Charles Evans ~ In-Depth
Early Years
Charles Evans was born in Pennsylvania on September 6, 1978, and raised in a small town called Factoryville. As a child, he participated in typical American activities; various sports such as baseball and outdoor pursuits such as avid bass fishing and deer hunting. Eventually, he realized his fastball wasn't good enough for the pros, and his fishing obsession needed a hiatus. Several events in his late teens would rapidly change his life forever.
Charles was involved in the local high school band program, but was never really too interested in his first instrument, the alto saxophone. During his sophomore year, a man named J. Fred Quigley took control of the jazz ensemble and captivated the young altoist. This, combined with the shared interest in jazz by his best friend Moppa Elliott (and Moppa's father David's extensive jazz collection), the light was certainly lit. He took his first private lessons with local saxophonist Julian Sparacino. Slowly but surely, the passion for music began to grow in his heart.
In 1996, his good friends Moppa and drummer Eli Hludzik were ecstatic when they were accepted to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. The three didn't realize just how much of an impact this five-week summer program would be on their lives. The night before departing, Charles called the assistant band director to see if he could bring along the school's baritone saxophone after a recommendation by the musical director, Jim Smith. Fortunately, he obtained the instrument, a move that would prove to be much more important then he could have ever imagined.
From the first sound, the baritone saxophone seemed to fit like a glove to the tall, lanky young man. His peers almost instantly told him to focus on the cumbersome baritone instead of the alto. At the time, Charles wanted to be an improvising soloist; at the age of seventeen he didn't even know muscians took "solos" on the baritone!
Formative Years
Charles was very fortunate to have been raised by two open-minded parents, Clarence and Genevieve, who supported his choice to dedicate his life to becoming a great baritone saxophonist. He continued with the baritone throughout his senior year, and eventually purchased an old selmer through the help of local baritonist Jim Buckley. Charles then attended The University of the Arts in the fall of 1997. Here, he initially studied with baritone saxophonist Bill Zaccagni, who focused on proper instrumental technique, sound, and reading. The two were intensely interested in the beautiful melody and sound of Gerry Mulligan at the time. During the summer months of 1998, he began studying with the great David Liebman, which would prove life changing. Liebman instilled an artistic mindset in the young baritone saxophonist and inspired him to pursue music to his fullest potential.
"I was in rough shape when I walked into Lieb's house as an ignorant nineteen year old." Charles says with a laugh. "Dave has this incredible way of harshly critquing you, but at the same time inspiring you, making you truly believe that you can do it. I practiced insanely hard before Lieb; but now I was dealing with a Master, a mentor really, and the drive to really play great and get his approval encompassed literally by whole life and thoughts."
With Liebman, Charles worked on saxophone sound and an intense transcription process. Continuing with Lieb, he studied chord-change playing with a few great Philadelphia jazz musicians; saxophonist Chris Farr, vibraphonist Tony Miceli, and well-known trumpet player John Swana. Charles was very interested in Sonny Rollins; he would transcribe his solos and attempt to play them in Sonny's tenor register on the baritone. At this time, he was emulating tenor players much more then baritone, and he saw the beginnings of a personal sound in this approach. He was completely swamped with information, and literally lived in the practice rooms with his dedicated friends, pianist Neil Shah and guitarist Erik Dutko. "We wouldn't stop practicing. One Saturday, I remember brown-bagging lunch with Neil so we didn't leave at all. We're talking like 12-15 hours of non-stop work. It was madness, but what a great period!"
Rudimentary practice was substituted with alot of playing as Charles finished his Bachelor's degree. Co-conspirator and saxophonist Brian Woestehoff would always be willing to hit the local jam sessions and the pair began to gig around town. He also formed a John Coltrane tribute ensemble and explored Coltrane's music in an individual trio, attempting to get that same spiritual and passionate approach on the baritone. But the more and more artistic Charles became, the more he realized that he needed to be in New York. When Liebman told him to make the move, Charles began saving his pennies.
He eventually moved to New York with his childhood friend and bassist Moppa Elliott. It took him about a year to get settled and figure out how to make a living while pursuing his art. Charles decided to get his Master's Degree in jazz performance at Queens College, and study with Antonio Hart in the spring of 2003.
Artistry
With Antonio, Charles continued to refine his sound and clean up his bebop playing. They also worked extensively on pure ballad playing, which inspired the baritonist to record a collection of Ballads (2004) as his first CD. With old friends Dutko, Shah, Elliott, and Hludzik as the supporting cast, Charles generated a widely and positively reviewed album, a timeless and honest work.
In the fall of 2003, trumpeter Peter Evans, a good friend of Moppa's from Oberlin College, moved to town. Charles had recorded with Peter on Moppa's first CD, Pinpoint. The new found alliance with the virtuosic trumpeter Evans completely shifted Charles' direction.
"I always loved the trumpet/baritone combination. When I began hanging with Peter, I began to think about music in completely different ways. He was somewhat jarring to listen to at first . . . I can honestly say I didn't get him. But I knew this guy was after something very special and powerful, and I wanted to figure it out. This guy was in his early twenties and playing more trumpet then I've ever heard. At the time, it was a combination of intimidation and honor when we played. I can truly say he's my second biggest influence, right behind Liebman."
Peter brought Charles into the world of free-jazz, Anthony Braxton, and the great European improvisers, such as Evan Parker. Charles began experimenting with multiphonics and extended techniques following Peter's cue. The pair formed a group called The Language Of, with Elliott and the swinging German drummer, Jan Roth. The Language Of has two CD's to their name, It Needs It, (2005) and No Relation (2006). Their latest showcases their concept of sharing the compositional role and exploiting the possiblities of unrelated, inconsistent material. They accomplish this through the use of free-jazz and new complexity supplied by Peter and micro-tonal bebop and traidition from Charles.
Performance Art
During this time, Charles also branched out and experimented with electro/acoustic music and performance art. With trombonist Christian Pincock, the pair formed a duo entitled, "The Derividactory". This was an opportunity for Charles to showcase his outrageous humorous side, while simultaneously expressing deeply felt political values and beliefs. Charles began performing using a phonograph/radio/tape deck device, pitted against Christian's computer sample abilities.
"Complete freedom exists within the Derividactory. Christian and I are opposites in every way, literally, and this makes a perfect match. Deeply held political values (which express varied opinions regarding the tumultous times we live in) are inserted within the music, only to be undermined by the collage/sound structures and extended instrumental techniques that each of us use at any given time. Anything can happen at a Derividactory show, from beautiful minimalism to outrageous Schwarzennegger-inspired live bodybuilding/flexing, to extensive jingoism/patriotism vs. pinko/ liberalism."
Within the performance art spectrum, Charles has experimented with the use of his own language (see www.modernpoetsociety.com) or code, that can only be deciphered by his close friends. Under the guise of "The Modern Poet Crazy Charle", he has performed solo acts that have completely alienated his audiences. This type of overly-dried humor has been inspired by the now widely acclaimed "Tenacious D", and the king of intentionally "bad" comedy, America's Funnyman, Neil Hamburger.
Future Additional Projects
Branching off from his love of simplicity, melody, and beautiful tone, particularly in the baritone's difficult altissimo register, Charles plans to continue with focused ballad playing, but with a twist; poly-chordal ballads with lyrics about bass fishing within his language. The Largemouth Trio will consist of the guitarist on the original Ballads record, Erik Dutko, and singer-songwriter/pianist Neil Shah.
"I planned on continuing with the beautiful and chromatic ballads concept that I arrived at with Erik." Charles explains. "This is directly coming out of Liebman's soprano music he explored with Richie Beirach. Its a whole new and rich harmonic world; there is much work to be done personally and I need to stay very high on the horn in this dissonant context. Erik is literally the most honest and beautiful guitarist I know. His ears and harmonic knowledge are downright scary and at times intimidating. Neil totally figured it out; he can play any type of virtuosic jazz piano, but has chosen to instead truly follow himself and sing his life experiences with passion. These guys also know the language of Charle, so the lyrics may make little sense and be humorous, but the serious intent will remain."
Charles currently resides in New York City, where he makes his living as a personal trainer. He believes that art is at its best when separated from the dictates of finance. He is pursuing his second Master's Degree from Queens College, this time in Music Education, with the hopes of one day sharing his knowledge while making a living. He is committed to keeping his musical and artistic calling honest, through the expression of his many sides, whether it be a lush and haunting ballad, a self-destructing bebop solo, or a bodybuilding/political/comical improvisation.