HEAR: East Bay bassist to the stars is about to release a new album.
Marcus Phillips steps into the spotlight with second solo album, ‘Perspective’
Marcus Phillips is in the business of elevating his fellow musicians.
Over the past two decades, the Pinole- based bassist has become one of the region’s first- call accompanists, touring with top soul and R&B acts like Keyshia Cole, Ledisi, Tony! Toni! Toné! and for the past decade, Jennifer Hudson. He’s the first to acknowledge that he’s not the fastest or most dazzling technician on his instrument, but precious few play with greater lyricism or a deeper pocket.
“He’s my favorite locally,” says keyboardist Mike Blankenship, a member of the Bay Area collective known as Black London. He has worked with Phillips in a wide array of settings dating back to the turn of the century. “When it comes to holding down the low end Marcus has such a melodic approach. He’ll play things that inspire me as well. He listens.”
With all touring and most gigs shut down due to the pandemic, Phillips has spent much of the past year concentrating on his own work as a player, composer and producer. Over the past week his Instagram page has started offering glimpses of his new music, leading up to the Nov. 9 release of his second solo album, “Perspective.” The ace accompanist is stepping into the spotlight, and his low-key sound seems perfectly suited for this anxiety-ridden moment.
A mostly instrumental project that features Phillips’ originals, the album is marked by a relaxed feel and nimble, unhurried grooves. From the opening finger snaps on “This Side … That Side” it’s hard not to imagine the lyrics that could wind around his slinky melodies.
“I try to make music that people can feel good about,” Phillips said. “It’s been a doozy of a year. I don’t have the answers to make people feel better, but I try to make music that people can relax to. Whatever you’re going through, I hope this can help change your perspective.”
Aside from contributions by veteran gospel pianist David Jackson on one track, Phillips plays all the instruments. Largely self-taught, he’s a confident drummer and effective keyboardist who traces his musical inspiration to its sacred roots.
Born in San Francisco, Phillips got his start musically as a child playing drums in St. Mark’s Baptist Church, where his grandfather was the pastor. While dedicated to his drum kit through his early teens, his wandering ear kept him checking out other instruments. At 15 he turned his attention to the piano, and learned his way around the keyboard by listening to gospel records.
“I had seen enough organists, keyboardists and piano players and I asked my dad to buy me a keyboard,” Phillips recalled. “I hadn’t taken lessons. I started playing by ear. That’s been the thing with me, anything I can listen to I can play.”
By this time the family had settled in Hercules, and Phillips was working at the Guitar Center in El Cerrito (“I needed access to instruments and discounts,” he said). A budding producer, he acquired a room full of recording gear with the help of his parents. When an infatuation with the electric bass turned into a fullblown obsession, he convinced his skeptical father to buy him a Fender Player Jazz Bass and amp.
“I still play drums and keys but I really zoned in on bass,” he said. “After we bought one I got hip to Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten, and even started bringing the bass to church.”
He became a mainstay on the East Bay scene, which is how he connected with Black London bandmates like Blankenship, saxophonist Howard Wiley and keyboardist-MC Kev Choice, with whom Phillips recently played as part of an ambitious collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, “Currents Episode III: From Scratch.”
He credits the biggest break of his career to his deep feel for East Bay soul. Part of a strong young rhythm section touring with Oakland-reared soul songstress Goapele, Phillips was invited to audition for Jennifer Hudson’s band in Los Angeles in 2011. Though he initially declined because he didn’t have the airfare, his father came through for him again and covered the ticket and a hotel room.
The session was run by guitarist Rickey Miner, who was in the midst of his fiveyear run as bandleader for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He called the cats from Oakland first, asking them to play Hudson’s Grammy- nominated hit “Spotlight.” Phillips felt OK about the performance “but then all these guys who’ve played for major people got up and they’re blazing,” he said.
After all the assembled musicians had taken a turn strutting their stuff Miner called the Oakland crew back up and said “I just want to hear you play church,” Phillips said. “We lit up! That’s home for us.”
They dug into the Walter Hawkins standard “Thank You Lord ( For All You’ve Done for Me)” and they quickly won over their competition. “These guys are oohing and aahing,” Phillips said. “We got a round of applause. We might not have accomplished much with ‘Spotlight,’ but we made our mark.”
A few weeks later he got the call to join Hudson’s band, and he spent the next decade touring the world with her. Now he’s ready to take flight playing his own tunes. In January he plans to release his third album, a project focusing on gospel music.