Bill Evans, born 9 February 1958 in Clarendon Hills (IL), USA, is an American jazz saxophonist. Evans’ father was a prodigy at classical piano and he studied classical clarinet until his junior high school. He was able to see Stan Getz and Sonny Stitt live in Chicago during his early studies. He attended Hinsdale Central High School, where he studied with Vince Micko, a jazz tenor saxophonist. He plays mainly tenor and soprano clarinet saxophones. Evans was a student at North Texas State University and William Paterson University. He studied with Dave Liebman who played with Miles Davis. He moved to New York City in 1979 and spent hours playing jazz standards in lofts while perfecting his improvisational skills. He joined Miles Davis at the age of 22. Evans was instrumental in Davis’ musical return during the 1980s. The Man With the Horn and We Want Miles are three of the most notable Miles Davis albums. He has also recorded, toured, and played with Miles Davis, John Mclaughlin (and Mahavishnu Orchestra), Michael Franks and Willie Nelson, Willie Nelson and Mick Jagger. He’s featured on Petite Blonde with Victor Bailey, Dennis Chambers and Mitch Forman. His Soul Insider and Soulgrass albums were nominated to win Grammy Awards. Soulgrass was a pioneering bluegrass-jazz hybrid concept that featured musicians such as Bela Fleck and Sam Bush. His latest projects are musically diverse, but his stylistic roots still remain in jazz saxophone history, where he was influenced by players like Joe Henderson, Sonny Stitt and John Coltrane.
