Orrin Evans is a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader well-versed in hard and post-bop, neo soul, and R&B. He is also a first-call sideman. He has released dozens of albums in various settings under his own name, including 2001's Blessed Ones and 2010's Faith in Action, he also leads, tours, and records with the bands Tarbaby and the Captain Black Big Band. The former's 2013 outing Ballad of Sam Langford has been heralded as a hallmark of vanguard jazz, while 2015's trio outing, The Evolution of Oneself, is regarded as one of that year's best albums. In 2018, Evans joined the Bad Plus, issuing two albums with the group before leaving in 2021. His quartet offering, The Magic of Now, followed in July.