Expressions in Black
Mike Phillips
1/25/2022 | 6m 23sVideo has Closed Captions
Mike Phillips shares his Expression
My name is Mike Phillips. I’ve toured with Stevie Wonder, Prince and worked with Michael Jackson. I’m the first non-athlete, to sign with Brand Jordan. The correlation between music and sports; they feed each other. It’s important to remember your technique. practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
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Expressions in Black is a local public television program presented by OPB
Expressions in Black
Mike Phillips
1/25/2022 | 6m 23sVideo has Closed Captions
My name is Mike Phillips. I’ve toured with Stevie Wonder, Prince and worked with Michael Jackson. I’m the first non-athlete, to sign with Brand Jordan. The correlation between music and sports; they feed each other. It’s important to remember your technique. practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- November 3rd, my mother would have been 86 years old today born in 1934.
This day is important, not just because it's my mother's birthday but it's election day.
How many things that existed in 1934 how much of that is still here?
(saxophone music) I finally got one of the horns I was looking for for about 15 years.
I'm getting it fixed on my mother's birthday, purple logo, which is my mother's first name, Violet on election day it symbolizes a lot.
I reflect on this day of thinking about my mother roll up your sleeves, looking for opportunity mentality, always lives with me.
All right, here we go we about to get my horn.
My name is Mike Phillips, I'm from money earning Mount Vernon from New York city to Oregon city.
Alto sax player, this is the man right here.
If you are Alto sax player and you don't know about this man we gon have some problems.
Toured with Mr. Stevie Wonder, Prince worked with Michael Jackson.
Look at this, this will keep me here all day.
First non-athlete musician to sign with brand Jordan.
You know the "Jordans", you know I gotta have them on my feet so I take off "Jordans" to put on "Jordans."
Membership has its privileges man, so.
The correlation between music and sports, it feeds each other.
You have to remember your technique.
(upbeat music) Practice doesn't make perfect perfect practice makes perfect.
It's a cold game out here its a cold peace.
If you put the proper things into repetition it will increase the chances of you doing it when that's most needed.
Hey I'm good like that's how I putt.
(laughing) Reason why I play sax it's none other than to fulfill a mission statement to make people happy and full of joy through the gift of music.
That's not a promising pop, but we gonna see saxophone is an inanimate object so what gives the sax energy?
My spirit (saxophone music) Oh my goodness, it is nice from the top to the bottom, being a musician you gotta really understand that its a ministry.
Wherever I am, whatever headspace that I'm in when I feel happiness, when I feel joy the instrument is nothing but a translator of what you're going through and people will feel it.
This is beautiful, what was done, how many pads did you change?
- We ended up changing 8 pads, took the keys off, cleaned the body, you know gave it a little TLC.
- To change the pad you have to understand what's not working and I think the analogy that I can make is election day is a day that we can change out some pads.
(saxophone music) If you look at the sax it is a pretty intricate instrument.
(saxophone music) Every key has a relationship with another key and if you mess one thing up it throws the whole alignment off.
That in itself is where America is right now I think America does have the opportunity to be fixed but we got to do what that saxophone tech did see what's wrong first.
And here we are, November 3rd we get choose what will bring America back into alignment.
There you go, that could be in there, that could be a hole in one.
I see the future as something that if we progress towards love and understanding it'll be a better place for the generation that comes up next.
The patience, the discipline, the understanding of things happen in progressions, where you respect time you understand the process and you have disciplines sewn in all around it.
(saxophone music) I'm Mike Phillips and this is my expression!
(upbeat music)
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Expressions in Black is a local public television program presented by OPB