Although best known for his work in pop as a solo artist and progressive rock with Genesis, one of Collins' earliest influences had been the American big band drummer Buddy Rich.
They also did performances of jazz standards such as "Stormy Weather" sung by Collins himself, and other numbers such as "Chips & Salsa", "Birdland" and "Pick Up the Pieces".
The group split up in 1999, when Phil Collins started to work on the music for the then upcoming movie, Tarzan.
In 2004 Phil, along with the big band, played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, covering the song "There'll Be Some Changes Made" with Tony Bennett on vocals, accompanied by pianist Ralph Sharon and double bassist Douglas Richeson.
Collins' work with the Phil Collins Big Band received acclaim and Modern Drummer readers voted him Big Band drummer of the year in 2000.