The road leading to vocal jazz has been long and varied for Chicago based singer, Steve Evans. A boy soprano, Evans spent his childhood singing in front of the congregation. He was a classically trained vocalist throughout his teen years and as a student of the Interlochen Arts Academy, groomed for the Opera. This was not to be. Evans found the music too confining and believed his real passion lay in acting. The pursuit of this craft led him to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and from there to an apprenticeship with Russian theater icon George Schdanoff (co-creator of the Michael Chekhov technique). Fueled by the discipline of the Russian artists Evans sought out Slava Dolgechev, renowned director of the Moscow Art Theater, and spent three terms studying the work of Stanislavski with him. At about this time he happened into a small record store in the middle of nowhere and heard the classic album "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman" playing. Needless to say this music changed the course of his life.
In order to fully embrace the new world that was opening up for him he knew he would need a complete understanding of jazz theory,harmony, piano, and arranging. After being invited to study at both the Manhattan School of Music and The Berklee College of Music, he opted for the latter.
It turned out to be the right choice as he was offered the opportunity to spend two years along side of celebrated jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany as his chief instructor. After leaving Berklee Mr. Evans placed himself in the middle of Chicago’s thriving jazz scene and has been a mainstay ever since. In the already narrow field of male jazz vocalists Evans stands out. His choice of material, (Tom Waits, Nick Drake, Arto Lindsay, Van Morrison, Milton Nascimento, Benjamin Britten....) and tenor range along with strikingly original arrangements create a sound that is entirely unique.
Mr. Evans records for his own label, Kahshohu Records, and can also be heard on ESC Records out of Germany where lablemates include Joe Zawinul, Steve Khan, and Les McCann among others. Additionally, his music can be found on Italian based Schema records.
Steve currently divides his time between Chicago and London where his wife Gigi Buffington works with the Royal Shakespeare Company as a voice and text coach.