Evan Christopher

Evan Christopher is, at the age of 32, a refreshingly bright new light on the national and international jazz scene. He combines, virtuosity, immaculate taste and the youthful resources of energy and enthusiasm with a deep commitment to capturing the full range of musical possibilities that come from having strong roots in the idioms of early Jazz and the Creole clarinet style.

Christopher was born in Long Beach, California and began his musical training on clarinet at the age of 11. In high school, he was a recipient of the Louis Armstrong National Jazz Award and was one of the first graduates of the prestigious Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts. He continued his studies at the University of Southern California on music scholarships and graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in music from California State University, Long Beach.

After working, touring and recording with various bands and artists in California, Christopher moved to New Orleans where he rapidly made a name for himself. He became in great demand, appearing with top musicians as stylistically varied as veterans of Preservation Hall and Al Hirt to funk and brass bands like the Nightcrawlers and Galactic, but, in 1996, he accepted an offer to join the renowned Jim Cullum Jazz Band in San Antonio, Texas. During his three year stint with this band, he made regular national radio broadcasts as their featured clarinetist on their National Public Radio show: Riverwalk: Live from the Landing and accompanied artists such as Dick Hyman, William Warfield, and Topsy Chapman. This Side of Evan (1998) is among the many CD's he has recorded under his own name and also as a guest artist for bands in New Orleans, Texas and California.

Having returned to New Orleans in 2001, Christopher has established himself as an important part of the Crescent City music scene. He has had research on the New Orleans clarinet style published and appears frequently with New Orleans musicians in the U.S. and Europe. In 2002, New Orleans Magazine included him among their annual "Jazz All-Stars" as an artist to watch. In that same year, Christopher teamed with STR Digital Records artist and piano virtuoso Tom McDermott to record Danza, a duo record that explores the early musical influences that led to the development of jazz. Danza was named one of the top releases of the 2002 by The Times-Picayune, Gambit Weekly and OffBEAT Magazine and has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered.