George Evans

April-2007

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, George Evans was raised in a musical environment. His mother a world-renowned voice teacher and father an equally revered musicologist, linguist, and vocal coach, it seemed logical that George would proceed to a career in classical music, but that was not to be. A fascination with classic pop records, Hollywood musicals and popular standards held far greater appeal than opera for George. He trained seriously in Musical Theatre at the first such school to offer a degree program in the field, but after working diligently on his chosen craft, George arrived in New York City in the 80s only to find that the business had moved away from the music he loved. He reluctantly left music theatre and found satisfaction in the research and performance of The Great American Songbook.

In 1991, George relocated to Montréal, Canada, where he studied the music in solitude, archiving and cataloguing the popular recording artists of the 40's, 50's and 60's, and broadcasting weekly from a campus-community radio station, that gave him the freedom to explore whatever he wished to play on the air. It was through these weekly broadcasts that George became known to Montréal music-fans, and they eagerly came out in support of his gigs with the many fine musicians on the local jazz scene. Offers in the field of radio came and went, and for a time, George broadcast on two stations simultaneously.

George created two successful radio pilots for the CBC network and contributed with regularity to local CBC Radio, but live music took priority, and he became increasingly active on stage performing in concerts and clubs, and in the recording studio,. In 1997 he recorded his debut album “Moodswing” with a Montreal band, and began receiving national attention. George was selected to perform with Canadian jazz greats Oliver Jones and Ranee Lee on a CBC 60th Birthday Celebration, broadcast “live” from “Lion D'or” in Montréal, and shortly after that was honoured by an invitation to appear as part of The Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention in New York City.

Opportunity of a different kind came knocking in 1999, when a major satellite television company requested George's ongoing services as staff announcer, and he was drawn “down the 401” to the mega-city of Toronto. Launching his second album, “I'm All Smiles” in this new environment, his career as a jazz singer/cabaret entertainer bloomed. Frequent high profile return engagements at “The Top O' The Senator” endeared him to local jazz fans, and gave him the opportunity to work with many of Canada's finest jazz-men in an intimate club setting. George Evans' new Toronto quintet first recorded in 2001, and went on to release two critically praised albums, “From Moment To Moment” in 2001 and “Eyes For You” in 2002, both of which garnered solid reviews and received regular play on Canadian jazz radio.

The media got on board, and George Evans was profiled in national print (The National Post, The Globe and Mail, The Montréal Mirror, The Star) and on television (Global, CoolTV, Bravo.) TVO's “Studio 2” profiled George in 2000, and he was presented in-studio performing with an all-star band including Ed Bickert on guitar and Guido Basso on trumpet. He was invited back to TVO in 2003, and again in 2005; a testament to the level of notoriety and professionalism he had attained. Prominent engagements followed at The Montréal International Jazz Festival, The Lake George Jazz Festival, The Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and The All-Canadian Jazz Festival, and George was honoured with headlining engagements in The Royal Conservatory Jazz Series, JazzFM 91's “Sound of Toronto Jazz” Series, and the CBC Studio Jazz Vocal Showcase, broadcast “live” from the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

The year 2004 was a creative milestone in his career, as he embarked on a path that began with the realization that most male singers in the field were still largely unknown, except perhaps to each other. Armed with that knowledge, he undertook the creation of a collection featuring 15 Canadian male vocalists on one successful CD, entitled “Here Come The Boys: a Canadian Crooner Collection.” As a promotional tool, he also developed an act entitled “The Three Crooners” in which he presented himself along side two of his contemporaries, John Alcorn from Toronto, and John Labelle from Montréal. Together they appeared in major club engagements, on the main stage at the Montréal International Jazz Festival, and in a television special recorded for CoolTV, which has now been seen around the world. George Evans then closed out 2004 with the release of his fifth album as a leader, “Movie Songs” for Maximum Jazz and Universal Music Canada.

Over the years, the signature sound that George Evans honed has been likened to a diverse field of singers from the jazz/pop and cabaret traditions. Though clearly a jazz artist, George's work is also deeply rooted in New York cabaret, and his ability to draw in an audience both musically and emotionally testifies to that fact. On stage, he conveys a warm presence, an easy charm, and an offbeat sense of humour that audiences find disarming, and it is this unique and intimate approach to presentation that has long set George apart from the many fine vocalists on the Canadian scene. His appreciation for the wider catalogue of popular music, however, no doubt stems from years of study and presentation of the music on radio.

George continues to dig ever deeper into the worlds of music production, promotion, and music media. A recognized music archivist, George has been tapped a total of nine times to select and sequence for Verve Records US. As a writer, George's column “Vocalizing In Jazz” was for several years a feature of Planet Jazz Magazine, a promising international publication, and his professional opinion continues to be sought out in the fields of print commentary as well as A&R.

Increasingly active on stage, George tours key Canadian cities annually, and in April 2006 reactivated his career stateside with a return to New York cabaret. His first NYC appearance since the 1998 season, George enjoyed an extended run at Danny's Skylight Room, home of classic vocalists such as Blossom Dearie and Annie Ross. The 2007 Season finds George performing widely in support of his sixth CD, “Bewitched” for his own M-Swing label, and enjoying invitations to return to the airwaves at the network level, which just goes to show that things often do come full circle.