Flautist Phillip Bent Returns With First New Album In More Than A Decade
Thursday, October 18, 2007
One of the mainstays of the original 1980s version of the Jazz Warriors, flautist Phillip Bent, has returned from the recording wilderness with his first record in over 14 years. Titled The Magic Of Your Spell it features a who’s who of the British jazz scene including Courtney Pine, Jason Rebello, Patrick Clahar and Jean Toussaint with Bent producing and performing on flute, keyboards and drums machine. Londoner Bent was encouraged early on in his carer by trumpeter and educator Ian Carr.
Bent went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and signed for GRP records releasing The Pressure in 1993 featuring Courtney Pine, Will Downing and many others and for a while was one of the mainstays of the London jazz scene. But following the mixed reception to the album and GRP’s lack of commitment, Bent dropped from view, rarely surfacing in recent years. The new album has been several years in the making and marks, says Bent, “the maturity in all the years since.” He hopes to gig again with the band as featured on the record.