ORRIN EVANS
Genres: Post Bop, Progressive Big Band, Hard Bop, Vocal Jazz, Eclectic Fusion, Classic Fusion • United States

Orrin Evans is a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. He is well-versed in hard and post-bop, neo-soul, and R&B. In addition to leading dates, he is a prolific first-call sideman, and is particularly adept at backing singers. After woodshedding in various bands, he formed the Black Entertainment label in 1995 to release his leader debut, The Trio. He signed with Criss Cross in 1996 and worked in a number of contexts: On 1997's Justin Time he led a quintet, and followed with the acclaimed octet outing Captain Black in 1998. Two more quintet albums -- Grown Folk Bizness and Listen to the Band -- followed in 1999. Evans spent several years recording for Imani, issuing outings such as LuvPark in 2003 and Tarbaby's self-titled debut in 2006. In 2010, he issued three recordings in different settings for Posi-Tone including Tarbaby's The End of Fear, the live Captain Black Big read more...