Evan Christopher (born August 31, 1969) is an American jazz clarinetist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

Biography

Background

His first musical training was at the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts. After high school, he studied saxophone at the University of Southern California and graduated from California State University at Long Beach where he studied clarinet. Early mentors include clarinetists Kenny Davern, Tony Scott and soprano saxophonist

George Probert George Arthur Probert, Jr. (March 5, 1927 – January 10, 2015) was an American jazz clarinetist, soprano saxophonist, and bandleader active principally on the Dixieland jazz revival circuit. He was born in Los Angeles. Probert was an autodidact ...

Career

Tours with singer-songwriter A.J. Croce in the early 1990s brought Christopher to New Orleans. He moved to Crescent City in 1994 and enjoyed varied work before leaving to join the

Jim Cullum Jazz Band James Albert Cullum Jr., better known as Jim Cullum Jr. (September 20, 1941 – August 11, 2019), was an American jazz cornetist known for his contributions to Dixieland jazz. His father was Jim Cullum Sr., a clarinetist who led the Happy Jazz ...

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, Texas in 1996. For nearly three years, he appeared nightly as their featured clarinetist and recorded episodes of the syndicated radio program '' Riverwalk Jazz''. He returned to New Orleans but was forced to leave in 2005 when the federal levees failed because of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. He traveled continuously and lived briefly in Paris at the invitation of the city of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. During this residency, he formed the Jazz Traditions Project and Django à la Créole. The latter fused Gypsy jazz with New Orleans grooves. Tours with Irvin Mayfield's New Orleans Jazz Orchestra made it possible for Christopher to return to New Orleans. He is a charter member of jazz composer guild, NOLA ArtHouse Music, and the Seahawk Modern Jazz Orchestra in southern California. Christopher published research on the New Orleans style of clarinet. In 2002 he began pursuing a degree in musicology at Tulane University. From 2008–2009, he taught part-time at the University of New Orleans and taught an ensemble that performed with Lucien Barbarin and Marcus Roberts. In July 2010, he debuted the "Treat It Gentle Suite", a concerto for clarinet and jazz band with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Discography

As leader

* ''This Side of Evan'' (Meridien, 1998) * ''New Orleans Rendezvous'' (G.H.B., 1999) * ''Danza'' with Tom McDermott (STR 2002) * ''Clarinet Road Vol. I: The Road to New Orleans'' (STR, 2003) * ''Clarinet Road Vol. II: The Road to New Orleans'' (STR, 2005) * ''Introduction: Live at the Meridien'' (ClassicJazz, 2007) * ''Delta Bound'' (Arbors, 2007) * ''Django a la Creole'' (Fremeaux, 2008) * ''The Remembering Song'' (Arbors, 2010) * ''Django a la Creole: Live!'' (Fremeaux, 2014) * ''Clarinet Road Vol. III: In Sidney's Footsteps'' (STR, 2016)

As sideman

A. J. Croce Adrian James "A.J." Croce (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of Ingrid Croce and Jim Croce. Biography Croce was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 1971. His father died in a plane crash ei ...

, ''A.J. Croce'' (Private Music, 1993) * Jim Cullum, ''American Love Songs'' (Riverwalk, 1997) * Jim Cullum, ''Chasin' the Blues'' (Riverwalk, 2005) * Lars Edegran, ''Lars Edegran and His New Orleans All Stars'' (G.H.B., 2000) * Lars Edegran, ''Triolian String Band'' (G.H.B., 2011) *

Lionel Ferbos Lionel Charles Ferbos (July 17, 1911 – July 19, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was from New Orleans, Louisiana. At 103, Ferbos was the oldest jazz musician in New Orleans. A native New Orleanian whose career centered almost exclusive ...

, ''Lionel Ferbos with Lars Edegran's New Orleans Band'' (G.H.B., 1995) * Mark Isham, ''Romeo Is Bleeding'' (Verve, 1994) * Tom McDermott, ''Bamboula'' (Minky 2013) * Irvin Mayfield, ''Book One'' (World Village, 2009) * Arnold McCuller, ''Exception to the Rule'' (Coyote, 1994) * Trevor Richards, ''City of the Blues'' (Jazzology, 1999) * Trevor Richards, ''35 Years 1965–2000 Blame It On the Blues!'' (New Orleans Jazz, 2000) *

Terry Waldo Terry Waldo (born November 26, 1944) is an American pianist, composer, and historian of early jazz, blues, and stride music, and is best known for his contribution to ragtime and his role in reviving interest in this form, starting in the 1970s ...

, ''Presents the Jazz Entertainers Vol. 1 Let It Shine'' (Stomp Off, 2003)

References

External links

Official site
*

Le Show ''Le Show'' is a weekly syndicated public radio show hosted by satirist Harry Shearer. The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy. Shearer, an impressionist known for his voice work on ''The Simpsons'', w ...

interview: {{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Evan 1969 births Living people 21st-century clarinetists American jazz clarinetists Dixieland clarinetists Dixieland revivalist clarinetists Arbors Records artists