George Evans

by Paul J. Youngman – KJA Jazz Advocate

A smooth operator, a crooner, a classical jazz vocalist, who mixes it up with a soulful swinging sophisticated style — that’s George Evans. His new recording, Bewitched, features some of the best musicians in the country providing superb support on classics from the Great American Songbook. Names like Eisenman, Wallace, Walker, Fuller and Schwager are names that should be recognized by fine music aficionados worldwide.

Recorded in a few sessions with two groups, a quartet and a quintet, the title track “Bewitched” and the Mercer ballad “Tonight May Have To Last Me All Of My Life” were recorded in 2002 and were the last studio sessions of drummer extraordinaire Jerry Fuller who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly July 13, 2002. One of the best Canadian drummers, a be-bop stylist in the fashion of Philly Jo-Jones, he adds superb dynamics and swings from piano to forte on every project he participated in (at least 50 recordings). In a touching tribute to Fuller by drummer Archie Alleyne, "We drummers have to adapt to whatever they want," Alleyne said, "There are very few drummers left that have his capability now. We look through a different window, and Jerry was quite capable of looking through that window."

How fitting to have drummer Alleyne fill the drum stool for the second and third sessions that were recorded in 2004 and 2005. A drummer who has a similar style, with strong be-bop leanings and a brush and cymbal specialist. Evans has a capacity for picking very good players, Alleyne is masterful at accompaniment and adds great dynamics to the rhythm section, rounded out by Reg Schwager, Steve Wallace and Nancy Walker. Playing off the fine melodies, we find tenor saxophonist Michael Stuart, pulling off some fine runs in a pleasing lyrical manner.

Evans has a style that is quite pleasing to the ear, he uses vibrato and sustain to good effect. His phrasing always swings and he is very close to the material, giving the songs that little extra, lifting the mood and setting the tone.

The recording is well produced; there is a string section added to some of the tracks. Blending in very nicely on the song “La Belle Vie/The Good Life” is the Boutique de Son Studio Orchestra. The string arrangement is by Jake Wilkinson.

Slide this CD into the player and relax over dinner with a fine glass of Pinot Noir and a good friend. Bewitched is an enchanting, romantic and bewitching performance. Check it out, it’s a delight. - The Live Music Report

by Robert Cushman

GEORGE EVANS
Top of the Senator, Toronto

George Evans, Toronto jazz singer, is dapper, wears glasses, has a hint of a beard, and moves around a lot. He has altogether the air of a white Sammy Davis Jr., and especially of the early '60s Sammy who was much influenced by Mel Tormé and sang his way convincingly through intricately cool arrangements of some very good tunes.

Evans, who takes the stand in a bright red jacket such as I have never before seen on a singer of his persuasion, exudes the same kind of hip flamboyance as Davis; he even cocks his head and closes his eyes in the same manner to denote deep emotion. His voice, which is very agile, also summons other black singers with more traditionally respectable credentials; his low notes sometimes recall the echoing, roomy sound of Billy Eckstine, and when he gets impish he can go strangely cockney in the manner of Al Hibbler, who used to fill the role of clown-prince in the Duke Ellington band.

Unlike those true or false balladeers, though, he hardly ever sings slow. Whatever the explicit message of a lyric, Evans, at least in this engagement, which includes inter alia all 12 songs from his latest CD, always swings it.

This does have its pleasures, but the differences between songs get flattened out. I Only Have Eyes for You, a rapturous song, and Darn That Dream, a rueful song, exist here side by side in a kind of shoulder-shrugging no man's land.

To judge from his first two CDs, which came out some half-dozen years ago, Evans used to be a different kind of singer, less confident but more confiding, and more attentive to the contours of a lyric. But as his technique has grown (on Wednesday night he claimed to have launched a couple of songs in the wrong key, but it was hardly noticeable) so, apparently, has his sense of what is proper to a jazz singer. It seems to entail a lot of vocal shakes, applied just for the fun of it, some melismatic slurs, and some odd verbal stresses; a luxury-lounge account of The Very Thought of You included the line, "I'm living in a kind of daydream," as if the key word were the conjunction. Frank Sinatra would not have approved.

One hazard of this quasi-instrumental approach, for all but the most inventive singers, is that the actual instrumentalists surrounding him are likely to do it better than he does. Evans is performing with an excellent and sympathetic quartet -- pianist Mark Eisenman, saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, the monarch of Toronto drummers Archie Alleyne, and (especially good) bassist Keiran Overs -- and there was a great and humorous rapport between the five of them. But in some of their solos the musicians seemed to be playing not only the music but the words, rather more expressively than the singer was singing them.

But there are no rules. I'm a Fool to Want You, which Sinatra (its co-author) used to sing virtually out of tempo, came up refreshed with a beat, and also with its melodrama somewhat defused, which was helpful. Where Have You Been is a lesser-known Cole Porter tune that its composer seems to have thought of as stately and sweeping. Its lyric, though, like most of Porter's songs, and has a subversive jauntiness that starts with a slangy title. Evans' unceremonious approach matched it very nicely; two different brands of insouciance met and agreed.

The second set, which started with a straightforwardly propulsive This Can't Be Love was, as often happens, better than the first. It's not so much that Evans grew more assured as that we did; we started hearing the material through his ears.

Some of the lesser songs came out best. Make Me Rainbows and I'm Gonna Live Till I Die are rather generic numbers (that, in the case of the latter, is being kind) and Evans' unstressed approach made them work as abstract essays in cheerfulness. And if you want to hear Alfie (personally I don't, but the club's lovely manageress had requested it), then Evans sings it as well as anybody is likely to. He makes it, in its own preposterously solemn words, something even non-believers can believe in.

Until Sunday. 416-364-7517.
© Copyright 2003 National Post - National Post

>> One small step for George Evans, one giant leap for Canadian crooners

by LORRAINE CARPENTER

"I use the word ëcrooner' kind of guardedly," says singer and jazz historian George Evans. "It has bad overtones because of what it's taken on over the years, but our music really swings. It's definitely not hokey or unsuitably romantic or otherwise tacky or out of date. We're all in the moment, working our tushes off on stage and making music that's very much now."

Toronto's John Alcorn, Montréal's John Labelle and Evans - a Cincinnati-born former Montréaler, now based in Toronto - are the Three Crooners, returning to la Sala Rossa this week for an encore performance, backed by John Sadowy (piano), Adam Over (bass) and Jim Doxas (drums). The popular form of vocal jazz, which made Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra superstars in their day, has experienced a resurgence lately with singers like Michael Bublé luring baby boomers by the ton. But while Bublé, Peter Cincotti and up-and-comer Matt Dusk are all in their 20s, the Three Crooners and other slightly older male vocalists are finally being recognized after years of work under the radar, and often happily removed from the showbiz glitz associated with crooners.

"Bublé is a superb vocalist and an excellent musician who excels at a Vegas style of performance, and if that's what he's good at I'm certainly not going to slam him for it - it's the best Vegas show I've seen, ever," says Evans. "But many of us prefer to work in intimate rooms, singing to smaller audiences, to people who are out with a loved one - or someone that they're hoping will be a loved one - looking for something to encourage that, songs that deal with hopes and dreams, songs with passion rendered with intellect and charm."

Listeners have been lapping up such music for years, jazz and pop standards interpreted by the likes of Diana Krall and Norah Jones but, pre-Bublé, the industry had a double standard.

"The men are out here, we're doing this and we're supported among the musicians in the community. Labelle is quite well known on the Montréal music scene, but does he have record label support? Absolutely not. Whereas a young female artist of the same background, let's say a Coral Egan, will instantly get a deal on their first outing. These aren't sour grapes, not at all, it's simply to say our time has come and we're ready to be heard."

And Evans, who has released four critically lauded albums since 1997, is aiding the crooner community by compiling The Canadian Crooner Collection, to be released this spring by Verve Records, where he's employed as an A&R consultant. The disc features all of the Three Crooners and a dozen more male singers from across the country, a project conceived in the same communal spirit that fuelled the formation of the vocal trio.

"Let's get these wonderful artists I've been competing with all these years, let's get them heard, let's be mutually supportive and band together. I want nothing but good things. I've selected people whose work I admire, whose sound I enjoy, and to include myself as an artist alongside all of these people that I respect so much is great fun, and very satisfying."

At la Sala Rossa on Sunday, Nov. 30,
7:30pm, $12 ($8 for students) - Montreal Mirror

Follow link for full feature - The Globe and Mail, Aug 2004

by Murray Charters [Special to the Expositor / Brantford]

About 200 lucky people were invited into George Evans' living room in Brantford on Monday for an evening of musical entertainment.

To be technical about it, the location was the foyer of the Sanderson Centre and the occasion was this month's concert in the Brantford Downtown Jazz Series, but it sure felt like Evans' living room. First, Evans was the consummate host, full of fun stories to share, yet at the same time, genuinely interested in each of us. His warm lively manner and mellow voice would have had our rapt attention even if he hadn't sung a note.

But sing he did, and what a pleasure it was. You could close your eyes and still hear the smile in his voice. You can also hear every word, something that not all singers manage when they are swinging as hard as Evans does.

Clear enunciation is a must with up-tempo pieces like the opening, The Way You Look Tonight. What I relished more was the care Evans took with every syllable in such ballads as The Shadow Of Your Smile. Each part of each word received a different sound from open voice to more nasal, from chest to head tone, from straight to pleasant vibrato. Low register notes even got an appropriate growl here and there, and the whole effect was to paint the song as colourfully as our trees have appeared in recent weeks.

Drop the words in favour of scat, however, and the voice is free to cruise through the song like any jazz instrument, seeking new shapes and sounds to shed new light on the melody and harmony.

Evans indulged in quite a bit of scat singing and I enjoyed his melodic moves and choices here. I just found his approach still a bit tentative and repetitious, with too much use of the same consonants for example. He admitted scat is still a bit new to him, so maybe experience will lead to more exploration and excitement here.

Don't think from this that Evans is new to jazz, however. Born in Cincinnati about 40 years ago, he comes to us after a long apprenticeship in New York, Montréal and now Toronto. His fifth CD was launched at this concert, each of the previous four winning critical acclaim. Judging by the eight pieces from the newest release he performed for us in the first half of the concert, this set of Movie Songs will be another winner.

One reason for the enduring quality of Evans' work is the care of preparation. Not only is the performance highly polished, but Evans can also recount all the details of each song and a few good anecdotes, as well as paying tribute to the many crooners who have preceded him. This sense of history and his own place in it just gives more strength to the entire evening's presentation.

Another strength of his awareness of history is the breadth of his repertoire. While Evans can present a standard, such as Getting Sentimental Over You, with masterful restraint and understatement, he also happily goes out on a limb with several tunes that are not so well known. He knows that he can sell them to us through his own high ability.

One more thing that put everyone at ease was Evans' leadership. He is a former dancer and, like so many dancers, his whole body seems full of music. The son of musicians, he is innately musical, totally comfortable and in control.

Such strong ability makes him a joy to work with, and the Frank DiFelice Quartet that joined him on stage responded with strong yet sensitive accompaniments. Joining Evans as a duet partner, Michael Stuart's mellow tenor saxophone was always tasteful and suited the moment. He has a beautiful tone and knows how to add just a few touches here and there to compliment and never compete.

We heard some really inventive and creative percussion from DiFelice himself, underlining the many talents of this busy man. Can you believe he turned off his snare, dropped his sticks, and used his knuckles, fists and palms to brilliant effect in a captivating My Love Forgive Me? Amazing.

When Dave Field suddenly got thrown his one chance to solo on bass, he dove into it like a man possessed, running up and down that long fingerboard before returning to his usual rich underpinning of the harmonies. Nick Deutsch on piano was always right with Evans no matter how much liberty was being taken. That all of this was accomplished using skeletal charts and just a brief rehearsal proves both what great musicians these four are and what great leadership Evans provided.

It was a fine evening, George Evans. Thanks for inviting us in.

Murray Charters is a Brantford freelance writer, musician, music teacher and music lover.
- Brantford Expositor

Go to PDF for full feature - Northwest Jazz Profiles

Go to PDF for full feature in Italian. - Emme-K, Italy

by Richard Bourcier

Musicians: George Evans (vocals); Reg Schwager (guitar); Mark Eisenman (piano); Neil Swainson (bass); Jerry Fuller (drums) with special guest Denny Christianson (trumpet).

Review: What a fabulous set of pipes! Canadian vocalist, George Evans, sent along his newest release and it's a winner. Evans is a bit of a throwback to a wonderful age when male jazz singers were plentiful. The first few bars of the opener, The Lamp Is Low took me back to the days of Al Hibbler, Herb Jeffries, and the perennial Mel Torme.

Surrounded by a group of Toronto's best jazz musicians, George Evans walks in the front door with a mountain of class. There are no gimmicks, the man can sing and that's what he's here to do. How many artists ask their regular audience for input on future recordings? Evans did exactly that. He asked the crowd at the Top O' The Senator for their suggestions. After paring down the list, a dozen fine songs made the final cut. The fans obviously know their stuff! The set includes great tunes by Ray Noble, Harry Warren, Cole Porter, Gus Kahn and Frank Loesser. It's nice to hear Gus Kahn's beautiful I'll Never Be The Same performed with sensitivity and sparkle. The number features a nice bass solo by Neil Swainson. Swainson's work is outstanding throughout the CD. Sadly, this was the last studio session for Jerry Fuller. One of Canada's best drummers, Fuller passed away shortly after recording the album. He'll be missed!

Love For Sale features some fine piano work by Mark Eisenman and a hard-swinging vocal by Evans. It's a pleasure to discover the singer's astonishing ability to improvise intelligently.

Ending with Burt Bacharach's Alfie, Evans exits the session with a dramatic vocal backed by Reg Schwager's lush guitar. Jazz disc jockeys will love this guy! My humble opinion? Ya gotta get it!

Tracks: The Lamp Is Low; I Only Have Eyes For You; Darn That Dream; I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life; Where Have You Been; You Do Something To Me; The Very Thought Of You; I'll Never Be The Same; I'm a Fool To Want You; Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year; Love For Sale; Alfie. - JazzReview.com

By Dave Nathan

Vocalist George Evans is getting the message. In a day and age where male balladeers come few and far between, Evans has been building up a body of vocal work relying on the tunes turned out by some of the top contributors to the Great American Songbook: Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn, Cole Porter and Ray Noble. As usual, joining him are some of the best Canadian rhythm artists on today's scene.. This time its Reg Schwager on guitar, Mark Eisenman, piano, Neil Swainson, bass, Jerry Fuller on drumsand Denny Christianson on trumpet. The result is some of the better small group playing on disk. Even though this is familiar material, Evans and his friends add a brightness to these beloved songs that demonstrate their timeliness. Highly recommended.

For more about Evans visit his web site at http://www.george-evans.net.


Track listing: The Lamp Is Low; I Only Have Eyes for You; Darn that Dream; I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life; Where Have You Been?; You Do Something to Me; The Very Thought of You; I'll Never Be the Same; I'm a Fool to Want You; Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year; Love for Sale; Alfie

Personnel: George Evans - Vocals; Reg Schwager - Guitar; Mark Eisenman - Piano; Neil Swainson - Bass; Jerry Fuller - Drums; Danny Christianson - Trumpet

Style: Vocal | Published: January 20, 2003 - AllAboutJazz.com

by Donna Kimura

Musicians: George Evans (vocals), Dave Restivo (piano), Reg Schwager (guitar), Neil Swainson (bass), Jerry Fuller (drums), Michael Stuart (tenor sax), and Fred Raulston (percussion)

Review: George Evans’ “From Moment to Moment” is a welcome surprise.

Just when it looked like young male jazz singers were a threatened species, Evans proves there’s life out there. The Toronto-based vocalist is a retro-style crooner with a resonant voice, a playful bounce in his delivery and a superb set of songs.

From his opening note, he makes you wonder, “Who is this guy?” and “Where’s he been?”

“From Moment to Moment” is Evans’ third CD. It was recorded in Toronto with his working quintet and includes the best of the material they have been performing for the past year. Evans, who grew up in Ohio, left the New York scene some years back and has built a loyal following in Canada. Hopefully, Americans will catch on.

His singing recalls Mel Torme. He has a great set of pipes and a good amount of style. In a nod to Torme, Evans includes “Born to be Blue” on the new CD.

He also swings on Cole Porter’s “It’s Bad for Me,” and enchants on Bernice Petkere's under appreciated “Lullaby of the Leaves.” It seems no male vocalist can escape the shadow of Sinatra so Evans also throws in a richly textured "All or Nothing at All." Those are the highlights, but there’s not a bad number on the 12-song CD.

This is a stellar effort.

Tracks: You'd Better Love Me, It's Bad for Me, Love Walked In, When She Makes Music, Make Me Rainbows, It's June in January, Born to be Blue, Moment to Moment, All or Nothing at All, Lullaby of the Leaves, All My Tomorrows, I'm Gonna Live till I Die - JazzReview.com

by Hal Schipper

[excerpt] "...His voice has a honeyed, smoothly athletic timbre; athletic in that he achieves his clear phrasing with a grace and ease only long practice and natural talent provide... Evans brings to this recording that ineffable sense of ownership of the music. There is a difference between merely singing or playing music, as opposed to performing, particularly with jazz. Evans’ New York musical theatre experience has contributed to his ability here – in particular, the actorly imperative to be the role... The CD is consistently fine throughout and each tune has its own moment... After happily experiencing the vitality of 'From Moment to Moment', I very much look forward to his fourth recording … and beyond." - Planet Jazz

by Lawrence Williams

Musicians: Musicians: George Evans (vocals); John Sadowy (piano); Dave Watts (bass); Jim Doxas (drums); Kevin Dean (trumpet); Chet Doxas (sax); Dave Grott (trombone); Michael Berard (classic and electric guitar); Greg Clayton (electric guitar); Dave Mossing (trumpet); Horn Section arranged by Phil Dwyer.

Review: Over the years, jazz vocals seem to have been exclusively female territory. However, with the recent (and dubious) success of Rod Stewart’s standard albums, there seem to have been a huge increase of the male jazz vocalist. Peter Cincotti and Michael Buble are two performers most commonly known to the American public. However, Canadian vocalist George Evans has been slowly building a respectable discography of jazz and pop classic discs. His latest is entitled “Movie Songs” and it is exactly that… tunes from the golden age of the silver screen. The CD opens with a swinging version of “The Way You Look Tonight” from the 1936 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rogers musical, “Swing Time.” His smooth baritone navigates the tricky changes and he adds a spontaneous feel so even though this oft recorded tune seems new and fresh. “Beginners Luck” is another track that he makes swing. Evans confident way with a song and his effortless ability to swing brings to mind the days when male vocalists ruled the airwaves. It's obvious that he processes an honest appreciation for the classics which can make one believe he may have a contemporary of Sinatra, or Dean Martin…though this vocal tone and phrasing may be closer to the great Mark Murphy. Despite the fun that Evan generates with his up-tempo numbers, his ballads tend to be on the histrionic side and his tight vibrato becomes over-emphasized causing the listener to conjure up the image of an overly slick and insincere lounge singer. This is unfortunate, because it distracts mightily from the overall talent that Evan obviously processes. The one exception to this criticism is his fine version of “The Shadow Of Your Smile.” Here Evan seems to let the lyrics speak for themselves thus allowing on honest emotion to come through. Grade: B

Tracks: The Way You Look Tonight {From Swing Time}; Beginner's Luck {From Shall We Dance}; Change Partners {From Carefree}; I'm Getting Sentimental Over You {From Keep 'Em Flying} Bassman/Washington; A Lot of Livin' to Do {From Bye Bye Birdie}; Dearly Beloved {From You Were Never Lovelier}; It Was Written in the Stars {From Casbah}; You Won't Forget Me {From Torch Song}; I Will Wait for You {From Les Parapluies de Cherbourg}; I Dream Too Much {From I Dream Too Much}; The Shadow of Your Smile {From the Sandpiper}; Lover {From Love Me Tonight} - JazzReview.com

by Nina Goodrich

Musicians: Nancy Walker, Mark Eisenman (piano), Neil Swainson, Steve Wallace (bass), Archie Alleyne, Jerry Fuller (drums), Reg Schwager (guitar), Michael Stuart (tenor saxophone)

Review: Known as spontaneous, engaging and exuberant, award winner George Evans is a favored vocalist on the Canadian music scene. Evans’ creativity keeps him in the limelight on stage, on radio and recordings. His smooth voice earned Evans a radio show as host for nine seasons at Montreal’s favored jazz and pop station.

Bewitched is Evans’ sixth celebrated album. Stretching the musicality of his band, Evans adds a string arrangement by Rick Wilkins and Jake Wilkinson to this CD.

A swinging Previn-Langdon tune, “You’re Gonna Hear From Me” opens the album with Evans’ smooth, rich vocals, joined by Michael Stuart on tenor sax. Deep bass backs the equally deep vocals on “Don’t Be That Way.” Evans offers a swing-scat bridge, keeping this track lively. A bass solo is striking. Evans then reaches those higher notes with vibrato stealth.

Thoughtful, gentle, tender piano notes open the classic Rodgers-Hart title track "Bewitched." Rolling, solemn vocals keep the mysterious romantic tone in this love inspired tune. Revving up the tempo, infusing energy into each word, Evans creates a sense of urgency in “To The Ends Of the Earth.”

“Believe It, Beloved” is electrifying with a dynamic bass back, and Evans’ radiant voice. Seeming effortless in his ability to roll the notes, Evans’ suave demeanor allow the guitar solo to shine as the string arrangement adds dimension to “Watch What Happens.”

The classic Kern-Mercer tune, “I’m Old Fashioned” comes to life with Evans’ mellifluous vocals.

In a class all its own, “La Belle Vie—The Good Life” is done in emotional tones so real, it’s easy to remember 'the good life.' Reminiscent of the Rat Pack, this song packs a punch. Evans begins Kern-Gershwin song “In Love In Vain” in a slow, melodic, contemplative fashion before energizing the tempo and allowing the bass, guitar and piano interaction create a revved up interpretation of this classic.

“All Too Soon” features Evan’s gentler side intersected with a scat presentation. Closing with “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life” a Borzage-Mercer tune, Evans deepens his voice, slows the tempo, and fills the atmosphere with bittersweet memories of love.

George Evans Has garnered rave reviews Internationally. He is dubbed “A ballad’s best friend.” Making songs sound easy and natural is the mark of a professional. George Evans is that professional.


Tracks:

You’re Gonna Hear From Me, Don’t Be That Way, Bewitched, To the Ends Of The Earth, Believe It Beloved, Watch What Happens, Lazy Afternoon, You Leave Me Breathless, I’m Old Fashioned, La Belle Vie/The Good Life, In Love In Vain, All Too Soon, Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life - JazzReview.com