Walk a Mile in My Shoe Orrin Evans

• 1 Dislocation Blues 07:25
• 2 Sunday in New York 04:18
• 3 All That I Am 04:49
• 4 Blues in the Night 05:09
• 5 Hymn 04:35
• 6 Save the Children 04:50
• 7 Overjoyed 06:21
• 8 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 03:18
• 9 If 05:41
• Total Runtime 46:26

Info for Walk a Mile in My Shoe

Guided by Evans’ embracing, instigative leadership, the Captain Black Big Band boasts a bold, vigorous sound; a raucous, unpredictable vibe; and a communal spirit convening a membership that ranges from revered elders to rising stars. Nowhere is that more evident than in the ensemble’s communal fifth release, Walk a Mile in My Shoe, which features appearances by Nicholas Payton and Jesse Fischer and vocal turns by longtime collaborators Bilal, Joanna Pascale and Paul Jost, along with special guest Lisa Fischer.

The album title itself is a reference to Evans' left foot disability. “I walk with a cane because I was born with neurofibromatosis,” he has commented. Highlights - there are lots - include a romping Lisa Fischer take on 'Blues in the Night' built up from a quiet storm into something of a burning cauldron. You don't often hear a cover of Bread's 'If'. Last time we came across the song in a jazz version was by English vocalist Jo Harrop in a guitar setting. A strong Mark Murphy-esque vocal by Jost is part of the spell by contrast.

Captain Black’s origins can be traced back to 2007, when Evans was invited to lead a big band at Portugal’s Guimaraes Jazz Festival. As a longtime member of the Mingus Big Band, he had years of experience performing with a large ensemble, but the success of that concert convinced him to try to lead his own big band, despite the obvious financial and logistical obstacles. It was christened for Evans’ father’s preferred brand of tobacco, which had previously lent its name to Evans’ 1998 Criss Cross release Captain Black.

Over time the Captain Black line-up has included such notable names as saxophonists Tia Fuller, Wayne Escoffery, Stacy Dillard, Tim Warfield, Marcus Strickland, and Jaleel Shaw; trumpeters Sean Jones, Duane Eubanks and Jack Walrath; trombonists Frank Lacy and Conrad Herwig; bassists Eric Revis, Mike Boone and Luques Curtis; and drummers Ralph Peterson, Donald Edwards and Gene Jackson.

The core band has become more compact and streamlined over time, reduced from 17 to 11 pieces, without losing its forceful identity. It features a rotating cast of brilliantly skilled talent, most of them leaders in their own right – including drummers Anwar Marshall and Mark Whitfield Jr., saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins, Troy Roberts and Caleb Wheeler Curtis, and bassist Luques Curtis, among others. David Gibson, Josh Lawrence, Todd Bashore and Stafford Hunter have all been key lieutenants in the band from its early days, supplying arrangements or stepping up to fill leadership roles as they arise.

“It really matters when you know you have a tight-knit circle, and that you can rely on your circle for whatever you need,” Evans says. “The Village is a unit of people that you can trust and that love you. It’s an open door to the possibilities of knowing that you’re part of something for the greater good.”

Sean Jones, trumpet
Josh Lawrence, trumpet
Todd Bashore, alto saxophone, flute
Caleb Wheeler Curtis, tenor- and soprano saxophones
David Gibson, trombone
Reggie Watkins, trombone
Vicente Archer, double bass
Madison Rast, double bass
Anthony Tidd, electric bass (“Dislocation Blues”)
Anwar Marshall, drums
Mark Whitfield II, drums
Orrin Evans, piano
Guest soloists:
Nicholas Payton, trumpet
Jesse Fischer, organ

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.