Cubby Phillips

About

Cubby Phillips is a guitarist, bassist, writer, and educator, currently residing in Brooklyn. He has performed and/or recorded with Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), MiWi La Lupa, Nik Fackler (Icky Blossoms, InDreama), Derek Pressnall (Icky Blossoms, Flowers Forever), McCarthy Trenching, Dereck Higgins, Curly Martin, Pablo Masis, Matt Otto, Marcus Lewis, among others. An improviser to his core, Cubby moves through an array of creative situations with ease. Just the same, he adheres to a methodology of trust and receptive spontaneity, honed through years of dedicated practice and exploration.

Noted for his work as a solo performer and bandleader, he has developed a distinctive approach to vital grooves and harmonic terrains. His ensembles and his audiences are regularly propelled into surprising domains, uniting tenderness, gravity, and heat. He stretches familiar forms, creating contexts for spontaneous discovery. Through free improvisation and compositions grounded in jazz and conceived with ample room for interpretation and exploration, he invites listeners and bandmates to engage unforeseen gamuts. With a spirit of curiosity, his music is a devotional practice, allowing beauty to emerge in its own shades.

As a member and leader of various ensembles, he has premiered original music around the world, including performances at the Shanghai Jazz Festival, the Saulkrasti Jazz Festival (Latvia), Siauliai Big Band Festival (Lithuania), Bowery Ballroom, Omaha Fashion Week, and Omaha Under the Radar, an avant-garde music festival in the Midwest. Cubby has also worked in mixed media with improvising dancers (Aurora Lagattuta, Nathan Brumbaugh), Brooklyn Comedy Collective, and Chicago-based fashion designer Borris Powell. He particularly enjoys providing sonic support for yoga and meditation (Integral Yoga Institute NYC, Serenity Retreat NYC, Pranam Yoga Shala, Yoga Rocks the Park).

Say Hello

Get in touch for bookings and inquiries

jacob.cubby.phillips@gmail.com