Hi, I am Damani Philips from the United States.
I currently serve as Professor of Jazz / African American Studies and head of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Iowa. I earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from DePaul University and The University of Kentucky in classical saxophone, a second Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Wayne State University and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I was the first African American in the country to do so.
I’m an active performer, pedagogue, and lecturer who has performed, taught and presented my work throughout the world. I’ve had the honor of recording and/or performing with artists/groups such as Lewis Nash, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, Bobby McFerrin, Marcus Belgrave, Terell Stafford, Hank Jones, Red Holloway and Pat Bianchi among many others. Though recording and performing is my primary focus,
I’m also an active academic scholar with scholarly presentations at colleges, universities, professional/civic conferences, and scholarly forums (both domestically and abroad) to my credit. I published my book “What is This Thing Called Soul: Conversations on Jazz and Black Culture” in 2017, which delves into the difficult, yet timely, topic of the decline of Black cultural influence and representation in jazz as traditionally taught in academic spheres.