Up close with Jazz Under The Stars headliner Phil Denny

phil denny2

Since emerging onto the smooth jazz scene in 2012 much traction has been made by the efforts of saxophonist and businessman, Phil Denny. Some might describe him as a people’s musician having developed a very active and loyal fan base even before the release of his internationally recognized 2012 debut, Crossover; an album which has already earned him two Billboard charted hits.

Described as a passionate and soulful player who has a way of captivating audiences with his smooth, sexy yet energetic style; Phil has sold out every show since the summer of 2012 and continues to build quite the international following.

Speaking to Capital Area Women’s Lifestyle Magazine, the saxophonist shares that music is much more than simply playing an instrument, “it’s about a connection- with his family and his fans.”

phil denny

Born in Sarasota, FL, Phil was raised by a loving single mom and has one older brother. They relocated as a family to Michigan where he would later discover his love for music.

Phil describes his influences as those artists he felt played with space and feel. His ear was drawn to saxophonists Grover Washington Jr., Richard Elliot, Kirk Whalum and Boney James in the early 90’s and recalls spending countless hours in front of his brother’s disc changer listening to and emulating their sounds.

Crossover, Phil’s debut release was described by Critical Jazz as “an album that works on every imaginable level from sophisticated cover art to a non pretentious approach to where contemporary music should be heading.”  The acceptance of the album was immediate and “Push,” the vibrant first single to radio debuted at #29 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay chart and later peaked at #21 as well as spent more the 20 weeks on the SmoothJazz.com charts. Currently at radio is the up-tempo “Traffic Jam” which debuted #30 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay chart and has since risen to #25 during its thirteen week presence on the chart and can now be heard nationally on Sirius XM Watercolors.

Held on the rolling lush lawns of the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club in Nairobi, Kenya; Phil Denny will be joining jazz greats such as Aaron Rimbui and the Quartet (Kenya), Brian Mugenyi (Uganda), and The National Youth Orchestra (Kenya) for the 2013 edition of Jazz Under The Stars on Saturday, August 31st.

 

Sponsored