Home » Jazz Musicians » Bill Evans - Saxophone

Bill Evans - Saxophone

Evans is a world class saxophonist and producer who made his debut on the international music scene in the 1980’s with Miles Davis (at the age of 21) and recorded 6 records with Davis. This led to touring and recording with the likes of John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Mick Jagger to name a few. Today, with 26 solo albums to date, Grammy nods, and countless collaborations and tours, Evans has continued to explore a dazzling variety of adventurous musical settings as a pioneering bandleader, consistently winning fans in the worldwide arena.

Recent highlights include touring and/or performing with his own Bill Evans Band, Robben Ford (Soulgrass meets Blues), Phil Lesh & Friends, The Mike Stern/Bill Evans Band, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Zen Amadeus - the group Bill and drum icon Simon Phillips put together. There were countless sit-ins with The Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes, and a collage of others. Evans spent much of 2016 and 2017 touring the world with the Bill Evans Band in support of his album “Rise Above”.

Bill toured extensively with the Randy Brecker/Bill Evans Soulbop band (formed in 2003) for over 15 years, which incorporated the many influences they both have had in their careers in the Jazz arena. This cooperation produced a live recording called the “Soulbop Band Live“.

Deeply intrigued and ultimately inspired by Jazz, as well as American roots music, Evans wrote, produced and recorded “Soulgrass” in 2005, garnering a Grammy nod in the process.( his 2nd one to date ) Soulgrass was a breakaway new fusion of jazz and American roots music, blending the banjo, fiddle, mandolin and Dobro, combining the best musicians from Jazz and Americana together. According to Bill “the music and soundscape change, but it’s still me and my saxophone!“ Three more CDs followed in the Soulgrass genre, “The Other Side of Something”, “Dragonfly”, and the 2014 release of “Live in Moscow” recorded during the first of two sold out U.S. State Dept sponsored tours of Russia. Each subsequent release found Bill pushing the musical boundaries of Jazz and Improvisational groove. Says Evans “Miles always told me to write and play what inspires me. I’ve kept true to his advice from the very beginning regardless of the challenges they may create. Miles gave me the confidence to believe in myself as a player and a composer.“

After 10 years of touring and breaking new ground with Soulgrass, in 2015 Bill introduced the “Bill Evans Band”, a hard hitting montage of Contemporary Jazz. The “Bill Evans Band” featured Bill on saxophone/vocals as well as drummer/singer Josh Dion. This band represented a seamless blend of Jazz and groove. Evans was also seen singing on stage for the first time. “People really relate to this band. The Bill Evans Band takes people on a musical journey. For me, that’s the definition of jazz – improvisation and exploration that people can still relate to. It doesn’t have to be mass confusion. I like to connect with the audience and inspire people with new kinds of music you can feel as well as hear.”

Read more

Tags

1
Radio & Podcasts

Bill Evans Sax, Greg Howe, Niacin and Joe Zawinul

Read "Bill Evans Sax, Greg Howe, Niacin and Joe Zawinul" reviewed by Len Davis


From the Netherlands drummer, Sebastiaan Cornelissen with Gary Willis, Saxophonist Bill Evans, and guitarist's John Scofield and Greg Howe. Power Trio Niacin, Joe Zawinul, Scott Kinsey. Melbourne guitarist Brett Garsed with Mojo, and bassist Benny Rietveld from Mystery Of Faith. Playlist Sebastian Cornelissen-Gary Willis-Lalle Larson “ON" from Timeline (Munich Records) 00:00 Bill Evans “Midnight Creeper" from Big Fun (ESC) 07:15 John Scofield Band “Watch Out for PO Po" from Up All Night (Verve) 14:36 Greg Howe “Hyperacuity" from ...

7
Album Review

Funkwrench Blues: Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures

Read "Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures" reviewed by Chris May


Once upon a time it was hard to walk into an arthouse cinema without bumping into a jazz soundtrack. Miles Davis' for Louis Malle's Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud (1958), Charles Mingus' for John Cassavetes' Shadows (1959), Krzysztof Komeda's for Roman Polanski's Knife In The Water (1962) were among a legion of similarly inclined endeavours. But all that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. In the 2020s, if you want to hear a freshly ...

3
Liner Notes

Dino Betti van der Noot: A Chance For A Dance

Read "Dino Betti van der Noot: A Chance For A Dance" reviewed by Neil Tesser


"I love the rhythm—one of the reasons I love jazz is the rhythm—but I have spent some years to free myself from the rhythm." Dino Betti van der Noot sits over breakfast rolls at the Rosetta Hotel in Perugia, Italy. “I experimented with different time signatures and finally found out that the simplest ones are perfect, as long as you make use of them as, oh, railways, rail tracks." In other words, the time-feel must be a guide, a phisical, ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Spain, Brazil And France, Plus Robert Walter, Robben Ford & Bill Evans

Read "New Music From Spain, Brazil And France, Plus Robert Walter, Robben Ford & Bill Evans" reviewed by Len Davis


Scott McGill , Cosmic Farm Bill Connors and Steve Kimock. Plus new releases from Robben Ford & Bill Evans and Robert Walter. Playlist Shob “Charpie" from Voraces (Self Produced) 00:00 Commodore “Arriba y Abajo-en Vivo" from Commodore-En Vivo (Brabacam) 06:03 Neural Code “For All" from Neural Code (Self Produced) 12:08 {Scott McGill “Bamboo Acrobats" from Symptom Imperative (Unilab) 18:10 Cosmic Farm “Space Rooster" from Cosmic Farm (Tone Centre) 24:15 Robert Walter “Franklin" from Better Feathers (Royal Potato) ...

11
Album Review

Robben Ford: Pure

Read "Pure" reviewed by Doug Collette


It's only fitting guitarist Robben Ford assigns a closeup of his chosen instrument to the cover of Pure. His devotion to the axe is at least equal to, if not greater than, the ardor he elicits from fretboard fanatics. But then that's a deserved devotion as the man demonstrates in less than two minutes at the very outset of his first instrumental studio album since Tiger Walk ( Blue Thumb,1997): the one-time member of Tom Scott's L.A. Express and Miles ...

25
Album Review

Tom Kennedy: Stories

Read "Stories" reviewed by Jim Worsley


It's commonplace that an artist will have a concept or theme in mind when starting a record project. To build from the ground up without any preconceptions could be a recipe for a disaster. However, if it didn't crash and burn and, in fact, went the other direction, the possibilities then become infinite. With no boundaries and nothing to be tethered to, the sky's the limit. Tom Kennedy boldly took that approach to his new record. He took flight with ...

6
Live Review

Jazzkaar 2018

Read "Jazzkaar 2018" reviewed by Martin Longley


Jazzkaar 2018 Tallinn, Estonia April 20-29, 2018 In the year of Estonia's celebrations, having attained a full century as a Republic, its Jazzkaar festival continues to be amongst the very best of the European range. Held annually in Tallinn, and primarily centred around the Telliskivi Creative City, the festival continued its internationalist strategy, combining artists from the USA, UK, and multiple European countries, not least of which involved the indigenous artists of Estonia itself. ...

Read more articles

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

2

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

1

Recording

Power, Passion and Majesty - Beauty and the Beast - The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) directed by Tommy Smith with special guest Bill Evans (soprano and tenor saxophone)

Power, Passion and Majesty - Beauty and the Beast - The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) directed by Tommy Smith with special guest Bill Evans (soprano and tenor saxophone)

Source: All About Jazz

CD release date October 28, 2016 on Spartacus Records Tommy Smith originally wrote his epic suite Beauty and the Beast specifically for American saxophonist Dave Liebman, a fearsome player with a generous heart. This fabulous live recording with the superbly expressive Bill Evans and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra fully captures the colossal scale of the work, and marks the towering improvisational accomplishments of modern jazz musicians hitting peak form. Bill Evans studied under Liebman, but they have more in ...

10

Crowdfunding Campaign

Groove - With Bill Evans In Russia - Kickstarter Campaign

Groove - With Bill Evans In Russia - Kickstarter Campaign

Source: ch felder

It was a sensational concert tour: The embassy of the United States in jny: Moscow sent the world's top American saxophonist and bandleader Bill Evans with his rock / jazz / blues formation on an extensive tour to Russia. And that in this time! Evans with his successful Soulgrass project including musicians Mitch Stein, Murali Coryell, Joel Rosenblatt and Dave Anderson took this opportunity to reach the Russian population in the cities which belong not to the main cultural centers ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans's birthday today! Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more. Place our Musician of the Day ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans (saxophone)

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans (saxophone)'s birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

48

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans - Sax

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans - Sax

Source:

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans - Sax's birthday today!

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles...Throughout his 20-year career as a solo ...

Photos

Concerts

May 3 Fri

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Stories

Autumn Hill Records
2021

buy

Pure

Ear
2021

buy

SONG2

Dreyer Gaido
2020

buy

Beauty and the Beast

Spartacus Records
2016

buy

The Call

From: Soundtrack For A Film Without...
By Bill Evans - Saxophone

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.