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Mike Phillips is a musician's musician. He can jam on his own or play with a band, and he's played with some very serious
bands, such as the band Prince took on an incredibly successful tour last year. One of the coolest things about Phillips is
the fact that he is a product of music in public schools. By the time he was 16, he knew he what he wanted, and he waltzed
into a New York club and jammed with the seasoned vets on hand. Phillips recently told Starpoynt he practiced eight hours
a day to hone his craft, and it shows, as the already legendary musician can wind his way as easily through an all-out jam
session as an emotion-packed slow cut.
Today he is in demand to play with the very best, such as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, while his own solo shows
pack clubs across the country. He calls Hidden Beach Recordings home and is out promoting his latest CD, "Uncommon Denominator."
Starpoynt sat down with the energetic Phillips one afternoon...
Star - Talk about your background, your musical training
MP - I started when I was five playing piano. I wanted to play the trombone in my early teens, but there wasn't any trombones
left, so I got stuck with the sax. I thank God for my talent but I have to say that just because you have the gift doesn't
mean you don't have to put in the work to make things happen like they are supposed to. You have to practice and get an understanding
of the music, and for me that meant listening to Charlie Parker, listening to Ornette Coleman... everyone wants quick success
but No. 1, you have to practice and No. 2, you have to look at the cats that have already done it on a higher level so you
can understand what you're getting into.
Star - How old were you when you first picked up the sax?
MP - 15. And I was in school. And yes, I played in the school band. It
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| Cafe 290/Atlanta owner John Scatena, Mike and WCLK's Ken Beatie |
was all a part of the learning process for me that led me to be the artist I am. If I wanted first chair in the band, I had
to practice, because there were several other people that wanted that same spot. And then we learned about so many other aspects
of music, including how to work together as a unit, hearing what the other instruments are doing, what everyone contributes
and learning the techniques of music. It really saddens my heart to say music coming out of the educational system with cutbacks.
It is so good for kids to be a part of music in so many ways; we really need to maintain it in our schools, all our schools.
Star - Talk about how important it is to compose your own music.
MP - It's very important. It's one of the main income streams for you as an artist. It also helps you control your product.
You have to fuse your music together with the business. If you just want to be an artist and sing and dance, I'm here to tell
you that you will be singing and dancing, and broke. There are a lot of things you have to understand to be successful.
Star - How did you break into the industry?
MP - I started playing at clubs in New York. One day Stevie Wonder walked in and asked me for my information. He said
he was going to call me and I thought to myself, "Yea right." But a couple weeks later he called and told me to
get my passport and before you know it I was at Nelson Mandela's house jamming for him with Stevie. My first gig with Stevie,
I messed up the whole time, but I got through it.
Star - How important is dedication?
MP - Dedication has everything to do with how what you do is going to be viewed in the end. What I mean by that is...
typically Sunday morning your mom would put a pot roast in the oven, all seasoned and stuff, and then you'd go to church and
maybe
visit someone after church. When you got home, that pot roast was so good. Now days you can pop one in the microwave in a
bag, but... there's no way that pot roast tastes as good as the one your mom took time to prepare. It's the same thing with
your talent and your gift. The rites of
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passage in this industry include putting that work in and understanding a vision for your overall talent, and then connecting
the business of it with the talent that's already at a high level. Don't take short cuts unless you want a short career.
Star - What makes Mike Phillips stand out?
MP -I don't know... I think though one of the things is that I have truly embraced hip-hop culture as part of my presentation.
At the same time, I can still pay homage to the forefathers, all those people who back in the day played for the love of it,
sometimes weren't getting paid or had to deal with really bad racism. I understand how to go right, go left, feel the room
out... that's improvisational. I can do that, at the same time I embrace the sounds, the music of hip hop.
Star - How did you end up with Hidden Beach?
MP - I used to work a lot with a guy named Waymon Tisdale, great musician, former basketball player. He's had several
successful albums. He was with Mo Jazz, a division of Motown at one time. It was run by Steve McKeever, who then started running
Hidden Beach. Waymon told him about me and he sent him my tape. All of a sudden Steve says he wants to see me live and before
I knew it I was signing paperwork.
Star - What was your most motivating experience to date?
MP - Being on the Prince tour. Walking, talking, watching every aspect of that whole operation, from catering to payroll.
It turned out to be one of the most incredible tours of all time. The musicianship, how the buses rolled, the management...
it was all at a level we all want to get to, and to get to it is to be around it and understand it. When you see something
that awesome, you can just be a part of it, or you can be a part of it and harness it and put it to use for yourself.
Star - What's your fondest memory so far?
MP - After a show recently, this cat
in a wheelchair came up to me and I don't remember what he was suffering from, except that it causes him a lot of pain. He
said that for the hour and a half that I played, he felt no pain. That was so cool. I think we underestimate the power of
music and how much good it can do. That was such a little thing for me to do, but it meant so much and was a blessing for
someone else.
Star - Talk about your new album. Did you rehearse that stuff or was it pretty much improvisational? Did you sit down
with the other musicians and say, "OK, this is the basis and let's just roll with it?"
MP - That's exactly what we did. We put it down and called it a day. Some of the songs had an established melody, and
I just stripped it and made it something that fit me.
Star - How'd you come up with the title, "Uncommon Denominator?"
MP - The title is the theme of my whole vision. If you look at a mockingbird, its whole thing is to emulate other birds.
That's what they do. I said to myself that as a musician I couldn't do that. It seems the industry copies the latest trend
and all the new artists come out copying the last big success. I wanted to break that mentality. I wanted to put together
something hot that included something smooth, something Latin, something hip hop, something contemporary and just have all
of these things be a fingerprint of"Uncommon Denominator" embraces the growth and change I've gone through.
Star - Wow Mike, you're a deep cat! Best of luck to you and thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and wisdom.
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