ITG 2003 Phil Driscoll

Gary Mortenson, reporter

Phil Driscoll is well known to a huge segment of society. He learned to play trumpet and to combine it with religious themes in his father’s church as a young boy. He has won Grammy and Dove awards for his work in contemporary Christian and jazz/blues realms, and he has released 32 recordings. His late night concert on Thursday reaffirms the fact that ITG conferences have something for a diversity of interests. Bill Mason provided the keyboard accompaniment on both synthesizer and acoustic pianos. These two artists have been performing together for decades. At 55 years old, Driscoll informed the audience that he has been playing trumpet for 43 years and has traveled with his message to 35 countries.

The performance included a variety of music from jazz, to gospel, to blues, to patriotic music and more! The program started with a couple of hymn arrangements, and each tune typically included some singing from Driscoll, and a few extended passages of solo trumpet (including some electronic effects) from him as well. Other Driscoll arrangements included You Are So Beautiful, God Bless America, and his original composition On My Way Home, a tune based on a traveling artist’s longing for home while on the road. Driscoll’s blues-like vocals, and his soaring lead and jazz playing provided a unique way to end the second day of the 2003 ITG Conference.