Track 19 - West High

IOWA CITY WEST HIGH JAZZ ENSEMBLE

Brian Zeglis, Director | Featuring *Damani Phillips, Saxophone

“Ms. Garvey Ms. Garvey” (Roy Hargrove/Jason Marshall)

Saxophone: Colin Wehrle, *Claire Lawler, Nathan Butler, Caleb Davies, Genna Ray

Trombones: Henry Lawler, Kenton Huynh, Alice Gooblar-Perovic, Grace Wang, Emre Orhon

Trumpets: Ian Kraske, Anjali Lodh, *Sam Abdel-Malek, Kobi Nott, Waylon Houchins-Witt

Piano: Sean Kearney | Bass: Solomon Shaffer | Drums: Oliver Miller, Derick Doresca | Vibes: Tiff Lieberman

ABOUT THE WEST HIGH JAZZ ENSEMBLE

ABOUT DAMANI PHILLIPS

Dr. Damani Phillips has been playing saxophone since the age of 10.  He currently serves as head of the Jazz Studies area and Associate Professor of African-American Studies at the University of Iowa, where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, directs large/small jazz ensembles, and teaches courses in African-American music, African-American culture, jazz education, and improvisation. He has earned a Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees from DePaul University (Chicago) and The University of Kentucky in classical saxophone; and a second Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Wayne State University (Detroit). Phillips completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009, becoming the first African-American in the country to do so. 

He has taught and performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. And has lecutred on a variety of topics on jazz and Black music’s association with American culture aroudn the world as well. He’s released 6 albums as a leader, the most recent being “No More Apologies” featuring a jazz quartet with a string octet, released in November of 2021.

 He published his first book titled “What is This Thing Called Soul: Conversations on Jazz and Black Culture” in 2017, which delves into the difficult, yet timely, topic of the decline of Black cultural influence and representation in jazz as traditionally taught in academic spheres.