Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe
Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe
ByStevie Wonder
vocalsb.1950

Orrin Evans
pianob.1975

Mingus Big Band
band / ensemble / orchestraEvans' piano sets the tone immediately, starting the first track, "Dislocation Blues," with choppy blues clusters, and then adding harmonic twists and elegance in a few short bars. Guest organist

Jesse Fischer
keyboardsb.1980

Paul Jost
vocalsOf the four vocalists on the album,

Lisa Fischer
vocals
Nicholas Payton
trumpetb.1973
This is Evans' fifth Captain Black Big Band album, his first with so many vocals, and on this one, the horns most often provide accents, flourishes and solos rather than dominating the arrangements. On "Hymn," the horns are prominent, but are they accompanying Evans, or is he backing them? While the sound does get big at times on this album, the music more often feels intimate, a quality suggested by Evans' title.
Walk a Mile in My Shoe uses shoe in the singular, and with it, Evans is making a personal disclosure: "My musical journey is closely connected to my medical journey, and this record is me opening the door into what I've lived with for years," he said. "I walk with a cane because I was born with neurofibromatosis. This is what the 'Elephant Man' had, but luckily, it only affected my left leg/foot. I had several surgeries, the last one when I was eight. I don't have the neurological issues anymore, but I've had several reconstructive surgeries since then."
Resilience and persistence have characterized Evans' career as well, with an output of more than 30 albums as a leader on top of his work with

The Bad Plus
band / ensemble / orchestrab.2000
Track Listing
Dislocation Blues; Sunday in New York; All That I Am; Blues in the Night; Hymn; Save the Children; Overjoyed; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; If.
Personnel
Orrin Evans
pianoJosh Lawrence
trumpetTodd Bashore
saxophone, altoCaleb Wheeler Curtis
saxophoneDavid Gibson
tromboneReggie Watkins
tromboneVicente Archer
bassMadison Rast
bassAnthony Tidd
bassAnwar Marshall
drumsMark Whitfield, Jr.
drumsSean Jones
trumpetNicholas Payton
trumpetJesse Fischer
keyboardsLisa Fischer
vocalsBilal
vocalsJoanna Pascale
vocalsPaul Jost
vocalsAlbum information
Title: Walk A Mile In My Shoe | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Imani / 88 Keys Productions
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Orrin Evans Concerts
Jazz Jam W/ Orrin Evans Featuring Peter Rushing (tribute...
World Cafe LivePhiladelphia, PA

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY

Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY
Support All About Jazz
