Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (

né A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth reg ...

Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

, composer and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues o ...

. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role in the development of

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements an ...

modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Although precedents exist, modal jazz was crystallized as a theory by compos ...

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

, and

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...

. He is best known for his acclaimed collaborations with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Early life

Gil Evans was born in

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

on May 13, 1912 to Margaret Julia McConnachy. Little is known about Evans' biological father, although a family friend said that he was a doctor who had died before Evans was born. Originally named Gilmore Ian Ernest Green, Evans took the last name of his step-father, John Evans, a miner. The family moved frequently, living in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, migrating to wherever Evans' father could find work. Eventually, the family ended up in California, first in Berkeley, where Evans attended the ninth and tenth grades, then in Stockton, where he attended Stockton High School, graduating in 1930. During this time, Evans' father took a job with the Western Pacific Railroad, and Evans began living with friends, later renting a room in a boarding house. After graduating, Evans attended the College of the Pacific in Stockton but then transferred to Modesto Junior College. After a year in Modesto, Evans left and moved back to Stockton. Evans became interested in music at an early age, listening to

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

, and

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black music ...

on the radio and on records. He studied the piano and began learning how to arrange music, and started picking up jobs with local musicians. While in college, he founded his first band, which performed his arrangements, and which became the house band at the

Rendezvous Ballroom The Rendezvous Ballroom was a large dance hall built in 1928, located on the beach of Balboa Peninsula in Orange County, Southern California, between Los Angeles and San Diego. The 1920s were the beginning of the heyday of public dancing to the ...

in Balboa Beach, California in 1935. The band toured the Pacific Northwest in 1937 and eventually settled in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, where they regularly performed on

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

's radio show. Evans' arrangements from this time showed the influence of classical music, and included instruments such as French horns, flutes, and tubas. In 1939, Claude Thornhill was hired for Hope's show, and he became a major influence on Evans. Evans remained a Canadian citizen until he entered the US Army during the second World War. After 1946, he lived and worked primarily in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, living for many years at

Westbeth Artists Community Westbeth Artists Housing is a nonprofit housing and commercial complex dedicated to providing affordable living and working space for artists and arts organizations in New York City. The complex comprises the full city block bounded by West, Be ...

Career

Between 1941 and 1948, Evans worked as an arranger for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Even then, early in his career, his arrangements were such a challenge to musicians that bassist Bill Crow recalled that bandleader Thornhill would bring out Evans's arrangements "when he wanted to punish the band." Evans' modest basement apartment behind a New York City Chinese laundry soon became a meeting place for musicians looking to develop new musical styles outside of the dominant

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

style of the day. Those present included the leading bebop performer,

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, as well as

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

and

John Carisi John E. Carisi (February 23, 1922 – October 3, 1992) was an American trumpeter and composer. Early life and career Carisi was born in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey on February 22, 1922,Larkin, Colin (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popul ...

. In 1948, Evans, with

, Mulligan, and others, collaborated on a band book for a nonet. These ensembles, larger than the trio-to-quintet combos, but smaller than

big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

which were on the brink of economic unviability, allowed arrangers to have a larger palette of colors by using French horns and

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

. Claude Thornhill had employed hornist

John Graas John Graas (March 14, 1917 – April 13, 1962) was an American jazz French horn player, composer, and arranger from the 1940s through 1962. He had a short but busy career on the West Coast, and became known as a pioneer of the French horn in jazz ...

in 1942, and composer-arranger Bob Graettinger had scored for horns and tubas with the

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

orchestra, but the "Kenton sound" was in the context of a dense orchestral wall of sound that Evans avoided. 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 The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 19 ...

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

recorded 12 numbers by the nonet at three sessions in 1949 and 1950. These recordings were reissued on a 1957 Miles Davis LP titled ''

Birth of the Cool ''Birth of the Cool'' is a compilation album by American jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis, released in February 1957 by Capitol Records. It compiles eleven tracks recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessio ...

''. Later, while Davis was under contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

, producer George Avakian suggested that Davis could work with any of several arrangers. Davis immediately chose Evans. The three albums that resulted from the collaboration are '' Miles Ahead'' (1957), ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', ...

'' (1958), and ''

Sketches of Spain ''Sketches of Spain'' is an album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City. An extended version of the second movement of Joaquín Rodrigo's ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (1939) ...

'' (1960). Another collaboration from this period, '' Quiet Nights'' (1962) was issued later, against the wishes of Davis, who broke with his then-producer

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' ''Bitches Brew'', and ...

for a time as a result. Although these four records were marketed primarily under Davis's name (and 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. The demands of the score for ''

'' were legendary, from the very first note for the lead trumpet. The limited time allotted for rehearsals revealed that the ability to read such a challenging score was not consistent among jazz musicians, and there are many audible errors. Yet the recording is now regarded by many as one of the greatest reinterpretations of Gershwin's music in any musical style, because Evans and Davis were each devoted to going outside the "mainstream" of commercial expectations for jazz musicians. Evans was a great influence on Davis's interest in "non-jazz" music, especially orchestral music. Unfortunately, Evans's orchestral scores from the ''Porgy and Bess'' sessions were later found to be incomplete (or simply lost), and

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

and

Gil Goldstein Gil Goldstein (born November 6, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American jazz pianist and accordionist. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and he was nominated 8 time Biography He began studying accordion at age 5 after noticing it in The Lawrence ...

attempted to reconstruct these for Miles Davis's final 1991 concerts at

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...

, recorded as '' Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux''. Davis had relented after years of refusing to revisit this material, but he was clearly ill, recovering from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, and trumpeter

Wallace Roney Wallace Roney (May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2020) was an American jazz ( hard bop and post-bop) trumpeter. He has won 1 Grammy award and has two nominations. Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie and studied with Miles Davis fr ...

, who was mentored by Davis, covered many of the challenging passages. Davis died before the release of the album. From 1957 onwards, Evans recorded albums under his own name. Tubist

Bill Barber William Charles Barber (born July 11, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). As part of the famed LCB (Leach, Clarke, Barber) line, B ...

and trumpeter Louis Mucci from Thornhill's band were both stalwarts in Evans's early ensembles, with Mucci finding a spot on nearly every pre-1980s Evans recording. Among the featured soloists on these records were

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool j ...

, Jimmy Cleveland, Steve Lacy, Johnny Coles and

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single " Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", w ...

. In 1965, he arranged the big band tracks on

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

's '' Guitar Forms'' album. Evans was influenced by Spanish composers

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first ...

and

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical gu ...

, and by other Latin and Brazilian music, as well as by German expatriate

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

. His arrangements of pieces already well known to some listeners from their original cabaret, concert hall or Broadway stage arrangements, revealed aspects of the music in a wholly original way. Sometimes in an unexpected contrast to the original atmosphere of the piece, and sometimes taking a dark ballad such as Weill's "

Barbara Song ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mus ...

" into an even darker place. The personnel list for '' The Individualism of Gil Evans'' (1964), not only features

and hornists James Buffington and Julius Watkins (along with two others), but each section features the cream of the younger (some more classically trained) musicians who were making their names in jazz. The presence of four of the most acclaimed young bassists ( Richard Davis, Paul Chambers,

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...

, and Ben Tucker) along with veteran Milt Hinton would ordinarily indicate that each is used individually for separate tracks, but Evans's scores usually required at least two bassists on any given track, some playing ''arco'' (with the bow) and some ''pizzicato'' (plucking with fingers, the standard jazz method). These arrangements frequently featured greatly slowed-down tempos with

polyrhythmic Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

percussion and no prevailing "beat". To his by-now standard French horns and tuba, Evans's scores added

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian ( Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruse ...

and

bass flute The bass flute is a member of the flute family. It is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. Despite its name, its playing range makes it the tenor member of the flute family. Because of the length of its tube (approximate ...

double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece an ...

s, and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

; orchestral instruments not associated with "swing" bands, providing a larger palette of orchestral colors, and allowing him to attain the ethereal quality heard in his arrangements during his Thornhill days. He frequently wrote a part for the tenor violin of

Harry Lookofsky Harry Lookofsky (1 October 1913 – 8 June 1998) was an American jazz violinist. He was also the father of keyboardist-songwriter Michael Brown, who most notably was a founding member of The Left Banke and Stories. History Harry Lookofsky w ...

. Yet, this album featured an orchestral arrangement of "

Spoonful "Spoonful" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded in 1960 by Howlin' Wolf. Called "a stark and haunting work", it is one of Dixon's best known and most interpreted songs. Etta James and Harvey Fuqua had a pop and R&B reco ...

" by bluesman

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

, an early indication of Evans's breadth and a hint of things to come. In 1966, he recorded an album with Brazilian singer

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song " The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilber ...

, ''

Look to the Rainbow "Look to the Rainbow" is a song written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the musical ''Finian's Rainbow'', where it was introduced by Ella Logan Ella Logan (born Georgina Armour Allan; 6 March 1913 – 1 May 1969) was a Scottish-American ac ...

''. He was discouraged by the commercial direction

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

was taking with the Gilberto sessions, and he went into a period of hiatus. During this period while he was somewhat depressed about the commercial and logistical difficulties of his previous scoring requirements, his wife suggested that he listen to the guitarist

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. Evans developed a particular interest in the work of the rock guitarist. Evans gradually built another orchestra in the 1970s, with none of the coloration instruments from his past arrangements. Working in the

and

jazz-rock Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...

idioms, he gained a new generation of admirers. These ensembles, rarely more than fifteen and frequently smaller, allowed him to make more contributions on keyboards, and with the development of truly portable

synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, he began using these to provide additional color. Hendrix's 1970 death precluded a scheduled meeting with Evans to discuss having Hendrix collaborate with a big band led by Evans. Gil Evans 1978 2

In 1974, he released an album of his, and other band members', 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 synthesizers including a collaboration with bassist

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist, composer and producer. He recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader and was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. ...

''Gil Evans & Jaco Pastorius – Live Under The Sky Tokyo '84''. In contrast to his intricate scores for large ensembles, which required precision orchestral playing accompanying a single soloist, his later arrangements would feature more unison playing by the entire ensemble, such as on Hendrix's "

Little Wing "Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. It is a slower tempo, rhythm and blues-inspired ballad featuring Hendrix's vocal and guitar with recording studio effects accompanied by bass, ...

", with improvisational touches added throughout by the musicians. Live recordings demonstrate that some entire pieces were collaborative efforts, and Evans can be heard giving cues from the keyboard (behind the band) to guide the band. Before the 1970s, his keyboard playing was generally sparse on recordings but after the 1970s he took a more active role in the rhythm section of the band. ''

Where Flamingos Fly ''Where Flamingos Fly'' is an album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans, originally recorded in 1971 for Capitol Records but not released until 1981, and performed by Evans with an orchestra featuring Billy Harper, Howa ...

'' (recorded 1971, released 1981) demonstrated his ability to contract the most accomplished musicians, with veterans Coles,

, Richard Davis and

Jimmy Knepper James Minter Knepper (November 22, 1927 – June 14, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. In addition to his own recordings as leader, Knepper performed and recorded with Charlie Barnet, Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Benny Goo ...

(who played the solo on the "Where Flamingos Fly" track on 1961's ''

Out of the Cool ''Out of the Cool'' is a jazz album by The Gil Evans Orchestra, recorded in 1960 and released on the Impulse! label the following year. The album was one of Impulse!'s first four albums, released together, and featured a gatefold design and high ...

'') alongside young multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson, synthesizer player Don Preston (at that time still a member of

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B ban ...

), and

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography '' AllMus ...

. In April 1983, the Gil Evans Orchestra was booked into the

Sweet Basil Jazz Club Sweet Basil was a jazz club in New York City's Greenwich Village, located at 88 Seventh Avenue South. Founded in 1974 by Sharif Esmat, it was considered among the most prominent New York City jazz clubs of its day. Many jazz albums were recorded ...

(

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) by jazz producer and Sweet Basil owner Horst Liepolt. This turned out to be a regular Monday night engagement for Evans for nearly five years and also resulted in the release of a number of successful albums by ''Gil Evans and the Monday Night Orchestra''. Evans's ensemble featured many of the top-call musicians in New York, many of whom were also in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Saturday Night Live Band and there were many conflicts, so their "deputies" for the night might be other world-class musicians. Yet Evans was also known to let newcomers "sit in" occasionally. The band also performed arrangements by band members, current and past. Stalwarts in this ensemble were Lew Soloff, Alan Rubin,

Marvin Peterson Hannibal Lokumbe (born Marvin Peterson on November 11, 1948) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career A native of Smithville, Texas, United States, he is sometimes known by the name "Hannibal". He attended high school in Texas City, Texas and was i ...

Tom "Bones" Malone Thomas "Bones" Malone (born June 16, 1947) is an American jazz musician, arranger, and producer. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone but he also plays saxophone, trumpet, tuba, flute, and bass guitar. He has been a member of ...

, George Adams,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

, Hiram Bullock, Mark Egan, drummer

Kenwood Dennard Kenwood Marshall Dennard (born March 1, 1956, New York City) is an American jazz drummer. Dennard learned piano as a child and took up drumming at nine years of age. He attended the Manhattan School of Music from 1972 to 1973 and Berklee College o ...

, saxophonist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

(no relation), and

. In 1987, Evans recorded a live album with

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

: ''Last Session - Live At Perugia Jazz Festival July 11, 1987'', featuring the Monday Night Orchestra musicians, guest star

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ens ...

and big band arrangements of songs by and with

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

and

. In the same spirit of introducing new talent in his bands, he collaborated with Maria Schneider with her as an apprentice arranger on this and other final projects. His final project was Nov. 3 & 26, 1987, his arrangements for the

Laurent Cugny Laurent Cugny (born 14 April 1955 in La Garenne-Colombes) is a French jazz musician (pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger), jazz critic and musicologist. In 1987, he recorded two albums with his big band Lumière and Gil Evans. Awards *Dja ...

Big Band in Paris, on the recording "Golden Hair" on Emarcy/Polygram. In 1996, Columbia Studio Recordings released a box set which besides the masterpieces, featured outtakes and rarities of Miles Davis and Gil Evans.

Ryan Truesdell presents the Gil Evans Project

Ryan Truesdell (de) began the Gil Evans Project, which resulted in a 2012 CD entitled ''Centennial'', featuring previously unrecorded compositions and arrangements. These were produced with the permission of the Gil Evans estate, who gave Truesdell access to these scores and materials. Miles Evans, Gil's son, also led the Gil Evans Orchestra for a centennial concert at New York's

Highline Ballroom The Highline Ballroom was a music venue and nightclub located at 431 West 16th Street in Manhattan in New York City. Description Primarily featuring musical acts, its capacity was approximately 700 people hosting diverse concert programming fr ...

, featuring many of the musicians heard in the orchestra during Evans's lifetime.

Film music

In 1986, Evans produced and arranged the soundtrack to the film of the

Colin MacInnes Colin MacInnes (20 August 1914 – 22 April 1976) was an English novelist and journalist. Early life MacInnes was born in London, the son of singer James Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Mackail, who was the granddaughter of the Pre-Rap ...

book '' Absolute Beginners'', thereby working with such contemporary artists as Sade Adu,

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bir ...

's Eighth Wonder,

the Style Council The Style Council were a British band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

Jerry Dammers Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band The Specials (also known as The Special A.K.A.) and later The Spatial AKA Orche ...

Smiley Culture David Victor Emmanuel (10 February 1963 – 15 March 2011), better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and DJ known for his "fast chat" style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most cr ...

, Edward Tudor-Pole, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. He also arranged the music for the 1986

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

film ''

The Color of Money ''The Color of Money'' is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film was created from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. Th ...

''.

Personal life

Evans first married following the 1949 ''

'' recording sessions to Lillian Grace. Very little is known about this marriage. In 1963, he would marry again. Evans was survived by his second wife Anita (Cooper) and two children, Noah and Miles. His son Miles played trumpet in his ''Monday Night Orchestra''. Evans died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part o ...

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...

, Mexico, contracting it shortly after a surgery for his prostate and subsequent travel to Mexico to recover. Evans died at the age of 75.

Awards and honors

*In 1986, Evans was inducted into the ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' Jazz Hall of Fame. *He was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

Grammy Awards

Awarded as followings: *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

: ''

'' (with

, Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration) * 1988: ''

Bud and Bird ''Bud and Bird'' is a live album by Gil Evans that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1989. Evans conducted the orchestra, which included Hamiet Bluiett, Bill Evans, and Johnny Coles. Reception In 1989, the album receiv ...

'' (posthumously with the Monday Night Orchestra, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band) *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

: ('' Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings'' ( Best Historical Album for the Compilation Producers and/or Mastering Engineers)) *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

: "How About You" in ''Centennial - Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans'' (posthumously with Gil Evans Project, Best Instrumental Arrangement)

Grammy Award nominations

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

: ''

'' ( Best Jazz Performance Solo or Small Group) *

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

: '' Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall'' (with

, Best Jazz Performance Solo or Small Group (Instrumental)) * 1964: '' The Individualism of Gil Evans'' ( Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist) *1964: '' Quiet Nights'' (with Miles Davis, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist) *

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

's '' Guitar Forms'' (with Kenny Burrell, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Soloist or Small Group) *1965: "Greensleeves" in Kenny Burrell's ''Guitar Forms'' ( Best Instrumental Arrangement) * 1973: ''

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...

'' ( Best Jazz Performance by a Group) * 1983: '' Priestess'' ( Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group) *

: "Look to the Rainbow" in ''Centennial - Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans'' (posthumously with Gil Evans Project & Luciana Souza,

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) The Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music, not to the performer(s), except if the performer is also the arranger. ...

)

Discography

As leader

* ''

Gil Evans & Ten ''Gil Evans & Ten'' (also released as ''Big Stuff'' and ''Gil Evans + Ten'') is the first album by pianist, conductor, arranger and composer Gil Evans as a leader, released on the Prestige label in 1957. It features Evans' arrangements of five st ...

'' (Prestige, 1957) * '' New Bottle Old Wine'' (World Pacific, 1958) * ''

Great Jazz Standards ''Great Jazz Standards'' is an album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans recorded in 1959 by Evans with an orchestra featuring Johnny Coles, Steve Lacy, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cleveland, Budd Johnson, Ray Crawford, and Elvi ...

'' (World Pacific, 1959) * ''

'' (Impulse!, 1961) * '' Into the Hot'' (Impulse!, 1962) * '' The Individualism of Gil Evans'' (Verve, 1964) * ''Gil Evans'' (Ampex, 1970) – also released as ''

Blues in Orbit ''Blues in Orbit'' is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1959 and released in 1960.Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...

'' (Atlantic, 1973) – live * ''Previously Unreleased Recordings'' with

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

, (Verve, 1974) – recorded in 1963–64 * ''

The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix ''The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix'' is an album of Jimi Hendrix's compositions by jazz composer, conductor and pianist Gil Evans. The music was arranged by Evans and members of his orchestra. The album was recorded in 1974 ...

'' (RCA Victor, 1974) * ''Montreux Jazz Festival '74'' (Philips, 1975) – recorded in 1974 * '' There Comes a Time'' (RCA, 1976) – recorded in 1975 * ''Little Wing Live in Germany'' (Circle, 1978) – live * ''

Parabola In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One descri ...

'' (Horo, 1979) – recorded in 1978 * ''

Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 ''Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978'' is a live album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans recorded in London in 1978 by Evans with an orchestra featuring Arthur Blythe, George Adams, and Lew Soloff an ...

'' (RCA Victor, 1979) – live * ''

Live at the Public Theater (New York 1980) ''Live at the Public Theater (New York 1980)'' is a live album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans recorded in New York in 1980 by Evans with an orchestra featuring Arthur Blythe, Hamiet Bluiett, and Lew Soloff and origi ...

'' Vol.1 (Trio, 1980), Vol.2 (Trio, 1981) * ''The Rest of Gil Evans Live at The Royal Festival Hall London 1978'' (Mole Jazz, 1981) * ''

'' (Artists House, 1981) – recorded in 1971 * '' Priestess'' (Antilles, 1983) – live recorded in 1977 * ''The British Orchestra'' (Mole Jazz, 1983) – live * '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (Electric Bird, 1985) – live * ''

Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2 ''Live Sweet Basil Vol. 2'' is a live album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans recorded by King Records (Japan) in New York in 1984 featuring Evans with his Monday Night Orchestra which included George Adams, Howard ...

'' (Electric Bird, 1986) – live * '' Absolute Beginners: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (EMI, 1986) – soundtrack * ''

'' (Electric Bird, 1987) – live Posthumous releases * '' Farewell'' (Electric Bird, 1988) – recorded in 1986 * '' Paris Blues'' with Steve Lacy (Owl, 1988) – recorded in 1987 * '' Rhythm A Ning'' with

(EmArcy, 1988) – recorded in 1987 * '' Golden Hair'' with

(EmArcy, 1989) – recorded in 1987 * ''The Honey Man'' (New Tone, 1995) – recorded in 1986 * ''75th Birthday Concert'' ( BBC Legends, 2001) – recorded in 1987 * ''Tokyo Concert 1976'' (Studio Songs, 2010) – recorded in 1976 With others * Glen Hall & Gil Evans, ''The Mother of the Book'' (InRespect, 1994) - recorded in 1985 * Kimiko Kasai & Gil Evans, '' Satin Doll'' (CBS/Sony, 1972) * Masabumi Kikuchi, '' Masabumi Kikuchi with Gil Evans'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...

, 1972) *

& Gil Evans, '' Heroes'' (Verve, 1991) * Lee Konitz & Gil Evans, '' Anti-Heroes'' (Verve, 1991) * Orchestre National de Jazz &

Antoine Herve Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, ''O.N.J. 87'' (Label Bleu, 1988) *

, ''Gil Evans & Jaco Pastorius – Live Under The Sky Tokyo '84'' (Hi Hat, 2016) * Lucy Reed, ''This Is Lucy Reed'' (Fantasy, 1957) * Ray Russell, ''Why Not Now'' (Theta, 1988) * Ray Russell, ''A Table Near the Band'' (Last Chance Music, 1990) *

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording '' Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown), was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation ...

& Gil Evans, ''

Collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

'' (EmArcy, 1988) – recorded in 1987 * James Senese, ''Alhambra'' (EMI, 1988) * Lew Soloff, ''Hanalei Bay'' (Bellaphon, 1985) *

, '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'' (A&M, 1987) *

, ''Last Session - Live At Perugia Jazz Festival 11 July 1987'' (Jazz Door, 1992) * Ornella Vanoni, ''Ornella &... Duetti, Trii, Quartetti'' (CGD, 1986)

As arranger

By recording date *1947-49: Claude Thornhill Orchestra, ''The Real Birth of the Cool: Studio Recordings'' (

CBS/Sony , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

, 1971) *1949-50:

, ''

'' ( Capitol, 1957) *1950-52:

, ''

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

'' (

Clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical stave. Placing a clef on a stave assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines, which defines the pitc ...

, 1954) *1955:

Hal McKusick Hal McKusick (June 1, 1924 – April 11, 2012) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist who worked with Boyd Raeburn from 1944 to 1945 and Claude Thornhill from 1948 to 1949. Career McKusick was born in Medford, Massachuse ...

, ''The Jazz Workshop'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, 1956) *1956:

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

, ''

'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, 1956) *1956: Marcy Lutes, ''Debut'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

, 1956) *1957: Lucy Reed, ''This Is Lucy Reed'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

, 1957) *1956-57:

, '' Dream of You'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown, ...

, 1957) *1957: Miles Davis, '' Miles Ahead'' (Columbia, 1957) *1958?:

Don Elliott Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career. Career Elliott played ...

Octet, ''Jamaica Jazz'' (ABC-Paramount, 1958) *1958: Miles Davis, ''

'' (Columbia, 1959) *1959-60: Miles Davis, ''

'' (Columbia, 1960) – 3rd Annual Grammy Awards: Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration *1961: Miles Davis, '' Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall'' (Columbia, 1962) *1962-63: Miles Davis, '' Quiet Nights'' (Columbia, 1963) *1964-65:

, '' Guitar Forms'' ( Verve, 1965) *1965-66:

, ''

'' (Verve, 1966) *1968: Miles Davis, ''

Filles de Kilimanjaro ' ( French for ''Girls of Kilimanjaro'') is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968, and released on Columbia Records. It was released in the United Kingdom by the company's subsidiary Colu ...

'' (Columbia, 1968) – without credits *1982-83: Miles Davis, '' Star People'' (Columbia, 1983) *1983: Miles Davis, ''

Decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...

'' (Columbia, 1984) – only "That's Right" *1985: Glen Hall, ''The Mother Of The Book'' (inRespect, 1994)

Filmography

*2004: ''RMS Live with Gil Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1983'' (Angel Air) *2007: ''Gil Evans and His Orchestra'' (V.I.E.W. Video) *2007: ''Strange Fruit with Sting'' *2009: ''Miles Davis – The Cool Jazz Sound''

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gil 1912 births 1988 deaths Jazz arrangers Cool jazz arrangers Jazz fusion arrangers Post-bop arrangers Experimental big band arrangers Canadian jazz bandleaders Big band bandleaders Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Grammy Award winners Musicians from Toronto Antilles Records artists Verve Records artists Enja Records artists EmArcy Records artists Impulse! Records artists ACT Music artists Miles Davis 20th-century Canadian male musicians Progressive big band musicians New York Jazz Repertory Company members King Records (Japan) artists Canadian expatriates in the United States

Early life

Career

Ryan Truesdell presents the Gil Evans Project

Film music

Personal life

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Grammy Award nominations

Discography

As leader

As arranger

Filmography

See also

References

External links