Simon Phillips Protocol

Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer [NL]
Sunday, 4th May 2025

There are few styles that legendary drummer Simon Phillips has not done and mastered: jazz, rock, fusion, prog and I’m overlooking a fair few more here. For more than four decades, the drumming icon has excelled in every musical environment. Phillips is perhaps best known for Toto, which he was a member for more than 20 years, however since 2013, Simon has focused on his own compositions with the Protocol series, of which five albums have now been released, featuring complex instrumental jazz rock/fusion.

Protocol is an absolute top notch band with three musicians from the US, one from Venezuela and one from the UK. Simon Phillips has been playing drums for over half a century, he is a bandleader, founder, has been the drummer with The Who and Toto, and a seasoned session player and has collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Jeff Beck and Peter Gabriel to mention just a few. With Protocol he is ‘part of the band’ never (too) emphatically present, except for his solo spots. The man has great technique, precision and timing, everything seems to come naturally to him as he sits behind his enormous Tama drum kit with a array of Zildjian cymbals. There will undoubtedly be many drummers in the audience as an icon like Phillips is rarely seen in the Netherlands.

During tonight’s concert he also takes care of the announcements between a few songs, and is visibly in his element encouraged by the enthusiastic audience – anecdotes about Steve Lukather, car rides through the mountains of LA and the discovery of old, long-lost analogue tape of an album. Merchandise advertising is not overlooked either. 😉

Tonight’s concert is a chilly Sunday evening in May, a special day too as 4th May is Remembrance Day in the Netherlands. This is highlighted in a respectful manner by projecting the live TV broadcast of the ceremony on the big screens, as well as observing the two minute silence. Phillips will come back to this later.

At half past eight exactly, the members of the band enter the stage one by one with Simon Phillips last and to great applause. The band kicks off with Symbiosis, the title track of their 1995 debut album, which lies somewhere between Weather Report and Yellowjackets. The young saxophonist Jacob Scesney makes an immediate impression. When The Cat’s Away sounds quite funky, a bit in the direction of Snarky Puppy, especially because of the unison parts of saxophone and guitar.

Bassist Ernest Tibbs is seated on a stool and is the very image of calm, rhythmic and focused his head moving back and forth while playing his five-string bass with great flexibility. Otmaro Ruiz is the keyboardist with great timing, he reminded me a bit of a cross between Bob James and Greg Phillinganes. The youngest member of the group is Jacob Scesney, a fantastic player on soprano, alto and baritone saxophones, a bit in the style of a young Brandon Marsalis (Sting amongst others), possibly even more virtuoso, he occasionally steals the show. Another young American is guitarist Alex Sill, who also makes quite an impression with guitar playing reminiscent of Allan Holdsworth and Alex Machacek. Perhaps that comparison is also due to the ‘headless’ Kiesel guitars he plays. Especially the moments when he plays the solo parts in unison with Scesney which are among the best that Protocol has produced.

Then it’s time for the intros and Simon Phillips emerges from behind his drum kit and introduces the individual musicians in a calm and humorous way. He also announces Nimbus in passing, a heavy prog jazz rock song in the style of Soft Machine and IOU.

Nyanga is very different again, African vibes and laidback rhythms with Allan Holdsworth-style guitar playing by Alex Sill. Indian Summer sounds quite swinging with the special feature of a band reduced to a jazz trio in the middle section and a spotlight on the drummer, for the first time. Phillips does some more advertising 😉 for the remastered version of the Symbiosis album recorded from analogue tape, and tells an anecdote about the recovered original half inch tapes that formed the basis.

‘Featuring everyone’ according to the band leader and everyone gets their moment in the spotlight during The Long Road Home, with a special mention for the great keyboard solo by Venezuelan Otmaro Ruiz – both the left and right hand equally active. With Amrita the band takes a few steps back in tempo, Scesney’s sax produces some remarkable sounds.

With a man like Simon Phillips behind the ‘extensive’ drum kit, a real drum solo cannot/may not be missing. A great performer, impeccable timing he builds his solo from the ground up, the double bass drum work employed to make a crescendo… a pleasure to listen too and confirmation, if any was needed why he is the maestro.

The last song of the official setlist is Circle Seven, smooth fusion with solo spots for everyone again, but especially the drums and bass. The band leave the stage briefly but quickly return for the encore, but not before Phillips thanks everyone profusely, especially the management and employees of the Boerderij receive praise. With the rocking Manganese, a cross between Weather Report and Snarky Puppy, with characteristic unison interplay between guitar and sax, a farewell is said to an ecstatic audience in Zoetermeer.

An audience of approximately 300 plus, mainly male, populated the hall this evening. A knowledgeable jazz audience, it must be said, and there was an exuberant atmosphere in the theatre, partly due to the perfect sound, excellent lighting – a tribute to the Boerderij, and the fact that Protocol played for two hours. An excellent evening for lovers of fusion and jazz rock, the pop/rock temple Boerderij changed into a jazz club for a while with the performance of this quintet, the fans enjoyed it.

[Live photographs used with the kind permission of Richard Winkel (Poppodium Boerderij)]

SETLIST
Symbiosis
When The Cat’s Away
Nimbus
Nyanga
Indian Summer
The Long Road Home
Amrita
Drum Solo
Circle Seven
~ Encore:
Manganese

MUSICIANS
Simon Phillips – Drums
Ernest Tibbs – Bass
Otmaro Ruiz – Keyboards
Jacob Scesney – Saxophone
Alex Sill – Guitars

LINKS
Simon Phillips Protocol – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram