Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
Adison Evans is a baritone saxophone, bass clarinet and flute player. She’s also an accomplished composer. With the release of this recording, she continues her journey of jazz. In 2014, Adison Evans brought two and a half busy years of touring with Beyoncé and Jay Z to an end and began her independent journey as a solo artist. She felt she needed a break from the demands of touring that come from performing on-the-road with two very public, very popular artists. When the tour concluded, this talented female saxophonist passed up the opportunity of returning to New York City and decided she’d relocate to Europe. Her choice led her to Asciano, a small countryside village located on a hillside just outside of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. Then, in 2016, she released her debut album titled, “Hero”. On this, her follow-up recording, she continues her pursuit of expression using her reed instruments and her penchant for composing. It took a change of pace to produce this album of nine songs. Once settled into her Italian village farmhouse, she found peace and inspiration by staring at the rolling hillsides, soaking up the morning fog and enjoying a village bursting with nature gifts. Her composition, “Owl People” reflects her musical connection to the natural beauty of her surroundings. It’s both melodic and full of rhythm-licks that Jeremy Smith and Roberto Giaquinto accentuate on drums and percussion. Adison Evans’ silky-smooth tone on her baritone sax is both beautiful and comforting. This particular original composition made me sit-up and really take note of her playing and her composing talents. Troy Roberts, co-producer of this project, is stellar on tenor saxophone. He sounds like birds taking flight. Mat JodrelI, an outstanding trumpeter and flugelhorn player, also elevates this tune with his soaring talents. “Prelude and Fugue in D Minor – The Plunge,” is a lovely mix of classical technique, brightly showcased by Silvano Monasterios on piano. The classical music melts into straight-ahead jazz like fresh churned butter on hot toast. As a Julliard graduate, Adison Evans reflects her classical training in this original composition. It’s very beautiful. There is something haunting and sensitive about Evan’s talent that is reflected each time she picks up the baritone saxophone or her bass clarinet. It’s not just her technique. There’s a richness to her playing and an honesty that creeps from her horn and touches me. On Henry Mancini’s “Two for the Road” she glows like a full moon on a dark night. Troy Roberts has arranged this tune and gives Joseph Lepore an opportunity to share an improvisational solo on his bass instrument. Roberts and Evans play horn-tag on the ending. Troy Roberts has co-written several of the compositions on this recording. The title of this work of art is “Meridian” which translates to a circle passing through the celestial poles and the zenith of a given place on this earth’s surface. As I listen to the Adison Evans project, I find peace and entertainment holding hands with her music. But she knows how to play it straight-ahead and gritty too. On “The Parking Song” she ups the tempo and splashes some East Coast energy onto the cool Tuscany hillsides. This tune sounds like a jazz jam session at Small’s Paradise in NYC. Everybody gets a piece of this song. When Adison Evans describes “Meridian” she explains:
“Meridian is a pathway in which vital energy flows within and radiates beyond, to the earth, the trees, to the sun, to each other. Everything is connected.”
You will enjoy a sweet connection between Evans, her creative spirit and the wonderful musicians who join her in the interpretation of her music and mindset.