Mista Swift

Freshly transplanted to Texas, Charles F. Phillips III or "Swift" as people call him is considered to be one of the top up and coming drummers today. Having played with such funk legends as Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, George Clinton, and Bernie Worrel as well as jazz heavies like Wynton Marsalis and Liquid Soul, his groove and swing has been developed on the bandstand. When not out on the road, you can find him playing somewhere just about any night of the week. "I just wanna play some music man," is what you can hear him sayin' almost any time.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Swift started playing drums at age 4. It was at an outdoor jazz festival he attended with his father (a jazz saxophonist himself) that a chance meeting with local jazz drummer Art Gore would change a young boy's life forever . "It was at that moment that I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up... smack some skins, man!" Charles graduated from the School For Creative and Performing Arts where he studied with John Gardener and Craig Williams. He also took lessons and studied with other players such as Ngudu Chancelor, Dr. Don Parker, and John Von Ohlen.

He toured the country for several years with the Bootsy Collins bass protege Freekbass and led his own group, the Rebel Soul Collective.

Mista Swift's Website