Sandy Evans
Saxophones, flute
Winner of the Inaugural Bell Award For Australian Jazz Musician of The Year 2003
Sandy Evans is recognised as one of the leading saxophonists (tenor and soprano) and composers in contemporary jazz in Australia. She leads the Sandy Evans Trio, and co-leads the internationally acclaimed Clarion Fracture Zone. She is a member of Ten Part Invention, The catholics, the Australian Art Orchestra, austraLYSIS, The Kristen Cornwell Quintet, Guy Strazzullo's Passionfruit and Kim Sanders and Friends. With percussionist Tony Lewis and koto player Satsuki Odamura, she co-leads the innovative world music trio Waratah. In 2004, together with composer Tony Gorman, Sandy launched a new 8 piece ensemble GEST8.
Sandy's composition Testimony about the life and music of Charlie Parker with poetry by the Pulitzer prize winning American poet Yusef Komunyakaa has been a highlight of her career in recent years. Testimony, commissioned originally by ABC Radio, was premiered by the Australian Art Orchestra in the Concert Hall at The Sydney Opera House for The Sydney Festival in January 2002.
Her project Sweet Freedom, a concert of Spirituals and Liberation Songs featuring Tina Harrod and Jackie Orszaczky premiered at the Sydney Opera House in 2003.
A favourite collaboration is the Bronson/Evans/Robson Quintet with outstanding Sydney saxophonists Andrew Robson and Edouard Bronson.
Sandy performs regularly in Sydney for The Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) at The Side On Cafe.
Sandy is an experienced teacher and heads a Jazz Improvisation Course for Young Women run by SIMA as well as teaching privately.
For many years Sandy was a member of the Bulgarian folk-jazz fusion group MARA! touring with them in Europe, Canada and Australia and appearing on the ARIA Award winning CD Ruino Vino. Recently, Sandy has been playing with Kim Sanders and Friends.
Sandy played in the award winning show, The Theft of Sita, touring with the company in Australia, America and Europe. This extraordinary collaboration between Balinese and Australian musicians and puppetteers was written and directed by Nigel Jamieson with music by Paul Grabowsky and I Gde Yudana.
In 2000, Sandy was seen by a worldwide television audience on the roof of the Sydney Opera House at the dawn of the new millenium playing Ross Edward's Dawn Mantras. She also performed at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Sydney.
You can visit Sandy's website at www.jazz-planet.com/sandy
The Band
- Stephen Magnusson
- Carl Dewhurst
- Alex Pertout
- Adrian Sherriff
- Lachlan Davidson
- Julien Wilson
- James Greening
- John O'Donnell
- John Rodgers
- Niko Schauble
- Paul Cutlan
- Paul Grabowsky
- Elliott Dalgleish
- Philip Rex
- Phillip Slater
- Sandy Evans
- Scott Tinkler
- Vanessa Tomlinson
- Simon Barker
- Alister Spence
- Tony Hicks
- Eugene Ball
- Erkki Veltheim
