Evan Harris is a New York-based saxophonist whose passion for jazz has informed his “vividly evocative” (Words About Music) sound on the saxophone.
Evan leads his own ensemble, the Evan Harris Quintet, which performs his original compositions, drawing inspiration from the panoramas and cityscapes that have shaped his recent past. The compositions themselves are “cinematic in feel” (Jazz in Europe) and architectural, “painting the sun rising over the jagged line of the city’s skyscrapers” (Words About Music). The Evan Harris Quintet has appeared in New York, as a headline act at the 2019 DC Jazz Festival, and across Australia for a national album launch tour, presenting Evan’s debut album Skylines. Skylines garnered three nominations for the 2018 Australian Jazz Bell Awards; Best Instrumental Jazz Album, Best Produced Album and Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Evan has established himself with performance credits ranging from Miguel Zenon’s Identities are Changeable to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Wynton Marsalis Quintet. At the formative age of 31, Evan has been acknowledged with accolades including the title of 2018 Young Australian Jazz Musician of the Year, a grant from the Arts Council of Australia, and the Gerry and Franca Mulligan Scholarship. Evan holds a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma (both in Jazz Studies) from The Juilliard School, and the William Schuman Prize, which recognizes a graduate student of music for outstanding achievement and leadership. Evan maintains an active performance calendar locally in New York City at venues such as the Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Minton’s Playhouse, and Smalls Jazz Club, and has recently toured the US with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Songs We Love”.