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About Captain Black Big Band
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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Captain Black Big Band
Boasting a raw, vigorous sound, a raucous, unpredictable vibe, and a membership ranging from elders to rising stars, the Grammy nominated Captain Black Big Band has rapidly seized the attention of the jazz world to become one of the most vital big bands on the modern scene. That’s no surprise given the leadership of pianist/composer Orrin Evans, who imbues the ensemble with his distinctively bold, bracing sensibility.
Founded in late 2009, Captain Black was conceived as a vehicle for Evans to combine the power and scale of a big band with the freedom and spontaneity of a small group. From its beginnings at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Evans’ native Philadelphia through its long-running Monday night residency at New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, the band has evolved into just that — a flexible and tightrope-walking unit whose daring approach lends the music an exhilarating edge.
Reggie Watkins: Rivers
by Paul Rauch
Jazz on an international scale is actually just a network of smaller, local jazz scenes that in 2025 exist in virtually every nation on earth. Most of the music happens on the local scene, where the closest of musical alliances are formed. Trombonist Reggie Watkins has managed to take us to that sacred place on his ...
Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott East West Trumpet Summit: Coast to Coast
by Paul Rauch
For some people, the whole notion of an east-west summit of anything in jazz brings up the perceived differences over time between American west coast jazz and its east coast counterpart. The basic premise is that jazz on the American west coast is a cousin to the cool jazz movement, a calmer, less soulful part of ...
Orrin Evans: The Red Door
by Dave Linn
Orrin Evans released his debut album for quintet, “Justin Time," in 1996, at the age of 21. Over the next 25 years, Evans released over 20 albums in all shapes and sizes. From trio to standard ensembles to large bands and big bands, Evans' history included a ten-year stint as a member of the Mingus Big ...
Caleb Wheeler Curtis: Heatmap
by Paul Rauch
It is mostly troublesome to make blanket assertions about jazz and the musicians that facilitate the art form. Such assertions are subjective at best, yet it would not seem unreasonable to assert that Caleb Wheeler Curtis is one of the more interesting alto saxophonists to emerge since 2000. His playing has a radiant, vocal quality to ...
Seattle Jazz Fellowship Presents: Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band
by Paul Rauch
The Seattle Jazz Fellowship, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by trumpeter Thomas Marriott, was created in response to the loss of viable jazz stages showcasing the vibrant resident jazz scene in Seattle. While local jazz musicians and fans alike mourned the downfall of longtime resident haunts such as the New Orleans club and Tula's Jazz Club, Marriott ...
Ember with Orrin Evans: No One is Any One
by Paul Rauch
To truly be in the headspace to appreciate the music of Ember, an understanding of the individuals making up the collective is paramount. The original compositions are not mind boggling, complex exercises brandishing the challenging dynamics of jazz composition in the 2020s. Refreshingly, the writing is open ended, containing melodies that come across as recitable mantras. ...
Conrad Herwig: There's Nothing Else
by Bob Kenselaar
Talking about some of his great influences in jazz, Conrad Herwig points out that it's important to look beyond their achievements on their instruments. “Sometimes during a musician's lifetime, people put so much emphasis on their virtuosity as a player that they don't really think about the vehicle of their expression—their compositions." Herwig was speaking of ...
Exit Zero International Jazz Festival: Cape May, NJ, November 9-11, 2012
by Sandy Ingham
Exit Zero International Jazz FestivalCape May, NJNovember 9-11, 2012After the beating the Northeast took from Hurricane Sandy and a snowy nor'easter, people were ready for something positive, and for some it came in the form of the first Exit Zero International Jazz Festival in Cape May, New Jersey.Pianist Ramsey Lewis, bassist ...
Captain Black Big Band
By Orrin Evans
Label: Posi-Tone Records
Released: 2011
Track listing: Art Of War; Here's The Captain; Inheritance; Big Jimmy; Captain Black; Easy Now; Jena 6.
