Orrin Evans – piano
Sean Jones – trumpet
Marvin Smitty Smith – drums
Robert Hurst – bass
Gary Thomas – saxophone

During his kaleidoscopic quarter-century as a professional jazz musician, pianist Orrin Evans has become the model of a fiercely independent artist who pushes the envelope in all directions. Never supported by a major label, Evans has ascended to top-of-the-pyramid stature on his instrument, as affirmed by his #1-ranking as “Rising Star Pianist” in the 2018  DownBeat Critics Poll. Grammy nominations for the Smoke Sessions albums The Intangible Between and Presence, by Evans’ raucous, risk-friendly Captain Black Big Band, stamp his bona fides as a bandleader and composer. In addition to CBBB, Evans’ multifarious leader and collaborative projects include the Eubanks Evans Experience (a duo with eminent guitarist Kevin Eubanks); the Brazilian unit Terreno Comum; Evans’ working trio with bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Mark Whitfield, Jr.; and Tar Baby (a collective trio of 20 years standing with bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits). One of Tar Baby’s two 2022 releases will be released on Evans’ imprint, Imani Records, which he founded in 2001 and relaunched in 2018.

Music and spirituality have always been intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. Mr. Jones is a musical chameleon, comfortable in any musical setting no matter the role or genre. After a six-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis offered him a permanent position as lead trumpeter of the ensemble. Mr. Jones is an internationally recognized educator. He is president of the Jazz Education Network and holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore. As well as artistic Director for the NYO JAZZ Program of Carnegie Hall.

A prolific, constantly in-demand drummer whose sensitive, yet authoritative playing has been heard on dozens of sessions, Marvin “Smitty” Smith seems to live in the studio. A onetime Berklee student, he played with Jon Hendricks’ band in New York during the early ’80s, then worked with John Hicks, Bobby Watson, and Slide Hampton. Smith made his recording debut as a leader in 1987, and also recorded that year with Sonny Rollins and toured with Sting.

A Detroit native, Robert Hurst has enjoyed a stellar career spanning 30 years, and is a highly respected and well recognized composer, electric and acoustic bassist, educator, recording artist, and business man. Robert Hurst has performed on over 150 diverse and critically acclaimed recordings. A select group of these productions have garnered him performances yielding seven GRAMMY® Awards, several RIAA ® certified- Multi-Platinum and Gold recordings whilst his own seven recordings as a Bandleader have all generated Top Ten and Five Star recognition around the Globe.

Baltimore native, Saxophonist and flutist Gary Thomas established himself in the 1980s as one of the most jarring soloists of his generation. He currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. In addition to 11 recording dates as a leader, his work on more than 80 recordings as a featured sideman reflects his status as one of the most coveted saxophonists on the jazz scene today.