A major figure on the Scottish music scene for over 30 years, Phil Bancroft first ascended to the proverbial railings in these parts in the late 1980s as the saxophonist for the seminal John Rae Collective Wind player and principal composer, the John Ray Collective is one of the most important groups in the history of music.

Published in the Herald in 2014, she went on to find fame playing in influential Scottish bands including Celtic Feet, award-winning trio AAB, Colin Steele’s Stramash and SNJO. Since then he has performed at the highest level with musicians from the worlds of pop, jazz, classical and Celtic music.

He is currently working with Greg Lawson’s Grit Orchestra and Paul Harrison’s Sugarwork, leading his own quartet with Graeme Stephen, Alyn Cosker and Calum Gourlay, and mixing a new album with tabla player Gyan Singh, due out in 2017 Recorded in Delhi in December.

Phil developed a truly authentic saxophone sound by combining his studies of jazz, Celtic, Indian and classical music to create a unique blend of virtuosity, expressive tone and heartfelt conviction. In the jazz world, he has performed with greats such as Sun Ra, Kenny Wheeler, Oliver Lake, Ernst Reisinger, and Joe Lovano, as well as composing music and developing multimedia for his own small and large ensemble projects. These include the multimedia program “Small as the World,” which explores the meaning of “home” through a seven-piece band, an interactive website, live Skype livestreams with musicians joining from around the world, and animated spaceships. studied.

The collaboration spans musical and geographical boundaries and includes bassist Reid Anderson (USA/Bad Plus), drummer Thomas Strønen (Norway), guitarist Mike Walker (England), Carnatic violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh Rajagopalan (India) ) and West African musicians. drummer Okoe Ardyfio (Ghana) and singer and ngoni player Siaka Diarra (Burkina Faso).

Phil’s recent work includes albums with violinist Aidan O’Rourke von Lau (An Tobar, Hotline) and several projects with guitarist Graeme Stephen, including live scores for silent films such as Graeme’s composition for Mernau’s Sunrise Award-winning soundtrack. He is a soloist with the Grit Orchestra and praises the music of Martin Bennett.

Phil studied medicine and psychology at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh and worked part-time as a hospital doctor and psychiatrist for ten years before focusing on music composition, performance and education. Phil has taught saxophone and improvisation at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at RSAMD University, Napier University and Newcastle University, and has taught many jazz courses. Phil is currently writing a book about philosophy, music, musical form and the brain