Jazz Articles about Joseph C. Phillips

Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.'s Numinous: Vipassana

by David Adler
May 16, 2009

Composer-conductor Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. has a way of making his ensemble, Numinous, sound even larger than its 25 pieces. Of the three wind players, Ed Xiques plays five different instruments, Dan Willis handles six, Ben Kono a grand total of eight. As a result, Vipassana, Phillips' sophomore recording, abounds with nearly every sort of flute, clarinet and saxophone sonority, not to mention oboe and English horn. The rest of the band is a veritable Noah's Ark: two brass players ...