Eli Yamin, piano
Evan Christopher, clarinet
Celebrating the legacy of their heroes with original arrangements…
Sidney Bechet
Duke Ellington
Ella Fitzgerald
What makes these musicians unique and heroic?
What strategies did they use to overcome adversity?
How have they inspired generations?
Clarinetist, Evan Christopher combines virtuosity, immaculate taste, and enthusiasm with a deep commitment to exploring the full range of possibilities in the New Orleans Jazz tradition. Anchored in the musical vocabulary created by early Creole clarinetists such as Sidney Bechet, Omer Simeon, and Barney Bigard, he has created a highly personal brand of “contemporary early-jazz” that strives to extend the legacy of this unique clarinet style. Christopher’s journey on Clarinet Road began in 1994 when he left his native California for New Orleans to be a part of the country’s most important and historic music community. He worked with musicians as stylistically diverse as Al Hirt and veterans of Preservation Hall to funk and brass bands including the Nightcrawlers and Galactic, before leaving to join the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in San Antonio, Texas in 1996. For nearly three years, he appeared nightly as their featured clarinetist and recorded several of their syndicated radio programs, Riverwalk: Live from the Landing. ??Christopher returned to New Orleans to be an ambassador for the New Orleans clarinet style. Besides his own “Clarinet Road” series of CDs (STR Digital), he has recorded alongside New Orleans artists including Big Al Carson, Duke Heitger, Narvin Kimball, Uncle Lionel Battiste, and Tom McDermott. After the Federal levees failed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005, he traveled continuously and even based himself briefly in Paris at the invitation of the French government. During this artist-residency, he formed his current groups, the JazzTraditions PROJECT and Django à la Créole . The latter, fusing Gypsy Swing with New Orleans grooves and rhythms of le monde Créole, released their debut CD, “Django à la Créole” in 2008. Their second outing, “Finesse ” (Frémeaux & Associés), was chosen for best jazz CD of 2010 in the Sunday Times, UK.
As a composer, his original songs are the high point of critically acclaimed CDs such as “Delta Bound ” (Arbors, 2007) featuring pianist Dick Hyman, “The Remembering Song ” (Arbors, 2010) featuring guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and the Grammy-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s “Book One.” In July 2010, he had the honor to debut his “Treat It Gentle Suite,” the first concerto written for clarinet and jazz band in the New Orleans style, with the Minnesota Orchestra.?? Mr. Christopher began his musical training on clarinet at age 11. In high school, he received the Louis Armstrong National Jazz Award and was one of the first graduates of the prestigious Idyllwild Arts Academy. He continued studies at the University of Southern California and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach. Published research and presentations on the New Orleans clarinet style initiated pursuit of a Masters degree in Musicology at Tulane University.
Having returned to New Orleans in 2008, Christopher is an advocate for the cultural workforce and jazz-based music education. He even taught part-time at the University of New Orleans where he coached a “New Orleans Music Ensemble” that performed with guest mentors such as Lucien Barbarin and Marcus Roberts. When not touring, he appears as as a guest with groups such as the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and is a charter member of jazz composer guild, NOLA ArtHouse Music . On television, Evan appears on the HBO series, Treme.
Eli Yamin is a jazz and blues pianist, producer, educator and Steinway artist. His recent CD I Feel So Glad with The Eli Yamin Blues Band features classics like “Hound Dog” and “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” and the first commercial release of Eli’s anthem, “A Healing Song.” Originally written for Message From Saturn, the jazz musical, Eli has performed “A Healing Song” all over the world in several languages. Eli has performed and taught at the Obama White House and at top concert halls and festivals in Western Europe and the United States and in Brazil, Chile, Mali, India, China and the Balkans as a cultural ambassador touring on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. He co-founded The Jazz Drama Program, which creates original jazz musicals for children to perform for their peers. He is head of instruction at the Middle School Jazz Academy and training specialist at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Eli teaches jazz worldwide to business leaders, middle school students, K-12 teachers, college professors and performing artists and feels that “teaching and learning jazz should feel as creative as playing it.” He is a member of the Fordham Consortium and a consultant for the National Endowment For The Arts and WBGO Radio. Eli’s five jazz musicals for children have been performed for thousands by hundreds of young people. They include Message From Saturn, about the healing power of the blues and Nora’s Ark, a modern retelling of the biblical tale. The CD of Nora’s Ark, the jazz musical by Eli Yamin and Clifford Carlson was released in 2010 and features the Eli Yamin Quintet and the Grammy Award Winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy. Holding the Torch for Liberty, the jazz musical about the women’s suffrage movement has just been released and features Eli’s band with Evan Christopher on clarinet and Sara Caswell, violin as well as singers from Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music. Eli has played and taught with Barry Harris, Walter Perkins, Illinois Jacquet, and Wynton Marsalis. He currently performs with The Eli Yamin Blues Band with Kate McGarry, voice, Bob Stewart, tuba and LaFrae Sci, drums, The Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet with Ari Roland, bass, Zaid Nasser on saxophone, LaFrae Sci, drums and in partnership with clarinetist Evan Christopher. Eli holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Lehman College, City University of New York and lives with his wife, Lorraine, and 7-year old daughter, Manika, in New York City.
