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Joe Evans (saxophonist)

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Joe Evans
Birth nameJoseph James Evans
Born(1916-10-07)October 7, 1916
Bonifay, Florida, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 2014(2014-01-17) (aged 97)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentAlto saxophone
LabelsCarnival Records

Joe Evans (October 7, 1916 – January 17, 2014) was an American jazz alto saxophonist.[1][2]

Early life and education

Evans was born in Bonifay and grew up in Pensacola, Florida.[1] Evans dropped out of high school and moved to New York City to pursue his music career. He later earned a GED and associate's degree from Essex County College in 1973. Through a Ford Family Foundation scholarship, he earned a Master of Education degree from Rutgers University in 1975.[3]

Career

Evans was active between 1939 and 1965, playing in the big bands of Jay McShann, Jimmy Forrest and Gene Ramey; Don Redman and Louis Armstrong.[2] In 1944 he recorded with Mary Lou Williams, as a member of a band including Coleman Hawkins, Bill Coleman and Denzil Best.[4] At the beginning of 1945, he recorded for J. Mayo Williams's independent label, Chicago, leading a combo comprising Jesse Drakes, Duke Jordan, Gene Ramey, J. C. Heard and Etta Jones.[5]

Later that same year[6] and in 1946, he recorded with Andy Kirk's orchestra as part of a lineup that included Fats Navarro, Reuben Phillips, Jimmy Forrest, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Hank Jones, Floyd Smith, Al Hall and Ben Thigpen.[7] Other musicians he performed and recorded with include Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Lionel Hampton.[2]

In 1961, Evans founded Carnival Records. After earning his master's degree, Evans retired from music and worked as a dairy inspector for the state of New Jersey.[8]

In 2008, University of Illinois Press published his autobiography, Follow Your Heart, co-authored by Christopher Brooks, a professor of anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University.[9]

Personal life

Evans died in Richmond, Virginia of renal disease in January 2014 at the age of 97.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Manhattans Story Part 1". Soulexpress.net. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Joe Evans Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  3. ^ "Jazz saxophonist and UIP author Joe Evans, 1916-2014". Illinois Press Blog. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  4. ^ "Annie Kuebler, R.I.P. | Rifftides". www.artsjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  5. ^ "Ebony, Chicago, Southern, and Harlem: The Mayo Williams Indies". campber.people.clemson.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  6. ^ Kirk, Andy (1995-11-01). Twenty Years on Wheels. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-871478-20-4.
  7. ^ "Fats Navarro Discography". csis.pace.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  8. ^ "Carnival Records Founder Joe Evans Dies". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  9. ^ Brooks, Joe Evans with Christopher. "UI Press | Joe Evans with Christopher Brooks | Follow Your Heart: Moving with the Giants of Jazz, Swing, and Rhythm and Blues". www.press.uillinois.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  10. ^ "Jazz saxophonist and UIP author Joe Evans, 1916-2014". Press.uillinois.esu. January 21, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2021.


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