Phillip Johnston


Phillip Johnston is an American avant-garde saxophonist. He came to prominence in the 1980s as co-founder of The Microscopic Septet and went on to write extensively for films, particularly new scores for classic silent films from the early 20th Century.

Biography

Phillip Johnston was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 22, 1955, and raised in the New York City area.
During the 1970s he met and formed relationships with some of his earliest musical associates, and moved often between San Francisco and New York City. In 1980 he settled in New York, and soon formed his first ongoing music groups, The Public Servants and The Microscopic Septet.
Throughout the 80s and 90s and early 2000s, he worked as a leader co-leader and sideman, and began a parallel career in composition for film, theatre, dance and the concert hall. He has a particular interest in contemporary scores for silent film.
In 2005, he moved with his wife, Australian playwright Hilary Bell, and their two children to Sydney, Australia. As of 2015 he lives and performs in Sydney, but travels regularly to New York and Europe to perform, collaborate and record. He also teaches film music history at the Australian Institute of Music.

Discography

As leader

Big Trouble
The Transparent Quartet
The Microscopic Septet
Fast 'N' Bulbous
The Spokes
SNAP
Joel Forrester/Phillip Johnston
Guy Klucevsek/Phillip Johnston