Since the late '90s, George Evans has been one of Canada's top ballad singers. He swings pieces lightly and improvises while paying respect to the lyricist and composer's original intent. Because his parents were in the opera world, Evans heard a lot of classical music as a youth, along with the scores of many Broadway shows. He played trombone for nine years and in college decided to settle on singing, learning as many standards as he could. Inspired by Mel Tormé, Johnny Hartman, and Billy Eckstine, Evans developed his own approach to jazz vocalizing. While attending the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati in the early '80s, he majored in musical theater. It took him some time, but when he was in his late twenties Evans knew that he was going to be a professional singer. Evans performed in New York in 1990, moved to Montreal in 1992, and settled in Toronto in 1999. He has had a wide-ranging life, working as a music archivist; a jazz journalist; and on radio; touring with the Three Crooners; producing compilation records; and recording six CDs of his own for the M-Swing and Maximum Jazz labels. ~ Scott Yanow