Phillip Ragsdell’s Biography.Phillip has been playing the drums since the age of 12 and since then has continued to make his living from playing drums. During his teenage years he was lucky enough to have regular lessons with John Savage, play in School and County Youth Orchestras and spend a week with the renowned percussionist James Blades. During this time he won a scholarship for percussion lessons at the Guildhall School of Music and attended The Blackfriars Music Centre, Boston. He also studied composition and harmony with Edwin Bonser. Although he was having classical training, Phillip's first love was really Jazz and Big Band music which led him to choose Europe's first Jazz and Light Music Course at Leeds College of Music, giving him an opportunity to continue with his percussion playing as well hone his improvisational skills on the drum kit. During his course he was lucky enough to be tutored by Tony Faulkner and Colin Price and throughout its duration he had the chance to play with various Jazz Ensembles, work with Theatre Music and Function Bands and do any other paid work possible, as any good music student might! After finishing at Leeds College of Music, Phillip looked for new opportunities for a secure career and found the answer by joining the Royal Airforce Music Services. His career allowed him to play in most of the major venues around the world and to work with many well-known artists including The Beverly Sisters, Vera Lynn, Elaine Paige, Brian Cant, Roy Castle and others. In 1984 he won Percussionist of the Year with an original composition and drum solo. Whilst in the RAF Music Services he had the unique opportunity to explore traditional, ceremonial drumming patterns and rhythms which led him to be a participant in the Drum 2000 Seminar which looked at the future of drumming for the new millennium. His career in the RAF allowed him to spend time developing his own individual style of drumming and a knowledge of performance as he regularly had to perform to a high standard for live television and radio. After 22 years stationed with The College Band at RAF Cranwell, it was time to leave the RAF and join the mainstream music scene. Work was initially found in Scotland with the Celtic Rock Band Piperactive. Around this time also, Phillip returned to Leeds College of Music for further studies to refresh and update his understanding of jazz improvisation. In the last few years he has been performing at drum clinics and working with the Jazz Course UK with Rob Hall. He is also a drum educator at Dollar Academy. He regularly plays drums with two Scottish Big Bands and other current mainstream jazz artists. Phillip sees his future delivering more drum clinics to pass on the results of his own experiences and skills, forming a band through collaborative work with Roshan Samtani and encouraging other young aspiring musicians to explore their own creativity and hone their skills within the drumming scene.
