Saxophonist Bill Evans, who helped shape Miles Davis' landmark 1980s comeback, returns to Australia for the first time in over 25 years, touring with drummer Keith Carlock, bassist Pablo Contreras and keyboardist George Whitty.
This October, Bill Evans is bringing his VansBand Allstars to Australia for a run of dates that jazz lovers, musicians and anyone who knows the weight of that Miles Davis lineage won’t want to miss.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
Evans joined Davis’ band in the early 1980s and quickly became a central figure in the trumpeter’s celebrated resurgence, performing on landmark releases including The Man With The Horn, We Want Miles, Star People and Decoy. He was also instrumental in assembling the era’s remarkable lineup, bringing in Marcus Miller, Mike Stern and John Scofield. Since then, his career has taken in collaborations with Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger and The Allman Brothers Band, alongside a prolific solo catalogue of 27 albums – including the Grammy-nominated Soulgrass, a bold fusion of jazz and bluegrass featuring Béla Fleck, Sam Bush and Bruce Hornsby.
Evans is clearly ready for the return. “I haven’t been to Australia to tour in over 25 years, I’m excited!”
His all-star band is not an overstatement, with drummer Keith Carlock, bassist Pablo Contreras and keyboardist George Whitty. Carlock is known for his work with Steely Dan, Toto, Sting, John Mayer and James Taylor, and voted Best Pop, Fusion and All-Around Drummer in Modern Drummer’s 2009 Readers Poll, and Contreras is a first-place winner at New York’s International Solo Bass Competition and a personally invited member of Evans’ touring band since 2025. Whitty brings a resume that includes Santana, Herbie Hancock, the Brecker Brothers, Chaka Khan and Celine Dion, plus Grammy-winning productions and an Emmy for composition.
Together, the quartet promises an evening of soul, funk and neo-jazz from four players at the top of their craft.
Bill Evans tour dates:
- 1 October: The Concourse, Chatswood
- 2 October: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
- 3 October: The Gov, Adelaide
- 4 October: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
- 7 October: Astor Theatre, Perth
- 9 October: The Tivoli, Brisbane
- 11 October: Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Tickets are on sale now at gaevents.au.
