Phil Abraham

Having completed classical studies in piano, guitar, and harmony, the Belgium-born Phil Abraham found himself drawn to jazz and turned to the trombone as a self-taught instrumentalist. His newest recording, Fredaines, issued on the Lyrae label, shows that he has incorporated singing and whistling into his skills. Both his voice and his relaxed vocal manner recall Chet Baker, just as his understated trombone phrasing mirrors the trumpeter’s easygoing approach. Across his still-brief career Abraham has worked with numerous acclaimed players, among them R&B tenor sax man Hal Singer, fellow Belgian and whistler Toots Thielemans, Lew Tabackin, Art Farmer, and Claudio Roditi; he also took part in Michel Petrucciani’s final European tour.

More than twenty albums feature his contributions, three of them made with his own group. The ensemble has collected several honors, including Best Young Band at the Brussels Jazz Rally, First Prize at the International Jazz Contest in Sorgues, France, and Best Belgian Group at the Tenth International Jazz Contest in Belgium. Stapler, recorded with Michel Herr, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and Stéphane Galland, was named CD-of-the-month by the Belgian jazz magazine Jazz In Time.

A rising presence on the European jazz circuit, Abraham complements his performances with teaching, having led master-classes in vocal improvisation in Antwerp and serving as trombone instructor at the Brussels Royal Conservatory.