# Bill Evans (saxophonist)

William D. Evans (born February 9, 1958) is an American jazz saxophonist, who was a member of the Miles Davis group in the 1980s and has since led several of his own bands, including Push and Soulgrass. Evans plays tenor and soprano saxophones. He has recorded over 27 solo albums and received two Grammy Award nominations. He recorded an award-winning album called Bill Evans – Vans Joint with the WDR Big Band in 2009.
He has played a variety of music with his solo projects, including bluegrass, jazz, and funk. His early influences on saxophone were Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Steve Grossman, and Dave Liebman.

## Biography

Evans was born in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, United States. His father was a classical piano prodigy and until junior high school Evans studied classical piano. He attended Hinsdale Central High School and studied with Bunky green and joe daly in Chicago while attending high school . Early in his studies he was able to hear such artists as Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago.
Evans attended University of North Texas and William Paterson University, where he studied with Dave Liebman, an alumnus of trumpeter Miles Davis's early 1970s bands. Moving to New York city in 1979, he spent countless hours in lofts playing jazz standards and perfecting his improvisational style.
At the age of 22, he joined Miles Davis and was part of his comeback in the early to mid–1980s.He was instrumental in helping Davis put the group together, bringing in Mike stern, Marcus Miller and John Scofield. Notable albums recorded with Davis include The Man With The Horn, We Want Miles, Star People, and Decoy. Evans is unrelated to pianist Bill Evans (1929–1980), who played with Davis in the 1950s.
He has played, toured and recorded with artists such as Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Michael Franks, Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Les McCann, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Randy Brecker, The Allman Brothers Band, and Medeski Martin & Wood. He is the leader of Petite Blonde album with Victor Bailey, Dennis Chambers, Mitch Forman, and Chuck Loeb.
He joined the reformed Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1984 and performed with them until they broke up in 1987. Beginning in 1990 he toured with his own band.
Two of his albums, Soul Insider and Soulgrass, were nominated for a Grammy Award. Soulgrass was combination of bluegrass and jazz fusion that featured Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Bruce Hornsby, and Vinnie Colaiuta.

## Discography
### As leader

| Year recorded | Title | Label | Year released | Notes |
| 1983 | Living in the Crest of a Wave | Elektra Musician | 1984 | |
| 1985 | The Alternative Man | Blue Note | 1985 | |
| 1989 | Summertime | Jazz City | 1989 | |
| 1989 | Let the Juice Loose: Bill Evans Group Live At Blue Note Tokyo | Jazz City | 1990 | live at Blue Note Tokyo |
| 1990 | The Gambler: Bill Evans Live At Blue Note Tokyo 2 | Jazz City | 1990 | live at Blue Note Tokyo |
| 1993 | Push | Lipstick | 1994 | |
| 1994 | Live in Europe | Lipstick | 1995 | live |
| 1995–96 | Escape | Escapade | 1996 | |
| 1997 | Starfish & The Moon | Escapade | 1997 | |
| 1998 | Touch | ESC | 1999 | |
| 2000 | Soul Insider | ESC | 2000 | |
| 2002 | Big Fun | ESC | 2002 | |
| 2004–05 | Soulgrass | BHM | 2005 | |
| 2007 | The Other Side of Something | Intuition | 2007 | |
| 2008 | " Vans Joint" with the WDR Big Band BHM |
| 2012 | Dragonfly | Vansman Records | 2012 | |
| 2014 | Soulgrass Live in Moscow | Vansman Records |
| 2016 | Rise Above | Vansman Records | 2016 | |
| 2011 | The East End | Jazzline | 2019 | featuring Etienne Mbappe, Wolfgang Haffner, WDR Big Band Cologne |
| 2018 | Live Down Under | Vansman Records | 2019 | featuring The Spykillers, [[Wolfgang Haffner, Simon Oslender, Gary Grainger |
| 2024 | " who I am " | Vansman Records | featuring Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglass, Max mutzke, Victor Wooten, Till Bronner, Nils Landgren , Wolfgang Haffner |
Co-leader with Hank Jones, Red Mitchell
* Moods Unlimited (Paddle Wheel, 1983) – rec. 1982
Co-leader with Randy Brecker, Robben Ford and Tom Scott
* Echoes of Ellington Vol. 1 (Verve, 1987)
* Echoes of Ellington Vol. 2 (Verve, 1988)
Co-leader with Victor Bailey, Dennis Chambers, Mitch Forman and Chuck Loeb
* Petite Blonde (Lipstick, 1992) – live
Co-leader with Andy LaVerne, John Patitucci and Steve Davis
* Modern Days and Nights: Music of Cole Porter (Double-Time, 1997)
Co-leader with Randy Brecker
* Soul Bop Band Live (BHM, 2005)
Co-leader with Robben Ford
* The Sun Room (Ear, 2019)
* Common Ground (13J Productions, 2020)

### As a member

Elements
* Elements (Philo, 1982)
* Forward Motion (Antilles, 1984)
* Blown Away (Passport, 1986)
* Illumination (Novus, 1988)
* Liberal Arts (RCA, 1989)
* Spirit River (RCA, 1990)
Steps Ahead
* Steppin' Out with WDR Big Band (Jazzline, 2016)

### As sideman

With Victor Bailey
* Bottom's Up (Atlantic, 1989)
* Low Blow (ESC, 1999)
* That's Right (ESC, 2001)
With Miles Davis
* The Man with the Horn (Columbia, 1981)
* We Want Miles (Columbia, 1982)
* Star People (Columbia, 1983)
* Decoy (Columbia, 1984)
With Mark Egan
* A Touch of Light (GRP, 1988)
* Beyond Words (Bluemoon, 1991)
* Freedom Town (Wavetone, 2001)
* Truth Be Told (Wavetone, 2010)
With Michael Franks
* Skin Dive (Warner Bros., 1985)
* The Camera Never Lies (Warner Bros., 1987)
With Jeff Golub
* Unspoken Words (Gaia, 1988)
* Avenue Blue Featuring Jeff Golub (Bluemoon, 1994)
* Nightlife (Bluemoon, 1997)
With Danny Gottlieb
* Aquamarine (Atlantic, 1987)
* Whirlwind (Atlantic, 1989)
With Chuck Loeb
* Life Colors (DMP, 1990)
* Mediterranean (DMP, 1993)
With Mahavishnu (John McLaughlin)
* Mahavishnu (Warner Records,1984)
With Mandoki Soulmates
* People in Room No. 8 (PolyGram, 1997)
* Out of Key with the Time (Sony, 2002)
* Soulmates (Paroli, 2002)
* Aquarelle (Neo, 2009)
With Lee Ritenour
* Alive in L.A. (GRP, 1997)
* This Is Love (i.e. Music, 1998)
With Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
* Dance of Fire (Columbia, 1995)
* Inspiration (Columbia, 2000)
With Andy Summers
* Charming Snakes (Private Music, 1990)
With Gianfranco Continenza
* The Past Inside The Present (ESC, 2007)
With Wolfgang Haffner
* Dream Band Live In Concert (ACT, 2022)