In all fairness, Simon Phillips‘s project PROTOCOL must be talked about in the same reverential tone as THE TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME or BUDDY MILES EXPRESS, yet it’s a sign of our times that genuine originator doesn’t often gets his due. Although Simon’s drumming is heard on a plethora of classic albums by other artists, his own creative heart has long been in what started as a solo album back in 1988 and turned into a jazz-rock ensemble which released the follow-ups to “Protocol” in 2013, 2015 and 2017, with "Protocol IV" – the series’ latest chapter – nominated for Grammy last year. All four records, remastered, are gathered in a box set – titled as Phillips’ aforementioned debut – whose additional value lies in a couple of extra discs which contain demos for the collective’s output.
These demos allow the listener to take a look at the composer’s method. They run like this:
Box Set
Disc 5: Protocol II & III Demos
1. Wildfire
2. Funk Tune #1
3. Six Eight
4. Pump Type
5. Thirteen
6. Herbie Type
7. Ballad
8. Three Four
9. Zawinul
10. Mystery
11. Protocol Blues
12. A Perfect Flush
13. Circle Seven
14. Pilatus
15. Stir Crazy
16. Fast Five
Disc 6: Protocol IV Demos
1. Six Eight
2. Pentangle
3. Indian Theme
4. 7 Four Funk
5. Intro + Celtic Boogie
6. Blues
7. Ballad
8. Jan Type
