Lover Come Back to Me
LP Bob Thiele Music BBM1-1032
I once watched a master class of tuba playing where the teacher scaled it down to, ”There are only two types of songs: pirate songs and love songs!”
This could represent the two sides of a tenor sax player: the hard-swinging, often riff-based playing and then the interpretation of a ballad in a slow tempo when every note gets its own tone color.
Flip Phillips came out of Woody Herman’s herd, but interestingly, before that, he played clarinet in a group that never recorded, led by trumpet player Frankie Newton.
Here he is supported by Ralph Burns on piano and Dave Tough at the drums.
It’s tenor sax playing on the highest level!