Eric Evans QA & With

Who or what inspired you to make music? It started with my parents. My dad was a clarinet player; my mom played sousaphone/ tuba in high school. I listened to all types of music from classical jazz to even early rock. They had a great affection for jazz and they had quite the collection of Jazz albums.

When I was going into high school, they encouraged me to pick an instrument to learn. My parents said to me; “we don’t care what instrument you pick, but pick an instrument you’d like to learn and play.” Because of the influence of their extensive jazz album collection; listening to great flautist artists like Herbie Mann, Paul Horn, Bud Shank and Yusef Lateef. I loved the sound of flute and chose the flute.

My grandfather was a Band Director. He came over to our house and brought his clarinet. He also had an extra flute, showed me some sheet music and gave me my first flute lesson. It made a great impression on me.

I was also inspired by much of the emerging rock fusion/jazz. That was a part of the early ‘70s. because it combined the elements of both Jazz and Classical music. Flautists like Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, Thijs van Leer of the group Focus and Tim Weisberg

What is your creative process like? It varies… It could start with something that the band starts jamming on, a melody inspired by something in nature, a phrase I hear that has special meaning…. Creativity is all around me when I’m in tune…Collaboration is also key and David Eugene Ivey has been on integral part of that.. usually one of us will have an idea, and then the other will help finish it.. The true processes is spending time developing those ideas or what I call song sketches. Whether the creative spark comes from a jam, collabora- tion or another creative source, I begin the process. I work on it, and refine it until it reaches a point where I complete it or I’m able to handoff the final process of Engineering, production and mastering to be released.

What musical team of producers would you most like to collaborate with? I’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with some great engineers/producers, of late it has been Adam Hawley and the album Waves of Grace I coproduced engineering with Ralph Stover.

If I could choose anyone, I would love to work with engineer producer Ken Scott. He had has beginnings at Abbey Road under George Martin. He worked with the Beatles, Elton John, Supertramp and David Bowie. Scott was also influential in the evolution of jazz rock, pioneering through his work with artists such as Dixie Dregs, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, and Jeff Beck.

What is your favorite song to perform? Probably our most favorite songs to perform live is off the Waves of Grace album. The song, Shoreline Highway because of the groove and all the changes. The band loves it and audience always loves it too… even if they are hearing it for the first time.

Which famous musicians do you admire? Bob James - I love all the incredibly talented iconic artists he’s been able to collaborate with over the years. His song writing abilities. He’s still going strong at 83 years young. I appreciate how family is so very important to him.

Adam Hawley - much like Bob James except younger version. He’s having such an incredible impact right now Contemporary Jazz . There are times last year on the Billboard charts where not only his music was #1 or in the top 10 but several of the artist he’s producing were there too. Again he’s a great encourager. Family and faith our a priority and his wife Kat is a part of his online shows and live shows.

What’s the best music advise you’ve been given? Cecil Ramirez - who I met when we recorded Waves of Grace. He was an Incredible keyboardist, very gifted and an even better person. He was the one that really shared with me valuable contacts and who to reach out to you to promote the album Waves of Grace. I still look back at that time how important his advice and counsel was during that period of time and it’s amazing to me over a decade later that that album still receives airplay and recognition.

If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be and why? I would love to bring back the importance of physical product being released instead of downloads and streaming single songs. Dating myself here, but I loved the time you brought an album home and went through all the liner notes and listened to the whole album and it was a listening experience.

Walk us through a day in your life as an artist?

Dreaming, setting goals, practicing my flute, and continuing to work on and record the many new songs I have in my music pipeline. One of my most inspirational encouragers for my music was my Uncle Mike. Before he passed away unexpectantly late last year we were having dinner and he asked me to play all the songs I was working on. I have quite a few and at the end of the playlist he said ”Finish them!” I’m working hard to get them done in his honor!

What advice do you have for anyone starting in the music business? Make sure to always place your values and family first! Listen to successful artists that have joy in their approach and their crafts Learn the art of recording and production. Don’t be afraid to reach out to top caliber artists producers to collaborate with.

Do you remember your first musical recital?

Yes, I was an 8th grader junior high school. I had to play a recital before the whole class. At the time, I was taking lessons from the concert flautist in the San Diego Symphony. He helped me work really hard on a classical piece. I was encouraged at how it went. My music instructor told me how much my musicianship had grown and was inspiring!

When you write music where does your inspiration come from? I’m inspired by my faith. my beautiful wife Jennifer, and artists I’m blessed to collaborate alongside with. One of my greatest passions is music; it’s a universal language and impacts so many people. It’s easy to be inspired when it comes from the heart .

What’s the most important aspect of a song? Is it the melody, the groove, or the beat? In Contemporary Jazz it’s all the above. It’s kind of like in baking a cake. What’s your favorite ingredient in a cake? If you leave out an ingredient it doesn’t come out right. In a song, it’s melody, grooves and the beat.. this is why I think “Shoreline Highway”, (the title track) “Waves of Grace” and “Seaside” on my album Waves of Grace - have been so successful as they include all three items great melodies, great groove, and a great beat.