One of the most technically skilled and brilliant pianists in jazz during his prime,
remains a bit of a mystery. Plagued by mental and physical problems of unknown origin,
faded from the scene in the mid-'60s, only to re-emerge at irregular intervals throughout his life.
in that his bop-based style was largely unclassifiable, his technique was phenomenal, and he was very capable of enthralling an audience playing a full song with just his left hand.
He started out working in Memphis R&B bands with his brother, guitarist
Calvin Newborn, and recorded with local players including
B.B. King in the early '50s. Brief stints with
Lionel Hampton and
Willis Jackson preceded a period in the military (1952-1954). After moving to New York in 1956,
Newborn astounded fans and critics alike. Although he worked briefly with
Charles Mingus (1958) and
Roy Haynes,
Newborn usually performed at the head of a trio or quartet. His early recordings for Atlantic (1956), Victor, Roulette, and Contemporary are quite outstanding. Unfortunately, after the mid-'60s,
Newborn's profile dropped sharply, and although there were further recordings for Contemporary (1969), Atlantic (1969), Pablo (1976) and the Japanese Philips (1977) label, and although he still sounded strong when appearing in public, the pianist was in danger of being forgotten by most of the jazz world during his last decade. Spending most of his time in Memphis, he was an inspiration to many younger pianists including
James Williams,
Harold Mabern,
Mulgrew Miller,
Donald Brown, and
Geoff Keezer, who after
Newborn's death would dedicate their work as
the Contemporary Piano Ensemble to him. Fortunately, the episode of Jazz Scene USA that features
Phineas Newborn in 1962 has been made available on a video by "Shanachie."
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi