Phil Schaap

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Phil Schaap (born 1951) is an American jazz disc jockey and reissue producer. He hosts a daily morning radio program on WKCR, the radio station of Columbia University, his alma mater, in New York City. The show, called Birdflight, is devoted to the music of Charlie Parker and has been running for over twenty six years. He also hosts the weekly Traditions In Swing, which likewise has been on the air for thirty two years.

Phil was raised by jazz loving parents and the music's originators, particularly the members of the original Count Basie Orchestra. He felt that he could help jazz by becoming a teacher and broadcaster. His early career found him managing the Basie alumni band, The Countsmen, and doing sound for various Jazz events including George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival. For 17 years Phil ran the Jazz at The West End. Since February 2, 1970 Phil has broadcast Jazz on the radio (primarily on WKCR. He's known for his marathon festivals on one artist, birthday broadcasts, and memorials.

In addition to his radio work, Schaap has been involved with the re-release of several archival recordings on CD, releases of artists including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Machito and the Afro-Cubans and Duke Ellington. For his efforts in engineering, production, and liner notes, Schaap has won at least six Grammy awards. As an educator Phil has taught Jazz at the graduate level at Columbia and Rutgers. Schaap continues his academic teaching career at Princeton, while running an adult Jazz education program for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Upon becoming Curator at Jazz at Lincoln Center he left a successful career producing, remastering, and writing for record companies such as Universal, Sony, and PolyGram. From 1984-1991, Schaap was the archivist for the Savoy Jazz label. Schaap productions garnered many Grammies including 3 for producing, 3 for historical writing, and two for audio engineering.

Schaap also contributed to a book by Wynton Marsalis, "Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits."

Schaap is currently the curator of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is a cousin of noted sportswriter Dick Schaap.

The May 19, 2008 issue of The New Yorker includes a nine-page article about Mr. Schaap written by David Remnick. The article is a tribute to Schaap's unique, vast knowledge of jazz history and the unusual story of his life-long friendships with many of jazz's greatest players, beginning when he was six years old and Jo Jones became his sometimes babysitter.