Biography
Pianist Falkner Evans grew up in Oklahoma and first felt drawn to music after hearing a Beatles record in childhood. Drums became his initial instrument when he began playing them in fifth grade, and the following year he launched the Mustangs, whose biggest moment arrived when the group opened a show for Conway Twitty. In tenth grade Evans turned to piano and started the Spring River Band, whose repertoire followed the rock approach of Bob Dylan and the Band. After finishing high school he joined Tulsa’s local outfit Friends, then formed his own professional ensemble, the Edge Band, which later became Essence and gradually matured into a jazz group. Early in the 1980s Evans accepted an invitation to spend four years with Asleep at the Wheel, appearing on their album Asleep at the Wheel. He departed in 1985 and relocated to New York, where club work as a jazz pianist occupied his time. With bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Matt Wilson he assembled the Falkner Evans Trio; the three musicians recorded Level Playing Field in May 2000, and Metropolitan Records issued the album in July 2002. Their next project, Climbing the Gates, was captured in September 2002 and released by CAP Records in 2006.
Albums
