Gil Evans | Artist
Ian Ernest Gilmore (Gil) Evans was a Canadian born jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, born 1912 in Toronto. He is widely recognised as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role in the development of cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz and jazz fusion. He is best known for his acclaimed collaborations with Miles Davis. Between 1941 and 1948, Evans worked as an arranger for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra where he became known for his innovative and challenging arrangements. Evans' basement apartment behind a New York City Chinese laundry soon became a meeting place for musicians looking to develop new musical styles outside the dominant Bebop style. Those present included the leading performers, Charlie Parker. Gerry Mulligan and John Carisi. In 1948, Evans, with Miles Davis, Mulligan, and others, collaborated on scores for Nonet, an ensemble larger than the usual "combos" but smaller than the "big bands" which were going out of favour, allowing the arranger to have a larger palette of colours by soloing different instruments. The Miles Davis-led group was booked for a week at the Royal Roost as an intermission group on the bill with the Count Basie Orchestra. Capitol Records recorded 12 numbers by the nonet at three sessions in 1949 and 1950 which were issued on a 1957 Miles Davis LP titled Birth of the Cool. Later, while under contract with Columbia, Davis chose to work again with Evans and the three albums that resulted were Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy and Bess (1958), and Sketches of Spain (1960). Another collaboration,Quiet Nights (1962) was issued later against the wishes of Davis. Although these four records were issued primarily under Davis's name (credited to Miles Davis with Orchestra Under the Direction of Gil Evans), Evans's contribution was as important as Davis's. Their work coupled Evans's classic big band jazz stylings and arrangements with Davis's solo playing. Evans also contributed behind the scenes to Davis' classic quintet albums of the 1960s. From 1957 onwards Evans recorded albums under his own name. Among the featured soloists on these records were Lee Konitz, Jimmy Cleveland, Steve Lacy, Johnny Coles, Cannonball Adderly and Kenny Burrell. In the 1970's Evans developed a particular interest in the work of the rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. He gradually built another orchestra in the 1970s, working in the free-jazz and jazz-rock idioms, gaining a new generation of admirers. These ensembles, allowed him to make more contributions on keyboards, and synthesiser to provide additional colour. Hendrix's 1970 death precluded a scheduled meeting with Evans to plan a collaboration, however he went on to release an album of arrangements of music by Hendrix with guitarists John Abercrombie and Ryo Kawasaki. From then on Evans's ensembles featured electric instruments, i.e. guitars, basses, and synthesisers including a collaboration with bassist Jaco Pastorius. Alongside his numerous collaborative works with Miles Davis and others, standout solo and Gil Evans Orchestra albums include New Bottle Old Wine, Out of The Cool, The Individualism of Gil Evans, Blues in Orbit, Svengali, There Comes a Time and Paris Blues.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Gil_Evans
Featured Albums: Gil Evans
Related Artists: Gil Evans Orchestra, Miles Davis, Steve Lacy
Video Clips: My Ship, The Duke, So What
