Lucianne Evans | Biography

Lucianne Evans is a Pittsburgh-born jazz vocalist and songwriter whose career has taken her through Montreal, New York, Asheville, and back to Pittsburgh.

In her twenties, a summer seminar in Colorado with Oregon, the recording group associated with the groundbreaking ECM label, led her to Montreal, where she appeared with her band at the early Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. There she worked with leading musicians including Sari Dajani, James Gelfand and Reg Wilson, and appeared on Canadian television. Those years helped shape a musical identity that reached beyond traditional vocal jazz.

Evans later moved to New York, where she balanced motherhood with singing in the Hank Lane Orchestra. Later, while based in Asheville, North Carolina, she formed Evans & Coppola with New York pianist and arranger Tom Coppola, whose credits included Saturday Night Live and The Manhattan Transfer. Their album Flamingo appeared on Dr. Herb Wong's Blue Chip List of Top Vocal CDs of 2002 in the Jazz Education Journal, alongside venerable vocalists from that year including Diana Krall. Evans has also recorded with Drori Mondlak, Paulo Braga and Café da Silva.

Now back in Pittsburgh, Evans teaches voice at Kindermusik in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, where she discovered young pianist Josh Beck, a graduate of the Frost School of Music, and Garret Nonweiler from the Kansass City Orchestra. With a new Pittsburgh band, a London-based music connection, and an upcoming album built primarily around her original compositions, Evans brings together the modern, exploratory instincts of her Montreal years, the sophistication of her work with Coppola, and a lifetime of performing jazz.

In 2026, Evans was selected for Talent Is Timeless's 50 Over 50 songwriting initiative, a London-based program supporting original music by songwriters over fifty. The opportunity brings her to Copenhagen to record ten songs with an international team led by producer Kris Gorski.

Her recording ensemble features acclaimed Scandinavian jazz musicians Søren Møller on piano, Jesper Bodilsen on bass, and Andreas Svendsen on drums, joined by Jakob Sørensen on trumpet, Kasper Wagner on saxophone, and Peter Dahlgren on trombone. The production includes live horn arrangements, strings, and intimate small-group performances, with professional music videos accompanying the project. One of the tracks of note is "Dr. Wong," dedicated to the late jazz historian himself. 

Scheduled for release in February 2027, the album represents a new chapter in Evans's career: original jazz compositions developed over many years, now receiving full-scale professional production. Her current activities encompass recording, live performance, songwriting, and vocal education, supported by an expanding international production and professional advisory team.

For recordings, performance dates, and updates, visit lucianneevans.com.

Awards

Dr. Herb Wong's Blue Chip List of Top Vocal CDs of 2002 in the Jazz Education Journal

Gear

I use micro recording equipment to practice with, such as the Audigo multi-track mic. I use programs such as Melodyne only to practice with, and Sibelius to write with.