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Philip Kuehn Shares his Passion for music by Teaching, Performing, and Recording By Ally Brotherson Philip Kuehn, Snow College’s director of jazz studies, has been writing music since he was about 14. Music has always been his passion, and he has turned that passion into a career that encompasses teaching, performing, recording, and more. When Kuehn was in high school, he became very serious about music and was performing in jazz clubs in Pittsburgh, near where he grew up. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City and has been teaching at Snow College since August 2014. While Philip Kuehn
Kuehn plays a variety of instruments, he primarily plays the upright and electric basses. However, he also plays piano, drums, tuba, clarinet, saxophone, and a few others. Throughout his career, Kuehn has had some unique experiences. “I have been fortunate to play with and work with some of the biggest names in music, including Quincy Jones, Harry Connick Jr., and Tony Bennett” he said. “The high level of performance, preparation, and quick adaptation demanded by each of these musicians has prepared me for a variety of high-profile, high-stress situations.” He has also enjoyed collaborating on projects with Jon Batiste, acclaimed musician and bandleader for The Late Show with Steven Colbert. Kuehn and Batiste met as high school seniors and were roommates at Juilliard. Being in Batiste’s band since 2004 (regularly prior to coming to Utah, and occasionally since 2014) has opened the doors for many opportunities. One of these opportunities was playing on the score of the Disney/Pixar animated film, Soul, which features a jazz musician as the lead character. In September 2019, Kuehn flew to New York City for a four-hour recording session where he recorded about 10-15 songs. “Each musician had a camera trained on them during the recording session so that the animators at Pixar/Disney could match the animated characters’ hands with our hands to make it look realistic,” he said. Kuehn appears in about 85 percent of the movie’s jazz music scenes and incidental jazz music. Kuehn also appears on the “Songs from and Inspired by Soul” soundtrack. The music for Soul has received numerous recognitions, including Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and NAACP Image awards. When Kuehn isn’t performing with world-class musicians, he teaches several courses at Snow College; he also teaches a few jazz combos each semester, along with private lessons. He likes Snow College because it is a friendly place, where students can get more one-on-one attention from faculty. In addition to sharing his love of music via teaching, performing, and recording, Kuehn also shares his talents at home. Music is something he is trying to pass on to his children, Philip (7), Chloe (6), and Saidy (4), who seem to love it too.
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