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Classic
Crooners | Stevie
Vallance | George
Evens | Suzanne
Grzanna | Q&A Kyle
Eastwood | More Great
Artists |
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George Evans, an American expatriate now based
in Montréal, is one of the top male vocalists familiar to the city's
jazz audiences. With a background that spans many disciplines, he is
at home in music, as well as theater, and the broadcast media.
George is known for bringing his love of Popular Standards to the
public through live musical performance, and radio
broadcasts.
A Fellow of the Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Symposium,
George sings with an attention to lyric not often encountered in the
jazz idiom. The songs he selects are chosen for the intelligence in
the words and the emotions they express, as much as for their
harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. The musicians George works with
have the opportunity to go beyond their accustomed instrumental
context, in exploration of the meaning behind the music.
The
influences that can be heard in his vocal style are as varied as the
experiences that led him to jazz. The long lines of Johnny Hartman,
the ingenuity of Mel Tormé, the R&B sensibilities of Nancy
Wilson, and the love of resonance and pure sound of Sarah Vaughan
are all reflected in his approach. Add to that an appreciation of
lesser-known material, and you have an unusual young stylist,
accessible to a broad audience of younger and older listeners
alike.
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Buy "I'm All Smiles" online |
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I consider myself lucky. Lucky to
have spent the last nine years in a city as
extraordinarily beautiful as Montréal, and the fact that
I’ve been active in my chosen field here is merely icing
on the cake. Coming from New York as I had, I was
unaccustomed to unsolicited offers of help and
encouragement, the business there being so difficult to
penetrate. The very notion that an organization as
illustrious as the CBC would offer to record my music in
their amazing facilities without my having to plead,
bargain, or levy threats would have been laughable at
best. And yet, my involvement in Montreal’s music scene
brought about exactly that.
On not one, but two
occasions I have been treated to the studio and careful
attentions of producer Alain de Grosbois, whose
countless sessions for Jazz Beat are no less than
legendary. Together with hostess Katie Malloch, he
creates an environment where music is free to flow. Jazz
Beat regularly presents Canadian artists in this
fashion, and in doing so, helps cultivate our nation’s
musical resources. They are the reason you have this
music in your hands right now, and of that I am truly
grateful.
I invite you to enjoy this selection of
recordings from what were extremely pleasurable dates.
The songs are well written, the musicians superb, and
the vibe is happening. When you’ve finished, I think
you’ll see why I’m All Smiles... live from studio 13.
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Classic
Crooners | Stevie
Vallance | George
Evens | Suzanne
Grzanna | Q&A Kyle
Eastwood | More Great
Artists |
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