thundercat). Protocol 4 was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the Contemporary Instrumental Album category. In his typically gracious manner, Phillips said “I lost out to Steve Gadd, and you can’t complain about that!”

2019 marked the inception of what would soon become Protocol V. The band’s lineup was tweaked once again, this time to become a quintet including Tibbs, veteran keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz (John McLaughlin) and two dynamic young recruits – Jacob Scesney on saxophones and the brilliant guitarist Alex Sill. A Protocol V studio album was released to rave reviews in 2022, and the group has toured as a cohesive unit ever since.

Simon continues to evolve as a composer on the new Protocol 6 album. As he puts it, “The material is actually quite different from Protocol V. With the band now in its sixth year, I was able to write specifically for each player. My compositions are melody-based, and the format is more as though the songs were written for vocals. It’s my rock ‘n’ roll side that dictates the form of each tune, even though the style is definitely jazz-rock. I like to call it ‘progressive jazz.’ Alex Sill also co-wrote three of the compositions.” The group’s personnel remained stable for the new record except that Phillip Whack now holds down the saxophone chair, playing tenor, alto and soprano with tremendous authority.

Keen listeners can discern the influence of many great drummers in Simon’s sound, not the least of which is ‘70s-era Tony Williams. According to Simon, “I was introduced to Tony by Jack Bruce back in 1977. His 1975 album, Believe It, is still one of my favorites. Not only the music and the playing (it features guitar god Allan Holdsworth), but the sound. Bruce Botnick was the engineer, and I have to admit I used that template as a guide for Protocol II when I mixed it.”