Ian Ernest Gilmore "Gil" Evans (born Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He played an important role in the development of cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz and jazz fusion, and collaborated extensively with Miles Davis.

Early life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, his name was changed early on from Green to Evans, the name of his stepfather. His family moved to Stockton, California where he spent most of his youth. After 1946, he lived and worked primarily in New York City, living for many years at Westbeth Artists Community.

Career

Between 1941 and 1948, Evans worked as an arranger for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Evans' modest basement apartment behind a New York City Chinese laundry soon became a meeting place for musicians looking to develop new musical styles outside of the dominant bebop style of the day. Those present included the leading bebop performer, Charlie Parker, as well as Gerry Mulligan and John Carisi. In 1948, Evans, with Miles Davis, Mulligan, and others, collaborated on a band book for a nonet. These ensembles, larger than the trio-to-quintet "combos", but smaller than the "big bands" which were on the brink of economic inviability, allowed arrangers to have a larger pallette of colors by using French horns and tuba. Claude Thornhill had employed hornist John Graas in 1942, and composer-arranger Bob Graettinger had scored for horns and tubas with the Stan Kenton orchestra, but the "Kenton sound" was in the context of a dense orchestral wall of sound that Evans avoided.

Mark Egan (Born 1951 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bass guitarist and trumpeter, arguably best known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group from 1977 to 1980, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. He is co-founder of the jazz fusion band, Elements.

Biography

Egan has maintained a solo career, with three platinum and three gold albums to his credit, and has served as bandleader of his own ensembles to positive reviews. Egan has additionally played on soundtracks for film, and has kept busy as a session musician, often contributing his skills to many famous musicians, within a variety of genres.

Egan has recorded with Sting, Arcadia, Roger Daltrey and Joan Osborne, among others; performed with Marianne Faithfull, David Sanborn, John McLaughlin, and Sophie B. Hawkins. and has played on the soundtracks to such American television shows and movies as Aladdin, The Color of Money, A Chorus Line, NBC Sports, ABC's All My Children, "CNN/Headline News" and numerous television commercials. Egan continues to tour and record worldwide with his group as well as Elements, Bill Evans, Larry Coryell and various other artists.

Mark Egan (born 20 April 1966 in Athlone, County Westmeath) was an Irish rugby player who has played for Terenure College and Terenure College RFC. Egan graduated from Trinity College Dublin where he won three colours. He then went on to Oxford University (where he captained the Blues to a famous in the 1990 Varsity Match at Twickenham) and went from there to play rugby for Kobe Steel's team in Japan, now called Kobelco Steelers where he played in four consecutive championship winning sides until 1997. He was also a highly respected member of the Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club (KR&AC). Other notable rugby honours achieved by Egan were selection for Ireland U21s, Ireland U25s, Irish Universities, Connaught, selection for the British and Irish barbarians and Oxbridge.

Egan is now a senior executive at World Rugby based in Dublin, Ireland where he heads up the competitions and performance department

See also