The third concert is the SOFLO Fusion Nights series features Simon Phillips & Protocol V with special guests Ernest Tibbs, Otmaro Ruiz, Jacob Scesney & Alex Sill

Jazz. Rock. Jazz-rock. Across more than four decades, legendary drummer Simon Phillips has

shown an uncanny ability to excel in most any musical environment. Precision, intensity and

emotion are hallmarks of Simon’s sound in every setting. And working with many of the world’s

most prominent musicians from an early age, he has repeatedly made his mark through scores

of historic recordings and tours around the globe.

By his twenties, Simon had already worked with iconic figures including

Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce, Pete Townshend, Al Di Meola, Jon Anderson, Jan Hammer,

Stanley Clarke, Jon Lord, Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno and others. Several of these artists had

been important pioneers of the jazz-rock genre in the early and mid-1970s, also called fusion.

High-profile recordings and/or tours were soon to come with the likes of Mick Jagger, Asia,

The Who, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani and many more. But it was the untimely death of drummer

Jeff Porcaro that led to Simon’s 21-year presence in Toto (1992-2014), highlighted by ten

albums and numerous world tours. During this period Phillips also worked on various projects

led by Steve Lukather, Michael Schenker, Derek Sherinian and others.

2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of Protocol’s inception and Simon toured extensively as

leader, playing a selection of tunes from each of the Protocol albums. However, the lineup was

tweaked once again, this time to become a quintet, including veteran keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz

(John McLaughlin), Jacob Scesney on saxophones and the brilliant young guitarist Alex Sill. A

new Protocol V studio album was released to rave reviews in early 2022, featuring this same

extraordinary lineup.