Jazz Articles about Phil Schurger

Phil Schurger: The Waters Above

by Mark Sullivan
October 30, 2018

Guitarist/composer Phil Schurger is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He leads his Chicago-based quartet--previously heard on Echoes of the Ancestors (ears&eyes, 2017)--through six expansive originals. The tracks run an average of ten minutes or more apiece, and they attain that length through compositional complexity rather than extended solos (although the band is blessed with very strong soloists). Not only that, but the entire set hangs together like a suite, with each tune leading naturally to the next.