Kevin Eubanks / Orrin Evans - EEE: Eubanks Evans Experience

May 3, 2022

Label: Imani Records, 2022

Personnel - Kevin Eubanks: guitar; Orrin Evans: piano.

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks and pianist Orrin Evans joined forces for a sympathetic duo offer designated as EEE - Eubanks-Evans Experience. These two musicians with strong ties to Philadelphia spent years honing their crafts, revealing a proclivity to expand horizons beyond pure jazz. Besides leaders in their own right, the twosome contributed as sidemen on albums of each other (Evans’ #knowingishalfthebattle; Eubanks’ East West Time Line). The guitarist is commonly associated with the bassist Dave Holland and the singer Diane Reeves, while the pianist was a member of the Ralph Peterson Quintet and groups led by trumpeter Sean Jones. He also replaced Ethan Iverson in the newfangled trio The Bad Plus.

Flowing with a relaxed vibe, “Novice Bounce” opens the record with smooth touches on jazz-funk and bossa. Written by Eubanks, this opening number collected from his first record, Guitarist (Discovery, 1982), finds him tackling it with half the tempo and electric guitar instead of the acoustic. If the ballads - “Dreams of Lovin’ You” (composed by Tom Browne) and “Dawn Marie” (a tribute from Evans to his wife) - breathe and never rush, then other pieces make our heartbeat increase during their musical route by going in different directions.

The improvised “I Don’t Know” seems to squeeze two different worlds into the same sonic bubble. The artists treat their instruments with a newly discovered freedom, and the initial sense of bluesy dispersion is eased when Eubanks starts to work on the lower register, fulfilling bass duties. There are a couple more spontaneous numbers, but those don’t reach the heights of the two last tracks, both recorded live at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia. They are variations of Evans’ “Half the Battle” and Eubanks’ “Adoration”. The former is transformed into a mercurial fusion work by the addition of often-bluesy rock licks, a spiritual harmonic progression evocative of Pharaoh Sanders, and a groovy funk-rock strut that contracts and expands with multiple levels of intensity. The latter piece, instead, arrives in triple time, spreading out a beautiful energy.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Novice Bounce ► 06 - Variations on Half the Battle ► 07 - Variations on Adoration

Orrin Evans - The Magic of Now

December 27, 2021

Label: Smoke Sessions Records, 2021

Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Vicente Archer: double bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

On his sixth outing for the Smoke Sessions label, the American pianist Orrin Evans, who has recently ended a three-year stint with The Bad Plus, spearheads a pliable quartet that includes the excellent 23-year-old saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, the alert bassist Vicente Archer and the sensitive drummer Bill Stewart.

The program consists mostly of originals, with Evans and Wilkins contributing three compositions each, while Stewart allows his discreet “Mynah”, which originally appeared on his 1997 Blue Note album Telepathy, to be paired with Mulgrew Miller’s dynamic “The Eleventh Hour” for the record’s inaugural number. Its gripping post-bop eloquence stimulates the ear, and the ensemble welcomes Wilkins’ imaginative phrasing, twice. He seems to appreciate the sparse piano accompaniment while discoursing over drums. A swinging motion imposes, after which the saxophonist takes a firm stand on rhythmic figures that first repeat and then reshape according to his own whim. Next in line is Evans, whose inventive statement is professed on top of a bass pedal and scintillating cymbal work.

Two of the three tunes penned by the pianist had been previously recorded, appearing here with fresh outfits. Punctuated with an optimistic gospel tinge, “Libra” was tackled in the past by two groups Evans was involved with - Seed in 2001 and Luvpark in 2005. “MAT-Matt” is a straight-ahead effort from 2000, meticulously designed with well-measured breaks in the flux for accentuation. His other piece, “Dave”, is a delicate ballad propelled by Stewart’s formidable brushwork. It lives from the immense beauty of the melody.

Wilkins unrecorded pieces are strong and intense, with “Momma Loves” and “Levels” as highlights. The former flows with a searching quality that draws from jazz tradition, swinging over the course of a sophisticated chord progression that supports the altoist’s extensive vocabulary; the latter tune explores a captivating neo-bop where the saxophonist and the pianist are close communicators. Later on, we have drums and piano engaging in a playful rhythmic activity. On the other hand, “The Poor Fisherman” is a ballad limned with diaphanous textures and classical movements.

The Magic of Now stresses the cohesion of this brand new quartet. All four players have strong personalities on their instruments and that aspect transpires here with encouraging results.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mynah/The Eleventh Hour ► 02 - Libra ► 06 - Momma Loves

Orrin Evans - #knowingishalfthebattle

April 24, 2017

Label/Year: Smoke Sessions, 2016

Lineup - Orrin Evans: piano; Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar; Kevin Eubanks: guitar; Lucques Curtis: bass; Mark Whitfield, Jr.: drums. Guests: Caleb Curtis: saxophone; M’Balia Singley: vocals.

American jazz pianist Orrin Evans was born in New Jersey and is based in Philadelphia, where he perseveres and takes inspiration to compose his music. He usually probes other influences such as neo-soul and hip-hop and likes to test new lineups in order to make his music sound unique each time he records.
Thus, if in 2014 he gathered a quintet with a two-horn frontline to record Liberation Blues (Smoke Sessions), in 2015 he opted for a stirring trio, featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Karriem Riggins, to bring The Evolution of Oneself (Smoke Sessions) into life.

His latest work, #knowingishalfthebattle, feels strongly contemporary as much in the title as in its pliable sonorities.
This time, Evans resolved to hire two expert guitarists, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Kevin Eubanks, in order to infuse extra color in his illustrated stories. Joining them here on a regular basis are the bassist Luques Curtis and the young drummer Mark Whitfield, Jr., while the guests Caleb Curtis and M’Balia Singley, saxophonist and vocalist, respectively, have sporadic appearances.
Maintaining his habit of incorporating both originals and covers, Evans’s pianism shows an underlying feel for groove and mood.

The one-minute title track is arranged with vocal samples, electronica, and a hip-hop beat. It gives us a distorted idea of the rest of the album, and “Calls”, composed by Carla Bley, contradicts it through a keen sense of swing. The tune starts with Evans’ voice and proceeds with adventurous solos by the guest saxophonist and the bandleader whose rhythmic discernment comes accompanied of a daring in/out melodic concept. Lastly, it's Eubanks who picks up at a moment where the bass-drums rhythmic flux is catching fire, magnifying it with tortuous statements.

Rosenwinkel outlines the melody of Kenny Baker’s “When Jen Came In”, a waltz with an appealing rhythmic accentuation that discloses a gradual holding back of tempo for the finale. It features fervent improvisations by Evans, whose line of action falls between Jarrett and Monk, and Rosenwinkel, who strikes again in “Chiara”, a lyrical ballad by pianist Curtis Clark, this time by adopting trippy guitar chops wrapped in flute-like effects.

Two of the most stirring tunes are Evans' creations and reveal his compositional skills and unreserved musical nature: “You Don't Need a License to Drive” is an uptempo groovy extravaganza where he and Eubanks go flip, while “Half the Battle” is cooked with the irresistible ingredients of master Rosenwinkel.
All this frenzy contrasts with Curtis’ atmospheric “Heavy Hangs the Head That Wears the Crown” and Evans’s “Zeni Bea”, a delicate piece named for the two-month-old daughter of Curtis and enriched with dulcet flute and vocals.
M'Balia Singley vocalizes a pair of songs: David Bowie’s “Kooks”, here dropped with a fancy groove, and “That’s All”, a product of the Great American Songbook.

Pumped up by motivational pulses and an elevated lyricism, #knowingishalfthebattle, is an impressive effort from a skilled pianist that deservedly claims for immediate attention.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Calls ► 06 – You Don't Need a License to Drive ► 07 – Half the Battle