Evolution
After studying the classical piano, the guitar and harmony, Phil Abraham was seduced
by jazz and the trombone, on which he is self-taught. His stylistic evolution is parallel
to the history of jazz, and even if he is a modern soloist today, he has worked with a
wide variety of great musicians.
Phil has taken part in more than sixty albums, eleven with his own group, with which
he won many prizes. He has often been invited in big bands as a soloist. He took part
in many recordings and concerts of the big band of the Belgian Radio (BRT). Phil
Abraham also devotes his career to teaching, training courses and master-classes. He
was a teacher of vocal improvisation in Antwerp and Brussels. He is now a trombone
teacher at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, at the National Conservatory in Metz
(France) and at the National Conservatory in Douai (France).
Has played with
Michel PETRUCCIANI, Charles AZNAVOUR, Claude NOUGARO, Clark TERRY, Hal
SINGER, Toots THIELEMANS, Klaus IGNATZEK, John SURMAN, Art FARMER, Michel
HERR, Andy EMLER, Paolo FRESU, John ENGELS, Dusko GOYKOVICH, Benny BAILEY,
Bart VAN LIER, Henri TEXIER, Klaus WEISS, Deborah BROWN, Maria SCHNEIDER,
John LEWIS, Lou BENNETT, Claudio RODITI, William SHELLER, Didier Lockwood, Dee
Dee Bridgewater, Michel LEGRAND, Lucky PETERSON ...
Awards
1988 : first Prize at the International Jazz Contest in Sorgues (France)
1989 : Prize of the Best Soloist at the "Concours de la Défense" in Paris
1998 : chosen as the best Belgian and European trombone player by the listeners of
the Belgian radio and the Belgian critics
1999 : elected once again the best Belgian and European jazz trombonist
2000 : second Prize at the International Contest of jazz soloists in Monaco.
2016 : Los Angeles Akademia Jazz Award for his recording of the tune « Scoot » (Neal
Hefti).
His Quartet record "Stapler" (Igloo IGL 091), with Michel HERR, Jean-Louis
RASSINFOSSE and Stéphane GALLAND was chosen as the CD of the month by the
Belgian jazz magazine "Jazz In Time". His CD "En Public" (Lyrae records, LY9703007)
was selected as the CD of the month by the French "Jazz Magazine" in October '97.
Events
Was chosen by the Belgian Radio (BRT) to represent Belgium in the Big Band of the
European Broadcasting Union in Strasbourg (France). Was invited in 1994 as a soloist
at the Moscow Concert Hall for a TV concert with the Moscow Big Band. Was the first
Belgian Jazzman to be a member of the "Orchestre National de Jazz" in France, that
he joined for 3 years with Laurent CUGNY, then stayed with Didier LEVALLET for
additional 3 years. Replaced Bob BROOKMEYER in Michel PETRUCCIANI sextet, with
Victor JONES (drs), Anthony JACKSON (bass), Flavio BOLTRO (tp) and Stefano DI
BATTISTA (sax). Participated (1998) in the album "Jazznavour" of the French singer
Charles AZNAVOUR, in which he played all the trombone parts. Other participants
include Jacky TERRASSON (p), André CECCARELLI (drs), Remy VIGNOLO (b).
Arrangements are by Pierre DREVET (p) and there are other celebrity guests like
Michel PETRUCCIANI, Diane REEVES, Richard GALLIANO and Eddy LOUIS ...
Was a member of the International Dusko GOYKOVICH Big Band (February 2004) for
a big TV-concert in Belgrade supported by the Minister of Culture.
Has developped a new jazz trombone for the Courtois Company, the Xtreme AC 430T
model.
Was invited in Seattle in May 2013 for concerts and master-classes and recorded a new
album in New York in February 2014 with Sylvain Luc (g), Hein van de Geyn (cb) and Mino
Cinelu (perc) + Bria Skonberg (tp) - guest.
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