Orrin Evans’s Birthday Bash Comes to Chris’ Jazz Café
Performances will be from Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5.
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 25, 2025
Three-time Grammy nominated producer/composer/pianist Orrin Evans will celebrate his half century mark at the iconic Chris’ Jazz Café with a series of special shows with guest artists and friends from Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5.
On Wednesday, April 5 Evans and the Captain Black Big Band will be joined by celebrated multi-award winning vocalist Jazzmeia Horn. Showtimes are at 7 and 9 p.m. Admission is $30.
On Thursday, April 6 Evans will lead a birthday piano jam session featuring himself, Jason Moran, ELEW, Marc Cary, and Ethan Iverson on pianos with Luques Curtis, Matt Parrish, Mark Whitfield Jr., and Byron Landham. Showtimes are at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Admission is $30.
On Friday and Saturday April 7 & 8 the party continues when Evans shares the stage with musicians Buster Williams, Tim Warfield, Jaleel Shaw and Nasheet Watts. Showtimes are at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Admission is $35.
Evans has said in the past that he cherishes coming home to Philly for his birthday gigs, which have turned into “weekend long celebrations – a big party with many friends and family members in the crowd!”
During his kaleidoscopic quarter-century as a professional jazz musician, Evans has become the model of a fiercely independent artist who pushes the envelope in all directions. Never supported by a major label, Evans has ascended to top-of-the-pyramid stature on his instrument, as affirmed by his #1 ranking as “Rising Star Pianist” in the 2018 DownBeat Critics Poll. Grammy nominations for the Smoke Sessions albums The Intangible Between and Presence followed, stamping the pianist as a bona fide bandleader and composer. In addition to CBBB, Evans’ collaborative projects include the Eubanks Evans Experience (a duo with eminent guitarist Kevin Eubanks); the Brazilian unit Terreno Comum (Evans’ working trio with bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Mark Whitfield, Jr.); and Tar Baby (a collective trio of 20 years standing with bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits). One of Tar Baby’s two 2022 releases will be released on Evans’ imprint, Imani Records, which he founded in 2001 and relaunched in 2018. His latest project, Walk a Mile in My Shoe, earned him his third Grammy nomination and features appearances by Bilal, Nicholas Payton, Jesse Fischer, Joanna Pascale, Paul Jost and Lisa Fischer.
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