Philip Moss is a London-based musician known for his expressive musicality, inventive phrasing and improvisational flair. Having been an active contributor on the Berlin, Amsterdam and Australian music-scenes—performing at world-class venues such as Bimhuis (NL), 100 Club (UK) B-flat Berlin (DE) and Jazz Music Institute (AU)—Philip now brings his vision and craft to London, where he continues to perform as both a soloist and leader of a trio.
A self-taught musician, Philip's talent was apparent from an early age, leading him to win the state-wide "Alan Wilkie Cultural Award" in his late-teens. By the time he was finishing high-school, Philip was working alongside seasoned musicians, both as a session-musician and bandleader. At 19, he began touring Australia and Western-Europe. Over the years he has played alongside and received mentorship from such renowned musicians as Geoff Oakes (Renée Geyer band), Geoff Gascoyne (Jamie Cullum Trio), Trudy Kerr and Sean Mullen (a former pupil of John Scofield and Allan Holdsworth.
Deeply versed in jazz and blues guitar, classical harmony and counterpoint, popular songwriting and gospel harmony, Philip moves fluidly across genres, weaving his broad stylistic range into a singular and distinctive voice. Inspired by the life and music of Keith Jarrett, Philip is especially drawn to the intensity and vulnerability of improvised music. His performances continually explore the tension between control and surrender, precision and spontaneity, expression and restraint.
Philip's ability to move fluidly across genres has enabled him to perform in a striking range of venues. From underground clubs to open-air festivals, gritty dive-bars to premier music venues, grassroots spaces to contemporary art galleries—Philip continues to engage audiences of all demographics. He also performs in a variety of musical contexts including jazz combos, live electronic performances, solo improvisation, experimental free-jazz and singer-songwriter showcases.
As a collaborator and bandleader, Philip has always been guided by his core artistic values: diversity, experimentation, openness and co-creation. The many musicians he has collaborated with over the years bear testament to this: jazz virtuosos, prog-rockers, boogie-woogie veterans, avant-garde improvisers, deep-techno DJs, indie singer-songwriters, hip-hop producers, rappers, surf-rockers and modular synth-wizards. Philip's broad artistic scope is no mere fetish for novelty—rather, it stems from his deep conviction that by extending ourselves into foreign and unfamiliar musical domains we, counter-intuitively, move closer to our own unique musical essence.
In addition to his work as a performer and bandleader, Philip is an accomplished songwriter, producer, and mixing-engineer. Since 2019 he has independently released three albums, two EPs, and multiple singles. He is currently in the process of re-mastering and re-releasing his entire catalogue under the name of Philip Moss, his newly adopted artist alias (previously Philip John). Deeply influenced by the music of James Blake, John Mayer, Radiohead and the wider electronic music scene, Philip crafts a body of work that is highly varied yet always carries a quiet intricacy, harmonic richness and deep emotional resonance. He has performed his original material across Australia and Europe, in venues such as Madame Claude, Echo & Bounce, 1_06 Berlin, The End and the Queensland University of Technology.