JAZZ

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 6:30PM

Down Beat magazine has called Phil ‘The Pavoratti of Jazz’.

PHIL PERRY
Born and raised in East St. Louis, Phil Perry has spent most of his career as one of the most sought-after backing vocalists in the music business. His bright, multi-octave range has played a supporting role on dozens of albums by such acts as Anita Baker, Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson and George Duke. But he has also distinguished himself through five strong solo albums that have highlighted both his ability to interpret classic soul songs as well as his own songwriting skills.

Phil Perry first came to the attention of Soul Music fans as the lead singer of the Montclairs, whose “Begging’s Hard to Do” was a moderate hit in 1972. After a brief stint as part of the singing duo Perry and Sanlin, Perry went solo in 1991 with The Heart of a Man, an album most notable for Perry’s remake of Aretha Franklin’s “Call Me.” His follow-up album, 1994’s Pure Pleasure, was perhaps his best, and included fantastic remakes of “After the Love is Gone” and “If Only You Knew” and a seven minute cover of the Spinners’ “Love Don’t Love Nobody” that was sheer magic. During the 90s, Perry also received increased coverage on Smooth Jazz radio through his guest work on albums by Lee Ritenour, the Rippingtons and others, and inspired Windham Hill subsidiary Private Music to sign him. His Private Music debut, One Heart One Love, hit the top five. On his follow-up album, My Book of Love, Perry began to take a more active role in songwriting and production, putting his personal imprint beyond the vocal performance. This led to his lead songwriting role on 2001’s Magic, an excellent album on Peak Records that showed Phil Perry in complete control over his music.

If ever an artist’s catalog has screamed for a solid compilation – both from his five albums and from his guest work – it is Phil Perry. However, this seems unlikely given the number of labels and artists that would be involved. And while the material and production on his albums have, at times, been uneven, his marvelous voice has made every disc a keeper, and should keep him in demand as a vocalist for years to come.