George Evans

From the late 1990s onward, George Evans has ranked among Canada's premier interpreters of ballads. His light swinging style incorporates improvisation that honors the intentions of both lyricists and composers. Exposure to classical music and Broadway scores marked his youth, owing to his parents' involvement in opera. After nine years playing trombone, he chose singing during college, where he absorbed numerous standards. Influences from Mel Tormé, Johnny Hartman, and Billy Eckstine shaped his distinctive jazz vocal approach. In the early 1980s, he pursued a major in musical theater at the College Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. By his late twenties, he had resolved to pursue singing professionally. His career path included a 1990 performance in New York, a 1992 relocation to Montreal, and a 1999 move to Toronto. Evans has pursued diverse roles as a music archivist, jazz journalist, radio contributor, member of the touring Three Crooners, producer of compilation records, and recording artist with six albums released on the M-Swing and Maximum Jazz labels.