Phil Wilson composer / arranger

Phil Wilson has long been one of the world’s great jazz trombonists. He made a spectacular entrance into the jazz arena with his famous solo on “It’s A Lonesome Old Town” with the great Woody Herman band of the 1960’s. He went on to cut six albums with Herman and, more recently, six albums under his own name.

Wilson enjoys an equal reputation as a composer/arranger. His arrangement of the Zawinul tune “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” for Buddy Rich earned him a Grammy nomination in 1969. In 1972 the Boston Symphony commissioned Phil to write a piece for their children’s series; he subsequently conducted the orchestra in five performances of his piece, which has since been played all over the country.

Phil has also been a major force in jazz education since joining the faculty of the Berklee College of Music in 1965, helping to implement its innovative curriculum for 35 years. As one of the country’s leading clinicians, he has appeared all over the world in concerts, clinics and lectures to musicians of all ages.