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Sandy Evans is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist and composer, celebrated for her profound impact on contemporary jazz and improvised music. With a career spanning four decades, she has been a foundational figure in Australia's jazz scene. Evans has played pivotal roles in ensembles like Clarion Fracture Zone, The catholics, Ten Part Invention, austraLYSIS, GEST8, Mara!, and the Australian Art Orchestra. Her award-winning trio, featuring Brett Hirst and Toby Hall, is just one of her current groundbreaking projects.

Evans began her musical journey playing classical flute, and quickly discovered she loved improvising. She began playing saxophone as a teenager. The 1980s saw her breaking new ground when her ensemble Women and Children First embarked on a seven-month Australian tour by bus. Their debut album featured a piece titled Climb which integrated jazz, free improvisation and chanting, foreshadowing her later fascination with world music. She was a founding member of John Pochee's Ten Part Invention, featuring in their debut performances at the Adelaide festival in 1986. She travelled to Europe and the US to perform and study before returning to Australia in 1988 when she formed Clarion Fracture Zone with Alister Spence and Tony Gorman. Their ARIA-winning debut album Blue Shift received critical acclaim for its innovative approach to jazz.

The 1990s were a defining decade for Evans, marked by pivotal collaborations and recognitions. She won the Mo Award for Female Jazz Performer of the Year in 1993 and joined notable ensembles like The catholics, Mara!, the Australian Art Orchestra and austraLYSIS. Her composition What This Love Can Do won the APRA Award for Jazz Composition of the Year in 1995.

As the new millennium dawned, Evans stood atop the sails of the Sydney Opera House for Ross Edwards' Dawn Mantras, broadcast to an estimated two billion viewers worldwide. Evans also performed at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Sydney with the innovative world music trio Waratah, featuring percussionist Tony Lewis and koto player Satsuki Odamura.

Evans continued to innovate, returning to the saxophone trio format with Toby Hall and Brendan Clarke. Her next major endeavour, Testimony, was based on Yusef Komunyakaa's poem about Charlie Parker. The project was commissioned by the ABC, broadcast in 1999, and premiered live at the Sydney Opera House in 2002, garnering international attention. Her involvement with the Australian Art Orchestra throughout the '90s and into the 2000s led to numerous influential recordings, including Passion, Into the Fire, Sita, Ruby's Story and The Chennai Sessions, showcasing her versatility and commitment to cross-cultural collaborations.

By 2015, Evans had contributed to over 55 recordings, including her septet's album When the Sky Cries Rainbows, which won the AIR Award for Best Independent Jazz CD in 2011.

Sandy has a keen interest in Indian classical music. In 2014 Sandy was awarded a PhD from Macquarie University for practice-based research in Carnatic Jazz Intercultural music. Her CD Cosmic Waves, featuring South Indian mridangam virtuoso Guru Karaikudi Mani and Sruthi Laya, is released in India on Underscore Records. Her tribute to Guru Karaikudi Mani Heart/Rhythm/Love was premiered at Melbourne Recital Centre in 2018.

Her deep appreciation for Indian classical music also fuelled Kapture, a collaboration with dancer Liz Lea, her trio, Bobby Singh and Sarangan Sriranganathan.

Bridge of Dreams was Evans' next large-scale collaboration with leading Hindustani singer Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh Pradhan, Sirens Big Band led by Jessica Dunn, Sudhir Nayak, and Bobby Singh.

This remarkable project premiered at the City Recital Hall to a sold out audience, as part of Sydney Festival in 2018.

Throughout her career, Evans has received numerous accolades, including the Order of Australia Medal, an Australia Council Fellowship, a Churchill Fellowship, a Bell Award for Australian Jazz Musician of the Year, and three ARIA Awards. In 2019, she was inducted into the Graeme Bell Hall of Fame.

Beyond performing and composing, Evans is a dedicated educator, having lectured at the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She is an advocate for gender diversity in jazz, having inaugurated the Young Women's Jazz Workshops and founded the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award to support young female jazz musicians.

Sandy Evans continues to perform at major jazz festivals, sharing the stage with international luminaries and inspiring audiences with her profound and innovative music.

Biography provided by the composer — current to August 2024