About Jonny Phillips
Born 1971. Jonny Phillips is a British jazz musician, composer and jazz guitarist.
Jonny Phillips (born 11 January 1971, in Kendal, Westmorland, England) is an English jazz guitarist and composer. He played the violin and studied theory from the age of five, however he swapped to guitar at fifteen to study jazz, Brazilian and African music. After his studies at Newcastle College of Music, Phillips moved to London where he set up his group Oriole, with whom he has released three albums on the F-IRE Collective label. Oriole is perhaps one of the few groups to feature two Mercury nominated artists: Ben Davis on cello and Seb Rochford on drums. Phillips is now based in South London after three and a half years living in Andalusia, Spain.
Oriole Albums Song for the Sleeping (F-IRE Collective, 2005) Migration (F-IRE Collective, 2006) Every New Day (F-IRE Collective, 2011)
Lineup Jonny Phillips – guitar Ingrid Laubrock – tenor Saxophone Ben Davis – cello Idris Rahman – tenor saxophone Nick Ramm – piano Adriano Adewale – percussion Ruth Goller – bass Fernando De Marco – bass Seb Rochford – drums
The music of Oriole has on occasion been associated with magical realist literature.
Associated bands Phillips has also played and recorded with: Soothsayers Julia Biel F-ire Large Ensemble Seb Rochford's Polar Bear Renato D'Aiello
Discography The Perrier Award Winners -JazzFm compilation (Jazz-Fm, 2000) Song for the Sleeping – Oriole (F-IRE Collective, 2005) Migration – Oriole (F-IRE Collective, 2006) Not Alone – Julia Biel (Rokit, 2006) Held on the Tips of Fingers – Polar Bear (Babel Label, 2006) F-ire Works Vol. 1 (F-IRE Collective, 2006) Tangled Roots – Red Earth, 2006 F-ire Works Vol. 2 (F-IRE Collective, 2007) ZOOM! European Jazz Collective (Yolk, 2007)
Reviews Timeout The Guardian The Guardian – live review Ronnie Scott's Magazine Straight No Chaser Cheltenham Jazz Festival Review The Guardian Echoes, Kevin Le Gendre The Independent Jazzwise The Herald Straight No Chaser 2
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Important facts
People in Jonny Phillips's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jonny Phillips's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jonny Phillips?
English jazz guitarist and composer
When was Jonny Phillips born?
Jonny Phillips was born on 11 January 1971.
What is Jonny Phillips's occupation?
Jonny Phillips is a jazz musician, composer and jazz guitarist.
What nationality is Jonny Phillips?
Jonny Phillips is British.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Jonny Phillips (musician)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jonny Phillips. https://biography.guide/jonny-phillips/
MLA: "Jonny Phillips." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jonny-phillips/.
Chicago: "Jonny Phillips." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jonny-phillips/.
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