As the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra progressed in its search for a new artistic director, the band’s first full-scale leadership turnover in its 31-year history, SRJO board President Susan Colligan approached retiring Artistic Director Michael Brockman to ask a question that any artist should be lucky to answer: “What do you want your legacy to be?”
Brockman cofounded the 17-piece big band with drummer and Garfield High School band director Clarence Acox back in 1995. The two of them have been the group’s only ADs. Acox’s Seattle legacy is obvious: education. As for Brockman, he told Colligan that he wants to be remembered for “the continuation of the band.”
Three finalists for the AD position emerged last year. They each arranged and performed full concerts with the band over the last seven months. After what Colligan called a “rigorous decision,” SRJO announced today that the new AD will be pianist Orrin Evans, a mover and shaker on the national jazz scene — thrice Grammy-nominated for his work directing the Captain Black Big Band — who excitedly said, via phone, that he has “already started arranging for SRJO.”
Born in Trenton, N.J., and raised in Philadelphia, Evans is a rhythmically versatile pianist whose style bridges the gap between traditional and modern jazz, not to mention ragtime, bebop, bossa nova, swing and so on. A prolific educator and community builder back East, Evans was awarded a Pew Fellowship for the Arts in 2010. His current projects include the Captain Black Big Band, postbop trio Tarbaby and Brazilian jazz quintet Terreno Comun, among others. He also replaced pianist Ethan Iverson in KNKX favorite The Bad Plus for four years, leaving in 2021.
With such a full plate, one naturally wonders where SRJO slots in.
“The people around me didn’t seem to think I’d do it,” said Evans, recalling the day last year when another musician told him about the SRJO posting. “The reality is, that’s something I’m totally intrigued by. The opportunity to build an organization, to run a band.”
Evans was doubly attracted by the location. A devoted East Coaster in his early career, he’d met some Seattle musicians at an Iowa jazz workshop around 2010, after which he received invitations to record with Origin Records (Human Spirit’s “Dialogue”) and perform at the (sadly) now-defunct Ballard Jazz Festival. This began a continued touring presence in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a cross-country recording pollination with Seattle musicians like trumpeter Thomas Marriott and bassist Michael Glynn.
“Every time I come out to Seattle,” said Evans, “I meet new musicians. The beautiful thing about playing music, and about life, is we all evolve. I’m used to playing in my hometown. I’m excited to go out and see some new things. The idea of the unknown is what intrigues me the most.”
Evans channeled this spirit of the unknown during his SRJO audition concert in April, when he chose to perform compositions from the Afrofuturist bandleader Sun Ra. Asked for his reasoning behind the selection, Evans replied, “The quick answer is, to normalize the choice.”
Evans said that he will continue to work with his other groups, including the Captain Black Big Band, as he brings SRJO into his musical universe. “The Captain Black Big Band will always exist,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll find some new members in SRJO. And maybe we can all merge and do some things. It’s going to be amazing, to see how those two entities go. That’s what I’ll spend the summer doing, mapping out how I’m going to do it all. But I’m looking forward to it.”
As for decisions on SRJO personnel, Evans said, “My goal is not to put anybody into shock. Some things may change based on how I think about rehearsal schedules and guest artists. But ultimately, my goal is to make sure that the integrity and legacy of SRJO is maintained, and slowly get everyone into knowing Orrin Evans, and what I can bring.”
SRJO holds its last concerts of the 2025-26 season on May 30 and 31 at the Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya. The shows feature guest artist Christian McBride — a bassist with ample Seattle ties — and will include a farewell to Brockman. Evans, who said he’s already begun looking for housing in the Seattle area, will take the reins heading into the 2026-27 season, which begins in the fall. Season memberships for that season will go on sale this summer at SRJO.org.
“I really want to plant my flag there,” Evans said of Seattle. “Philly is where I’m from, and my family is here. But my wife and I are into being bicoastal.” As for the music he’s already preparing, Evans didn’t specify a direction, but he’s clearly off to the races.
“I’ll be honest,” he said, “there’s some fear that comes with a new band. I hope that everybody loves it. Or, let me reframe that. I hope that everyone allows themselves to try it.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yakimaherald.com ’
