Updated: June 18, 2024
Born: June 10, 1957
Phil Raskin is a world-renowned drummer, percussionist, and producer with over four decades of professional experience. His impressive career has taken him to more than 30 countries worldwide.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Phil began working in the music industry as a teenager, mentored by legendary guitarist Bill DeArango. He became a member of the house band at The Smiling Dog Saloon, a renowned jazz mecca in Cleveland, where he performed with talented musicians who would later become internationally acclaimed, including Joe Lovano, Billy Drewes, Skip Hadden, Jamey Haddad, Abe Laboriel, and Kenny Werner.
Phil has shared the stage with some of the greatest performers in jazz history, such as George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Roy Ayers, Pharaoh Sanders, Stan Getz, Gary Burton, and Weather Report.
Following his study with composer Halim El-Dabh at the Center for Pan-African Studies at Kent State University, he received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee he began collaboration with established musicians on the Boston scene including Mike Gibbs, George Garzone, Mick Goodrick, Rebecca Paris, and Bob Mover as well as many rising stars that went on to become industry leaders including, Wallace Rooney, Dave Kikoski, Scott Robinson, Santi Debriano, Stu Hamm, and Wayne Krantz among many others.
Phil supplemented his work at Berklee with private instruction from drum set master Alan Dawson. Although he was offered a scholarship to join the jazz masters program at the New England Conservatory by director Bob Moses, he chose instead to relocate to New York.
Once there, he became active on the loft scene and in the clubs of Greenwich Village, furthering his relationships with many of the great musicians he had worked with over the years and with whom he remains strongly connected to this day.
Phil’s studies and extensive international travel have led to an infusion of global influences in his performances and compositions as he continually works to expand his cultural and spiritual knowledge, expanding his musical pallet and greatly influencing his ever-growing range of expression
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Phil Raskin: Songs Of The Fathers
by Sammy Stein
Introduction The eye-catching artwork on Songs of The Fathers by Satya (Resonant Artists 2024) is the work of photographer Peter Koppenaal. The image features layer upon layer of people figures outlined against a fiery backdrop of African colors. The picture is, in fact, more representative of the label that might at first be apparent because Resonant Artists was founded on principles of uniting cultures and sharing peace and unity through music. The cover combines two images from two of the ...
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“Phil Raskin is a musician on a mission - to reach out to others, demonstrating the power of music and creating a positive force.” Sammy Stein
Resonant Artists A New Force in Improvised Music
Words by Sammy Stein The Free Jazz Collective Feb. 2023
Raskin’s recent album Satya, named after the second Yoga precept of living in truthfulness, has received wide acclaim and is released on Raskin’s newly founded label, Resonant Artists.
Raskin’s musical connections read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of improvised and other genres. Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Scott Lee, Skip Hadden, Michael Bocian, are just some of the incredible line-up Raskin has worked alongside. Raskin is also an experienced business consultant using technology to help businesses tackle complex challenges. Combining his musical experience and working knowledge of business made creating a record label a natural development which fulfills Raskin’s desire to promote positivity.
Primary Instrument
Drums
Location
Newark
Credentials/Background
Bachelor of Music Performance and Composition
Berklee College of Music
Member Jazz Education Network
Jazz Education Network is an educational and performance nonprofit founded in 2008, dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Rhythmelodics is a method that places equal emphasis on tone, rhythm and dynamics to create enhanced musical continuity for drum set and multi-instrumental percussionists in performance and composition.