A new release from the latest incarnation of the Dan Phillips Trio is here May 15th!
Dan Phillips Trio
“Array in Brown”
Featuring Dan Phillips, Avreeayl Ra and Krzysztof Pabian
Freedom, rich melodic expression, and fluid abstraction intertwine beautifully on this trio’s latest release, crafting an immersive soundscape marked by intuitive interplay, emotional depth and musical honesty. Each track brims with spontaneous communication, highlighting the trio’s effortless dialogue and collective exploration. The performances are strikingly interactive—conversations unfolding organically, propelled by a raw, unfiltered humanity. The album’s willingness to embrace openness, improvisational risk, and emotional honesty not only underscores the group’s artistic maturity but also makes this recording their most compelling, expressive, and liberated statement to date.
Musicians
Dan Phillips is an American guitarist, composer educator and band leader who has worked professionally in New York, Chicago, Bangkok and Tokyo as well as touring globally. Dan is the leader of the critically acclaimed Chicago Edge Ensemble, Quartet Next, Dan Phillips Trio, Dan Phillips Quartet. Dan has performed with jazz musicians such as Hamid Drake, Gerald Wilson, Danilo Pérez, Hugo Rasmussen, Avreeayl Ra, Matt Darriau, Jim Black, Michael Zerang, Dave Rempis, Jeb Bishop, Mars Williams, Jim Baker, Ben Street, Chris Speed, Mike Sarin and Ed Thigpen and many more.
Avreeayl Ra was born in Chicago on May 21st, 1947 and still lives there today. He is a renowned musician always in demand among visiting jazz artists in Chicago. Avreeayl’s father, Arthur “Swinglee” O’Neil, was a tenor saxophonist who was mentor to many young Chicago musicians, including John Gilmore, later the mainstay of Sun Ra’s Arkestra. (Avreeayl reports that John Gilmore had a crush on Avreeayl’s sister and so spent as much time as he could at the family house.) Swinglee O’Neil played in one of Sun Ra’s early Chicago bands, and Sun Ra played in one of Swinglee’s groups as well. Avreeayl is a long-term member of the Chicago AACM, his relationship with the seminal music organization having begun with early studies with AACM co-founder Kelan Philip Cohran. Avreeayl has performed and /or recorded with Fred Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Fontella Bass, Lester Bowie, Ari Brown, Oscar Brown, Jr., Henry Butler, Henry Byrd (“Professor Longhair”), Hamid Drake, Malachi Favors, Donald Raphael Garrett, Charles Gayle, Henry Grimes, Billy Harper, Joseph Jarman, Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Nicole Mitchell, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Malachi Thompson, and many more. Avreeayl considers himself greatly blessed to have come up in the richly progressive Chicago “avant-garde” jazz community. Though he has lived briefly in New Orleans and New York and has toured widely in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Far East, and Africa, he has always returned home to live in Chicago.
Krzysztof Pabian hails from Europe as a classical-trained bassist. He began his music studies at the age of 8 on piano and switched to bass at age 14. Krzysztof moved to the U.S. in 1993 where he studied at Northwestern University to graduate with two Masters degrees in jazz and classical double bass performance. Krzysztof has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Orchestra and worked in an array of ensembles under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Christopher Eshenbach, Zubin Mehta, George Solti, Lawrence Foster, and Pinchas Zukerman to name a few. In the area of jazz Krzysztof has performed with Danilo Pérez, Judy Roberts, Eddie Henderson, Max Roach, Ron Blake, Hamid Drake, Mars Williams, Jarek Smietana and the Lincoln Center Jazz Sextet. Krzysztof has toured throughout North America and Europe with various groups and configurations.
Awards
- Chicago Edge Ensembles’ “Decaying Orbit” and “Insidious Anthem”
New York City Jazz Records Honorable Mention for album of the year 2017, 2018 - Dan Phillips Quartet “Converging Tributaries” Avant Music News Best of 2017
- Dan Phillips Hamid Drake “Trail of Inevitability” and Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow”
Chicago Edge Ensemble “Insidious Anthem”
Avant Music News Honorable mention 2108 - Chicago Edge Ensembles’ “Decaying Orbit” and Dan Phillips Quartet “Converging Tributaries”
Tom Hulls’ Best of 2017 and 2018
What reviewers have said about Dan Phillips’ previous work:
“These pieces, recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee, play with the balance between structure and freedom, interweaving tightly cohesive passages with individual flights of artistry.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Paradoxes in Freedom” Chicago Reader 2025
“Listening to guitarist and bandleader Dan Phillips’ music can feel like trying to keep a scorecard to track all the musical lines he weaves together. Fortunately, despite his wide-ranging influences and concepts, he structures his compositions in a way that remains accessible, always grounded in the rich jazz traditions of Chicago. “
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Paradoxes in Freedom” allaboutjazz 2025
“Another triumphant Interaction! The music has that unique Chicago cooperative feel throughout. Phillips composed and arranged all the music except for “Mutualism In Action,” the one wholly improvised track. Even that piece, with its scattered notes and tones, has an internal logic. Elsewhere, the sound organizes itself after a bit of mayhem “Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion Obligation” or trades in some intentional but orchestrated anarchy “Blue Bakunin” before Phillip’s guitar is guided by some slick horn charts. The ensemble makes the complex twists sound simple and the journey here is quite groove accessible.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “The Individualists” allaboutjazz 2023
“He’s a surgical technician when he wants to be, paring his notes down to their molecular formulas in “Once a Forested Hill” and “Void Illusion” or he open up the possibilities with some indulgent abandon.”
Review of Dan Phillips Trio “Sound Energy in Space” allaboutjazz 2019
“The musicians are demonstrating their own style and sound – they don’t hesitate to take on adventurous and bright improvisations, moody and dynamic twists, passionate blowing that go down to peaceful, sad, light and solemn pieces. The variety of moods and expressions effects an emotional, impressive and dynamic sound that is constantly changing.”
Review of Dan Phillips Quartet “Light at Depth” Avantscena 2019
“Insidious Anthem employs a small band sound reflecting the taut arrangements of leader and electric guitarist Dan Phillips, whose skills as a writer rival his improvisational talent. Hard to label.. the small group packs a strong punch.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Insidious Anthem” New York City Jazz Record 2019
“The music on this album is filled with surprises and incredible turns., the musical language is rich expressive, vivid and incredible.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Insidious Anthem” Avantscena 2018
“The compositions begin with and intricate and complex sonic architecture or quiet, searching textures that highlight the rich palette of the ensemble…Phillips sets the basic theme and the overall atmosphere. Later these parts mature into collective, free jazz improvisations that enjoy the full power and the soulful sound of the ensemble.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Insidious Anthem” Salt Peanuts 2018
“Dan Phillips’ music is highly variable, constantly changing and dynamic. He masterfully puts together loud, expressive, passionate and vivacious improvisations, turbulent and free solos, subtle, peaceful and soft solos with other elements.”
Review of Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow” Avantscena 2018
“Overall this is highly original music, which offers superb musicality and unique sonic expression both artistic and professional to the core.”
Review of Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow” Polish Blog Spot 2018
“With each release Phillips’ sound continues to mature and expand. What remainsunchanged is his imaginative creativity and his restless inventiveness. These and his shared musical vision with his sidemen- accomplished artists in their own right are what make this recording an absorbing musical treat.”
Review of Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow” Chicago Jazz Magazine 2018”
“Chicago Edge Ensemble is an all terrain vehicle, a quintet equally capable of negotiating the bumpy-smooth contours of swinging post bop, the banked hairpin turns of fusion funk, the fog and ether AACM-style intrigue and the tumultuous thicket that awaits if you gleefully careen off the road.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” Jazz Times 2017
“Phillips in particular proves why he’s the most under-appreciated electric guitarist from the Chicago area. There’s no hesitation or sense of compromise on Decaying Orbit. As the band name implies, this is jazz and improvisational material which goes to the edge, stays there and doesn’t retreat.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” Audiophile Magazine 2017
“With it’s palpable personality, rigorous but approachable compositions, and sure footed sense of self, Chicago Edge Ensemble’s Decaying Orbit not only pays homage to the city that Phillips’ loves, but solidly places him on the map as a formidable instrumentalist and composer. It’s a treat to hear him play with such a first rate band of some of Chicago – and the world’s – greatest musicians.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” Broadway World 2017
“Dan Phillips leads a Quintet with a big Chicago sound and memorable compositions.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” The Wire Magazine 2017
“Chicago jazz is the complexity of the postmodern with a predisposition for rump shaking. The Quintet rarely lowers the flame below boiling.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” allaboutjazz 2017
“This is a fine album of interesting themes and powerful performances by the full ensemble and the soloists. Everyone draws deeply from the limitless well of the city’s musical history and creates a bold and thoughtful statement.”
Review of Chicago Edge Ensemble “Decaying Orbit” jazzandbluesbloagspot. 2017
“The Variety of moods, expressions, characters and playing techniques, masterful and organic synthesis of different musical language elements and expressive and extraordinary improvising create innovative sound on this album.”
Review of Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow” Avantscena 2018