Phil Meadows EPK
Introduction and Bio:
Phil Meadows began his saxophone journey at 12, inspired by Lisa Simpson’s duet with Bleeding Gums Murphy. Twenty years later, he’s one of the UK’s leading saxophonists, composers and conductors, with accolades including two Parliamentary Jazz Awards, a London Music Award, and the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award.
Phil has worked with an impressive range of artists, from NYC jazz trumpeter Ingrid Jensen to European piano trio Phronesis, guitarist Femi Temowo, and UK jazz stars like Laura Jurd and Elliot Galvin. He’s toured Europe with electronic music pioneer Matthew Herbert and completed a residency in the Netherlands with acclaimed pianist Rogier Telderman. He also holds a longstanding residency at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, showcasing the best in upcoming UK jazz talent under the Future Movers monocle, and runs his own band Beware of the Bear, uniting some of his favourite musicians to perform his original music.
Beyond small-group jazz, Phil is celebrated for his innovative work with orchestras, specialising in cross-genre collaboration as a conductor and arranger with the Grammy-winning Metropole Orkest, BBC Concert Orchestra, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He’s been commissioned to re-orchestrate his music for the Royal Northern Sinfonia and worked as an improvisation expert for the Southbank Sinfonia (now Sinfonia Smith Square) and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Meadows is also undertaking a PhD in ‘developing creative practices for orchestral musicians’ due for completion in 2025.
Musical Style & Sound:
Phil Meadows seamlessly blends jazz and improvised music with electronica and beat music, drawing from influences like Bonobo, Bill Frisell, Donny McCaslin and J-Dilla. His signature sound interweaves swirling textures, soaring melodies and infectious grooves whilst creating the space for all musicians to improvise.
Regular Line-Up:
Phil Meadows - Saxophone // Michael De Souza - Guitar // Joe Downard - Bass // Jay Davis - Drums
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★★★★ The Guardian + Jazzwise Magazine + All About Jazz
Radio plays on BBC Radio 2 and across several shows on both BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.
Featured artist and interview on Jamie Cullum's The Jazz Show on BBC Radio 2.
'A great stage presence and an unforgettable instrumental style.' - Jazzwise Magazine
'Meadows has a formidable reputation as an innovative composer' - Jazzwise Magazine
‘Inventive and expressive’ - The Guardian
‘The versatile and likeable Meadows is one of the most promising emerging jazz talents that we have’ - The JazzMann
‘Future jazz gods on the rise’ - TimeOut London
‘The result is absolutely stunning’ - Chris Philips, Jazz FM
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Phil has performed extensively across Europe with Matthew Herbert, including prominent festivals such as North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, We Out Here, Sonar and Jazz Middelheim, alongside concert halls including Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and London’s Barbican.
His orchestral work has been featured several times on BBC 2, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and broadcast for NPO/Ziggo TV (Netherlands) and MezzoTV/Culturebox (France).
He currently holds a residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club where he showcases the best in upcoming UK jazz talent under the ‘Future Movers’ name, and has performed at Love Supreme, EFG London, Cheltenham, and Manchester Jazz Festivals, alongside five UK tours for his own music.
★★★★ The Guardian + Jazzwise Magazine + All About Jazz
〰️
'Meadows has a formidable reputation as an innovative composer' - Jazzwise
〰️
'Inventive and expressive' - The Guardian
〰️
‘The versatile and likeable Meadows is one of the most promising emerging jazz talents that we have’ - The JazzMann
〰️
'A great stage presence and an unforgettable instrumental style' - Jazzwise
〰️
‘Future jazz gods on the rise’ - TimeOut
〰️
‘The result is absolutely stunning’ - Chris Philips, Jazz FM
〰️
★★★★ The Guardian + Jazzwise Magazine + All About Jazz 〰️ 'Meadows has a formidable reputation as an innovative composer' - Jazzwise 〰️ 'Inventive and expressive' - The Guardian 〰️ ‘The versatile and likeable Meadows is one of the most promising emerging jazz talents that we have’ - The JazzMann 〰️ 'A great stage presence and an unforgettable instrumental style' - Jazzwise 〰️ ‘Future jazz gods on the rise’ - TimeOut 〰️ ‘The result is absolutely stunning’ - Chris Philips, Jazz FM 〰️





