Phillip Johnston (born January 22, 1955) is an American saxophonist, composer, and author.[1] 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.
Throughout the 80s and 90s and early 2000s, he worked as a leader (The Microscopic Septet, Big Trouble, Transparent Quartet), co-leader and sideperson (Mikel Rouse, Kitty Brazelton, Bobby Radcliff, Rachelle Garniez, Guy Klucevsek, Walter Thompson, Keely Garfield, & Nora York), 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.[4]
In 2005, he moved with his wife, Australian playwright Hilary Bell, and their two children to Sydney, Australia. From that time, he has continued to live and perform in Sydney, but travels regularly to New York and Europe to perform, collaborate and record. His collaborators in Australia have included Lloyd Swanton, Chris Abrahams, Alister Spence, Sandy Evans, Paul Cutlan, Peter Dasent, Matt McMahon, Jex Saarelaht, James Greening, Tim Rollinson and many others. He led or co-led the groups The Greasy Chicken Orchestra, Phillip Johnston & The Coolerators, SNAP, & Tight Corners, and performed at festivals and venues nationally.
Wordless! (live multimedia performance work, with Art Spiegelman), commissioned and premiered at Sydney Opera House in 2013, and subsequently toured internationally.
Do Good And You Will Be Happy (musical with book and lyrics by Hilary Bell)
Discography
As leader
Jungle Hotel b/w A Mistake (as The Public Servants) (45RPM) (Jedible, 1981)
Normalology (Eighth Day, 1996) (re-released on Koch Jazz, 1999)
Book chapter (2021). "The Revolutionary Conservatism of Steve Lacy's Prospectus". In Tarche, Guillaume (ed.). Steve Lacy: (Unfinished) (in French and English). Nantes, France: Lenka Lente. pp. 133–146. ISBN979-10-94601-40-2.
Cinema Changes: Incorporations of Jazz in the Film Soundtrack (Chapter: "Jazzin’ The Silents: Jazz and Improvised Music in Contemporary Scores for Silent Film", (edited by Emile Wennekes and Emilio Audissino, Turnhout, Brepols, Speculum Musicae, 34, 2019)