“What we play is life.”
Evan Gratham is one of the bussiest young jazz musicians around and has received national acclaim for his bass playing, composing, and arranging. Evan has worked steadily in the Vancouver, and now Toronto, music scenes since he was just 13 years old, earning a reputation of excellence and professionalism.
Still early in his career Evan has accomplishments on multiple fronts. Evan has just been announced as the recipient of the prestigious Hnatyshyn Foundation Oscar Peterson Jazz Performance Award. He has received multiple awards from the BC Arts Council, the National Arts Council Award for most outstanding jazz performer in Canada, and the Jazz Educators’ Network Top Canadian Jazz Musician Award. He has played on featured stages in the Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax jazz festivals. In addition to playing with many of his contemporary young artists he has performed with such established artists as Peter Bernstein, Tommy Banks, Mike Murley, Kirk MacDonald, Dick Oatts, etc. He has recorded numerous projects including recording on an album that hit #1 in the Canadian jazz charts,
Evan’s music is diverse and engaging. He’s rooted in the jazz tradition, but ultimately Evan strives to create truly human music. That is, music that draws upon our experiences and enriches all our lives through connecting with art and being present in the moment. No matter the instrumentation or specific style, his own aspiration for his playing is to make everyone’s lives a little better through music.