Music
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"YESSSSSSS! Thank THE LORD! There are still those among us who carry on the spirit of the funky FUNK!!" - lovehard.ca
Discography
Upcoming Releases:
Spring 2011: Phil Tessis - Street Meat EP
Summer 2011: Toast - Toast EP
Previous Releases:
2007: Various Artists - New Standards Vol. 10 (unavailable)
2008: The Bill Tessis Trio - A Bill Tessis Christmas (Rive at Crinton's) (Available only at shows)
Photos
Bio
Phil Tessis' music bridges the gap between jazz, funk and rock idioms. At a Phil Tessis show you never know what to expect, no 2 shows are alike and the band never plays a song the same twice.
Phil is an accomplished guitarist in many different styles and genres. He picked up the guitar at the age of 8 and has studied with many amazing guitarists and musicians. When Phil was 12 years old he started studying with latin-jazz artist Luis Mario Ochoa. In high school, Phil played in the TDSB Jazz all-stars – a big-band made up of some of the top players from Toronto high schools with whom he played the Distillery Jazz Festival and Massey Hall. He was also the recipient of several awards for music as well as a scholarship to Humber College. A graduate of Humber College, Phil has also studied music with Geoff Young, Rob Bulger, Ted Quinlan, Jake Langley, Kirk MacDonaldand and Pat LaBarbera. Phil was also fortunate enough to study songwriting with Rik Emmett and Blaire Peckham and production with Ian Terry and Bruce Cassidy.
“Phil Tessis is one of Toronto’s promising young guitarists. Since I started teaching him, I knew he was going to be successful.” – Luis Mario Ochoa, Cuban Music Prod.
Early in his career, Phil has performed with many different bands. He's spent time playing in showbands on cruise ships, cover bands around Toronto, jazz groups of all sizes, and has performed with major recording artists such as Johnny Favourite (Juno award winner) and Maiko Watson (WCMA winner, formerly of Sugar Jones). Currently, Phil accompanies many different singers, plays in his own quintet, an organ trio called City Limits and an original project called Toast.
“To me, there is no better feeling than the one I get when I’m performing. The satisfaction I get from playing for a good audience is unparalleled” – Phil Tessis
Phils debut Ep "Street Meat" is all mixed and mastered and will be released Spring 2011. Phil has also been recording with his band Toast, so expect lots of new music in the coming months!
“I use the Phil Tessis Funk Band to keep myself satisfied creatively. The music I write has the intention of making people feel good. A P.T.F.B show is guaranteed to make you dance.” – Phil Tessis
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