Phil Markowitz part 1 of 2
"Your life as a jazz musician is not looking at a graphic of an F and a number. No. Your life is reacting to the sonic environment around you."
Phil credits his gig playing piano with Chet Baker with helping him understand the importance of not reading the music on the page during a performance, and he tells that story in our conversation.
Phil talks about how different drummers and bass players influence his playing, how to borrow aspects from great players to make them your own, the art of being a big band piano player, and thoughts on his teaching.
The next day, Phil wrote to me asking if we could do another session, this time with him on the piano as he explains aspects of comping, writing, and harmony. That conversation is part two on Friday.