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Orrin Evans: Faith in Action
by Raul d'Gama Rose
On Faith in Action, his reverent homage to an old boss, saxophonist Bobby Watson, Orrin Evans plays with his heart on his sleeve, gliding right down to his bare fingertips. Here is a pianist who channels masters from Thelonious Monk to Bud Powell and Bill Evans. However, through it all Evans is his own man, a singular voice that combines the precision of a surgeon and the compassion of a saint in an attack on the keys that is so ...
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by Russ Musto
Ever evolving, keyboardist Orrin Evans continues to develop his personal voice and innovative vision of the jazz piano trio tradition, both in terms of repertory and dynamics. On Faith In Action, the versatile player joins forces with his regular rhythm-section mate from trumpeter Sean Jones' group, bassist Luques Curtis, and fellow TARBABY collaborator, drummer Nasheet Waits. The program is divided equally between compositions by the leader's former employer, saxophonist Bobby Watson, and works from his own Philadelphia household--three originals penned ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans: Faith In Action
by Mark Corroto
Orrin Evans, a Philadelphia jazz pianist with superior blues/bebop prowess, displays his strengths on Faith In Action, a tribute record to saxophonist Bobby Watson.
Back in the 1980s, fueled by the corporate marketing machines, there was a resurgence of classic, mainstream jazz. As the Marsalis family benefitted from this traditionalist resurgence, other players forged their own paths. Such was the story of Watson who, like trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, was an Art Blakey alum, but who eschewed conservatism for ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans: Faith In Action
by Bruce Lindsay
Faith In Action is Orrin Evans' first album on Posi-Tone Records and serves to further enhance the reputation of this New York-based pianist. The album is, in part, a tribute to and interpretation of the music of his friend and mentor, saxophonist Bobby Watson, who contributes five of the twelve tunes. It's a fine tribute, indeed, and demonstrates Evans' own talents as a player and interpreter. Evans' own compositions have immediate impact--especially the opening “Don't Call Me ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans: The Trio Live In Jackson, Mississippi
by Edward Zucker
Orrin Evans has recorded for the Criss Cross and Palmetto labels, but he always seems to venture back to Imani Records, his own label. This is where Evans convenes his musicians and material of choice, whether working with his “funk-fusion-R&B-electric band Luvpark, in a piano trio setting, or with a larger acoustic group, as on Live at Widener University (Imani, 2005). This independent streak has resulted in Evans failing to receive the public acclaim he is due, but it has ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans: Easy Now
by AAJ Staff
For those who may have been disappointed by the Philadelphia pianist-composer Orrin Evans' recent experiments with backbeats and electric keyboards, Easy Now marks a notable return to swinging on acoustic instruments. But this new venture is primarily a tribute to the late Don Evans, a gifted playwright and educator, as well as Orrin's father.
If these compositions are any indication, Don Evans must have been complex, thoughtful, and unpredictable, perhaps a bit like the jutting measure of 5/4 ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans/The Band: Live at Widener University
by Terrell Kent Holmes
Live At Widener University, a two-disc set by The Band, led by pianist and educator Orrin Evans, exemplifies cohesiveness, and shows just how exciting jazz can be when a gathering of stellar musicians step up to the plate and knock it out of the park. “Two Faces of Nasheet," composed by drummer Nasheet Waits' father, Freddie, opens with a straight-up theme, then quickly branches off into what Evans likes to call “structured confusion." Tenor man J.D. Allen, Waits ...
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