Phil Collins (right, standing) talks to the crowd attending our concert at the Landesmuseum in Zurich, Switzerland. This image is a montage of several photos that capture the beauty of this historic site, but the upper-right corner remains incomplete. Photo credit: Antonio García

Phil Collins and Antonio García during rehearsals in Lausanne, Switzerland. Photo credit: Antonio García

It was my privilege to join Phil Collins, the core members of his pop band, and additional, exceptional horn players (drawn primarily from colleagues I had known through my work as an educator in Illinois over the preceding eleven years) to create the Phil Collins Big Band for his 1998 U.S./European Tour.

Phil checks the drum set out during the sound check for our final concert of the tour in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Photo credit: Antonio García

Through the invitation of horn contractor Ron Modell, a longtime educator and friend, I covered my favorite chair in a big band: bass trombone. The charts were excellent; the musicians were superb; the tour sites provided many memories; Phil was a most gracious and highly inspirational drummer/bandleader; and the band was smokin'!

In a broadcast aired in July 2000, the Phil Collins Big Band received the Billboard/BET on Jazz Award for Best Big Band. You can hear and see the band in some video clips linked from the "Set List" section below. Browse the menu at left for details and reminiscences about the Phil Collins Big Band Tour '98!

CD

A Hot Night in Paris, Phil Collins Big Band, released in Europe (WEA International 3984 27221-2, June) and the U.S. (Atlantic 83198-2, July) in 1999.

This is simply one of the best-produced live big band recordings ever—I compliment Don Murray, Daryl Stuermer, and (original engineers) Mauricio Guerrero and Christophe Suchet on their work bringing such a great sound to the disc. And the band's exciting performance is indeed representative of the music we brought to 27 cities in 1998.

In 2005 a DVD was released: Phil Collins: Finally...The First Farewell Tour (Warner Music R2 970397) that focuses on Phil's pop bands. But if you scroll through Disc 1's supplementary videos, you'll find an extended version of "Pick Up the Pieces" from its one performance on the tour.

I enjoy "Pick Up the Pieces" as much as probably anyone (and still have the 45-rpm record to prove it); but twenty minutes of one-chord funk can be a long time. Still, the soloing talents of such musicians as saxophonists James Carter, Gerald Albright, Pee Wee Ellis, Klaus Doldinger, and Sadao Watanabe and pianist George Duke added life to the one-chord vamp. We played this only once on the tour, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, as a tribute to our guest-conductor for that tune, the legendary Arif Mardin, whose hit-making work at Atlantic Records is well known and who had arranged the chart and its tasty solis.

In 2019 A Hot Night in Paris by the Phil Collins Big Band was re-released a vinyl double-album in Europe (Atlantic Records) and the U.S. (Rhino Records), bringing the album again to the attention of audiophiles.

PERSONNEL

Click on this image to see Phil introducing the band to the crowd at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

• Saxes: Matt James (alto), Gerald Albright (alto), Chris Collins (tenor), Larry Panella (tenor), Ian Nevins (tenor), Kevin Sheehan (baritone)

• Trumpets: Dan Fornero, Harry Kim, Tito Carillo, Al Hood, Ron Modell

• Trombones: Arturo Velasco, Scott Bliege, Mark Bettcher, Antonio García

• Rhythm: Daryl Stuermer (guitar), Brad Cole (piano), Oleta Adams (piano), Doug Richeson (bass), Luis Conte (percussion), Phil Collins (drums)

• Vocals: Oleta Adams, Phil Collins

(front) Phil Collins and Ron Modell with the members of the horn section that had roots in Illinois: (back) Matt James, Kevin Sheehan, Chris Collins, Al Hood, Larry Panella, Mark Bettcher, Tito Carillo, Scott Bliege, Ian Nevins, and Antonio García. Photo credit: Antonio García

Adding to my delight on the tour was my reunion with such superb musicians and friends as my educational colleagues Larry Panella, Ron Modell, Scott Bliege, and Mark Bettcher and former students Kevin Sheehan, Matt James, Chris Collins, Ian Nevins, Tito Carillo, and Al Hood (the latter five of whom are also now my colleagues in the jazz education world). All are professional performers as well.

ITINERARY

We had a challenging but rewarding schedule that brought us to crowds of Phil Collins' pop fans, some big band fans, and those willing to experiment listening to his pop tunes in a jazz vein.

Tony relaxes in the lobby of the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris, France. Photo credit: Antonio García

Larry Panella and Luis Conte indulge in the ritual of currency exchange while on the road. Photo credit: Antonio García

Getting to Carnegie Hall is a lot easier with a great road crew such as the PCBB had throughout the tour. Photo credit: Antonio García

SET LIST

We played the same set almost every performance: about two hours and fifteen minutes each night, with Phil on stage the entire time. There were no "horns tacet" tunes in the regular set; in fact, only in the least often-used encore did I have a tune to lay out on at all—it was a high-energy set.

García performing on bass trombone with the Phil Collins Big Band (Collins drumming at far left) photo credit: Montreux Jazz Festival

If you were in attendance at one of the concerts, this is what you heard:

You can find a number of complete-set performances online, including this 91-minute video from the Pori Jazz Festival, Finland, July 17, 1998, where we performed for tens of thousands of people into the midnight sun.

Many of the above charts for big band are now available from Otter Distributors (see Selected Links).

THE NEXT TOUR...

We ended the '98 tour with many fond memories and looked forward to the potential of a reunion tour in the future. Phil had said that he intended to play in the big band format as a regular part of his musical activity, but later hand and back injuries made that an improbability. Many of us would definitely enjoy being back on the road with Phil! But we are delighted that he may return to some vocal touring including, at this writing, a Genesis reunion.

	A trombone soli from Bliege, Velasco, Bettcher, and García.
	Phil Collins gives the 'bones a bow.

PHOTO ALBUM

If you would like to see some more of my favorite images from the tour, click here to open the photo album.

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