Simon Phillips
Schedule
Sat Oct 04 2025 at 08:30 pm to 11:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
The Grape | Ventura, CA
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Advanced Tickets $40 GA/ $50 Front Row Seating$45/ $55 at the door (subject to availability)
Simon Phillips - drums
featuring:
Keyon Harrold -Trumpet
Phillip Whack - Saxophone
Scott Mayo - Saxophone
Julian Pollack - Keys
Our Quilted Colorful Friend - Bass
70's Jazz Fusion
Simon Phillips is a GRAMMY® Award-nominated drummer, producer and composer. Regarded as one of the world's most renowned and respected drummers, Simon's style not only reflects his technical gift but also his distinct musical sensibility. Whether it is rock, fusion or jazz, Simon applies the same precision and intensity to his drumming, which is never lacking in emotion and feel.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Simon has worked with rock bands and artists including Jeff Beck, Michael Schenker, Nik Kershaw, Mike Oldfield, Judas Priest, Mike Rutherford, Tears for Fears, 10cc and The Who. After Jeff Porcaro's death in 1992, he became part of the world-famous rock band Toto. After leaving the group in 2014, Simon ventured into the fusion and progressive rock worlds as both a drummer and producer.
“Keyon Harrold is the future of the trumpet”- Downbeat Magazine
An inventive, multidisciplinary, genre-fluid artist; trumpeter and vocalist; a composer, arranger, and platinum music producer; bandleader and major recording artist (The Mugician-Sony "The Mugician") and currently with Concord Jazz
“Keyon Harrold Is Equal Parts Music” - Billboard
Musically, Harrold lives by the notion that the only thing that identifies a genre is its beat. That belief has allowed harrold to tear down the walls of the genre to roam music freely. There are only 12 notes, so he pours his soul into every musical situation, be it performing live, recording, or composing for television and film.
“Keyon Harrold carries a natural swagger that is not misplaced: he’s a compelling communicator and commanding trumpeter.” The magic of his performance is the accomplishment of a quintet that resonates as both accomplished and raw, the seeking of new challenges...” -Love Supreme Festival.
Harrold’s career is a spectrum of greatness. From touring and recording with Jay-z and Cirque Du Soleil to being signed by legendary Rapper Nas (Mass Appeal) and writing the theme song for The Queen Latifah’s Show.
Harrold is a first-call artist with feature credits with Keith Richards, Black Pumas, Mac Miller (Stay), and Nas (The Jarreau of Rap) and Harrold’s latest collaboration with UK crooner Samm Henshaw ( Still Broke).
Keyon is a frequent collaborator with YEBBA, Robert Glasper, Maxwell, Common, PJ Morton, and Gregory Porter.
Harrold is the new Artistic Advisor for Jazz St.Louis
He is an activist for social justice and equality.
Phillip Whack is a native of Columbia, SC. It was there that he was a product of his environment and grew up hearing the likes of Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Doobie Bros, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Louie Armstrong, Grover Washington Jr, James Brown, and many others in the family household. By constantly absorbing all of this music, it would prove to have a profound influence in his interest in music.
He went on to continue his studies at Brevard College in Brevard, NC, where he studied saxophone and clarinet with Dr.David Kirby and Dr. Jon Gudmundson. As he honed his skills in college, he began his true quest in music. Although Phillip was initially a classically trained musician, he started to get submerged in the recordings by artist such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, Kirk Whalum, Weather Report, Tower of Power, etc. Those and many other recordings would change his life and direction in music forever.
As a professional, Phillip has gone on to record or share the stage with the likes of The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Maceo Parker, Clarence Clemons, Fantasia, Fred Wesley, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Browne, Lenny Kravitz, Branford Marsalis, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ojays, Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review, and many others. He's performed in 48 states, Asia, Europe, Canada, and Africa.
Grammy-nominated, Rochester Music Hall of Fame inductee, Scott Mayo brings more than 30 years of music industry experience and a wide-ranging skill set from music production, composition, musical direction, writing, arranging and performing with some of the biggest names in music. He is among the most in-demand musicians in Los Angeles.
With a career that reads like the Who’s Who of music, Mayo has worked with artists such as Beyonce, Sir Paul McCartney, John Legend, Cynthia Erivo, Bruce Springsteen, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, Dr. Dre, mgk, Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Carrie Underwood and a long list of others.
Mayo received a Best R&B Album Grammy nomination for producing the Oleta Adams album, Moving On. Mayo also received a Grammy nomination as the featured performer on Gerald Wilson’s “Romance: Theme from Monterey.” Mayo produced Drawn to You, the 12th album from jazz vocalist, Kevyn Lettau. The album also includes Mayo’s talents as a singer, musician and arranger.
Among R&B audiences, Mayo is perhaps best known for his work during his tenure in Earth, Wind & Fire. He is particularly lauded for his stirring on-stage saxophone solo during the beloved hit, “Reasons” from the Earth, Wind & Fire album, Plugged In & Live.
As a songwriter, Mayo has written alongside John Legend, Common, Janelle Monae, and Sergio Mendes. Additionally, Mayo wrote for Earth, Wind and Fire, Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes, Jody Watley, Oleta Adams, Kevyn Lettau and many others.
Mayo has recorded three solo albums. His most recent, Meu Brasil, is his critically-acclaimed Brazilian music album featuring Sergio Mendes, Dori Caymmi and internationally lauded vocalist, his son Michael Mayo
Julian “J3PO” Pollack is a Los Angeles-based pianist/keyboardist and producer described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness.” Julian is known for his innovative use of keyboards and synthesizers in jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and electronic styles of music.
Julian has toured extensively with legendary musicians such as Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller, and Chris Botti, and has performed and/or recorded with Herbie Hancock, Santana, David Sanborn, Talib Kweli, Cindy Blackman, Joe Lovano, Mike Stern, Ledisi, David Foster, Lisa Fischer, Eric Harland, Marcus Gilmore, Casey Benjamin, Michael League, Bob Reynolds, Kamasi Washington, Jonathan Butler, Veronica Swift, Tierney Sutton and many others. In 2020, he completed his first feature film score for the movie The Sound of the Wind.
When he was 18 years old, having just moved to New York City from his native California hometown of Berkeley, he was featured on Piano Jazz, hosted by Marianne McPartland—the syndicated NPR show. He attended New York University, obtaining a Master’s Degree in jazz performance and composition. In his early twenties he recorded two piano trio albums: Infinite Playground (2010 - Junebeat Records) and Waves of Albion (2013 - Berthold Records). He also wrote music for orchestra: Piano Concerto (2012) and Night Flower (2013). Shortly thereafter, he began hanging out in the Lower East Side’s music scene of the early 2010s where he went on to meet his peers in the jazz-fusion/hip-hop/electronic genres that would influence the sound he is known for today. He joined the unique experimental hip-hop/progressive-soul ensemble The Lesson GK, which hosted a sold-out weekly event at Arlene’s Grocery for almost a decade, consisting of all improvised music.
In 2019 Julian released Small Plates under his moniker J3PO. The album is a collection of 12 compositions that range from simple lo-fi beats to complex jazztronica future house tracks. In 2021, Julian released his follow-up album Mains (2021 - Ropeadope) to much critical acclaim. Sweet Treats, a beat tape was released at the end of 2023. Julian’s latest work, Soul & Circuitry was released on April 4th, 2025 (Ropeadope). Inspired by analog synths and sample-based music, the album fuses Julian’s love for today's contemporary production styles with a nod to the jazz tradition and the spontaneity of live music and improvisation. Julian currently tours with his trio featuring Gianluca Pellerito on drums and Riccardo Oliva on bass.
Our Quilted Colorful Friend on bass - your guess is as good as ours!
It's going to be an epic night of music!
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Where is it happening?
The Grape, 2731 E Main St, Ventura, CA 93003-2803, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
