After graduating from
St. Xavier High School in
Cincinnati in 1972, Phil DeGreg studied psychology at
Yale University. Later, he played in a
folk rock duo in
New Haven–area coffee shops. Influenced by the music of
Bill Evans, he switched to jazz and played in a student jazz band at Yale. Eventually, he moved to
Kansas City and joined the local jazz scene. He then studied at the
North Texas State University College of Music from 1979 to 1982, completing a master's degree and performing and recording as a member of the
One O'Clock Lab Band. He was briefly a member of
Woody Herman's big band. DeGreg returned to Cincinnati when his daughter was born. In 1987, he became a lecturer in the Jazz Studies Division at the
University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and wrote a textbook,
Jazz Keyboard Harmony(1994). In addition to his lecturing, DeGreg recorded a series of albums in the 1990s with musicians
Joe LaBarbera,
Tim Ries,
Don Braden,
Drew Gress, and
Randy Johnston. In addition, he has performed concerts with
J. J. Johnson (
Live in Concert, 2007). Since 1991, DeGreg has been a professor of Jazz Studies at the
University of Cincinnati. ==Selected recordings==