Orrin Evans

Sun, Apr 05

TICKETS $40 - ALL AGES In the booklet notes for Orrin Evans’ second album, Captain Black, recorded in 1998, the pianist, then 23, made a remark that encapsulates the aesthetic he’s followed ever since on his kaleidoscopic artistic journey. “I go head-first for a lot of things,” Evans said. “I like to stretch out. Wherever the music takes me, I’m going there.” Evans retraces that journey, its challenges and discoveries on the fifth release by his Captain Black Big Band, Walk a Mile in My Shoe, which earned the ensemble its third Grammy nomination. The title’s singular variation on the familiar saying is not a typo; it refers to a malformation of the left foot that Evans has lived with from birth, necessitating several reconstructive surgeries. “I walk with a cane because I was born with neurofibromatosis,” he states. “My musical journey is closely connected to my medical journey, and this record is me opening the door into what I’ve lived with for years. Evans guides the creative flow from the piano, showcasing his authoritative mastery of his instrument and deep assimilation of the fundamentals. A deft tune deconstructor, he traverses a broad timeline of the vocabularies of swinging, blues-infused hardcore jazz and spiritual jazz/avant-garde jazz traditions, as well as the Euro-canon, with the intuitive spontaneity of an ear player. He projects an instantly recognizable sound, sometimes eliciting flowing rubato poetry, sometimes evoking the notion that the piano comprises 88 tuned drums. “I like to make things happen,” is a key Evans mantra!