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Orrin Evans Captain Black Big Band

06/10/2022 8:00 PM
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Orrin Evans Captain Black Big Band

with Orrin Evans

Boasting a raw, vigorous sound, a raucous, unpredictable vibe, and a membership ranging from elders to rising stars, the Grammy nominated Captain Black Big Band has rapidly seized the attention of the jazz world to become one of the most vital big bands on the modern scene. That’s no surprise given the leadership of pianist/composer Orrin Evans, who imbues the ensemble with his distinctively bold, bracing sensibility.

Founded in late 2009, Captain Black was conceived as a vehicle for Evans to combine the power and scale of a big band with the freedom and spontaneity of a small group. From its beginnings at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Evans’ native Philadelphia through its long-running Monday night residency at New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, the band has evolved into just that — a flexible and tightrope-walking unit whose daring approach lends the music an exhilarating edge.

Orrin Evans

Two time Grammy nominee and Pew Fellow, Orrin Evans has been recognized as one of the most distinctive and inventive pianists of his generation. In a short span of time Orrin has earned the titles of pianist, composer, bandleader, teacher, producer and arranger. The New York Times described the pianist as "...a poised artist with an impressive template of ideas at his command," a quality that has undoubtedly assisted in keeping Orrin at the forefront of the music scene.
The latest release by Evans, "It Was Beauty" marks his 20th recording as a leader and his seventh release for the label, Criss Cross, which he began recording for at age 21. In his 20‐year plus career, he has been critically acclaimed for his imposing chops, his propulsive take on rhythm and harmony alike. Overlooked has been the beauty he creates through his art form. For the project, Evans convened four bassists; Eric Revis, Ben Wolfe, Luques Curtis, and Alex Claffy, and drummer Donald Edwards, all bandstand partners in recent years.
"...a poised artist with an impressive template of ideas at his command, "Growing up in a musical city like Philadelphia was extremely important to early development of Orrin's career. Philadelphia afforded Orrin the opportunity to study informally with the likes of Trudy Pitts, Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Bobby Durham, Edgar Bateman, Sid Simmons, and formally with William Whitaker, Jack Carr, and Charles Pettaway. In 1993, after attending Girard Academic Music Program, Orrin was accepted into the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While attending Mason Gross some of his teachers included Kenny Barron, Joanne Brackeen, Ralph Bowen and Ted Dunbar. They instilled in him the importance of the fundamentals of jazz as well as the necessity of listening to and living the music. After moving to New York in 1996, Orrin was invited to join Bobby Watson's band "Horizon" on their European tour. This opportunity introduced Orrin to the New York jazz scene. His recording and performing resume includes Wallace Roney, Mos Def, Common, Pharoah Sanders, Antonio Hart, Carmen Lundy, Ralph Peterson, Jr., Ralph Bowen, The Mingus Big Band, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Branford Marsalis, Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson, Sean Jones, Tim Warfield, Ravi Coltrane, Robin Eubanks, Duane Eubanks and Dave Douglas.
Orrin's recording career started in 1994 with a self‐produced trio release called "The Trio" (re‐released as "Deja Vu" on Imani Records) featuring Matthew Parrish on bass and Byron Landham on drums. He then went on to release six critically acclaimed recordings for the Criss Cross label. Orrin has also released recordings for Palmetto Records and his own label, Imani Records. 2008 saw the release of the debut self‐titled recording for the group Tarbaby, a co‐lead band with drummer Nasheet Waits and bassist Eric Revis, and in 2010 they released "The End Of Fear" (Posi‐Tone), in 2011 Tarbaby received a
French American Cultural Exchange grant (FACE) from the Mid‐Atlantic Arts Foundation for the project "The Fanon Project" to be released on the Rogue Art record label Fall 2013. The Jazz Journalist Association presented Tarbaby with a 2013 JJA Jazz Award for "Short Form Jazz Video of the Year". The fourth cd from Tarbaby "The Ballad of Sam Langford" was released in June 2013 on Hipnotic Records. In 2010, Evans released "Faith In Action" (Posi‐Tone) which is a tribute to his friend and mentor Bobby Watson. This record received much critical acclaim and Grammy consideration. In 2012, Evans released "Flip The Script" featuring Ben Wolfe and Donald Edwards which also received critical acclaim and landed on many "best of" lists for the year. Another wonderful project of Orrin's is his 17‐piece Captain Black Big Band, whose self‐titled record, released in 2011 on Posi‐Tone, is culled from shows in Philadelphia and New York. CBBB’s follow up cd will be released in 2013, too. Orrin's greatest joy, besides spending time with his family, is producing projects for other artists like Sean Jones, and playing with his own band, which at different times features such notables as Ralph Peterson, Jr., Sam Newsome, Ralph Bowen, Nasheet Waits, Reid Anderson, Eric Revis, J.D. Allen, Stacy Dillard and Duane Eubanks.

Dinner & Show $75 includes 3 course chef tasting menu

20% Gratuity will be added to your bill, on the dinner portion of your package ($50 -- $10/per person), in addition to any additional items. Gratuity does not include the ticket price or taxes.

Watch the show here:

Boasting a raw, vigorous sound, a raucous, unpredictable vibe, and a membership ranging from elders to rising stars, the Grammy nominated Captain Black Big Band has rapidly seized the attention of the jazz world to become one of the most vital big bands on the modern scene. That’s no surprise given the leadership of pianist/composer Orrin Evans, who imbues the ensemble with his distinctively bold, bracing sensibility.

Founded in late 2009, Captain Black was conceived as a vehicle for Evans to combine the power and scale of a big band with the freedom and spontaneity of a small group. From its beginnings at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Evans’ native Philadelphia through its long-running Monday night residency at New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, the band has evolved into just that — a flexible and tightrope-walking unit whose daring approach lends the music an exhilarating edge.

Orrin Evans

Seating Info
View Seating Chart

Premier Tables:
The best seats in the house positioned directly in front of the performance stage (marked dark blue on the seating map).

Standard Tables:
Clear and unobstructed views of stage (marked purple on the seating map). A few tables have a partially obstructed view (marked light blue on the seating map).

Cocktail & Bar Area:
Seating at high-top tables and at the bar area available on a first come, first seated basis (marked green on the seating map). Tables may be shared for sold out shows. Two TV monitors with live video feed of the performance are conveniently located above the bar and cocktail areas.

  • All ticket prices are per person.
  • Dinner menu available in all sections.
  • Your ticket is also your dining reservation.
  • Every ticket gets a seat in area purchased and tables are reserved based on the date when you made your reservation.
  • We will do our best to ensure that your entire group sits together, please let us know in the order notes if there are multiple ticket orders in your group.
  • For any special needs or accommodation requests, please call us at 215-568-3131.
  • Tickets are the same price whether purchased in person, over the phone or online.
  • No refunds, professional cameras or outside food and drink.
  • There is a limited amount of seating available for performances, if the show is sold out online, contact us at 215-568-3131 for seating availability.

Festival Seating:
Festival seating is our general admission ticket. The entire venue or a portion of the venue may be designated for festival admission. These tickets will guarantee you a seat for the show and you are free to sit anywhere in the venue based on a "first come, first seated" basis. This should also allow for larger groups to sit together.

  • All ticket prices are per person.
  • Dinner menu available in all sections.
  • Your ticket is also your dining reservation.
  • For any special needs or accommodation requests, please call us at 215-568-3131.
  • Tickets are the same price whether purchased in person, over the phone or online.
  • No refunds, professional cameras or outside food and drink.
  • There is a limited amount of seating available for performances, if the show is sold out online, contact us at 215-568-3131 for seating availability.