David Evans began playing professionally in his native Alabama in his early teens, traveling and performing throughout the Southeast. A scholarship to Loyola University brought him to New Orleans where he quickly became a busy commercial and jazz musician, performing with Pete Fountain, B. B. King, Mose Allison, Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, Johnny Vidacovich, Luther Kent, Matt Lemmler, Johnny Mathis, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and many others.
From 1986 to 1994, David was musical director onboard the National Historic Landmark steamboat Delta Queen, performing with and managing his band, writing and arranging musical shows, and researching, creating and presenting special lecture/performances on different periods of American music for groups from The Smithsonian, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
Based in Portland since 1994, he has performed or recorded with Art Abrams, Dan Balmer, Phil Baker, Ed Bennett, Mel Brown, Steve Christofferson, Lynn Darroch, Dan Faehnle, Dave Frishberg, Jim Goodwin, Darrell Grant, Tom Grant, Carlton Jackson, Rebecca Kilgore, Nancy King, Joe La Barbera, Bob Magnusson, Shirley Nanette, Eddie Parente, Randy Porter, John Reitz, Jean Ronne, Andre St. James, Ron Steen, Todd Strait, Jay Thomas, Bobby Torres, Chris Tyle, Mike Wofford, Lee Wuthenow, Tall Jazz, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, Evergreen Saxophone Quartet and many others.
He has arranged music for recordings by Rebecca Kilgore, Retta Christie, Lynn Darroch, Johnny Martin, Eddie Parente, Armonica Gilford, Anandi Gefroh, Jonathan Swanson, Bill Hughes and others, arranged music for Mahalia Jackson’s 100th Birthday concert in New Orleans, and composed the theme music for the syndicated radio program “On the Road with Rebecca Kilgore.”
David’s CD “I Didn’t Know About You,” with Mike Wofford, Bob Magnusson and Joe La Barbera, was released nationally to excellent reviews. He is a featured soloist on the Sony/BMG release “Histoire D’un Amour” by French pop star Dany Brillant, and is a member of long standing in the Chuck Israels Orchestra, whose 2013 release “Second Wind” earned a 4½ star review in DownBeat. He can be heard on four CDs from ’20s revival band The Midnight Serenaders, two CDs from award-winning songwriter Martin Zarzar, the latest release from phenomenal singer Storm Large, and many other recordings from a variety of Northwest musicians.
David has taught at Marylhurst University, Western Oregon University, and at Lewis and Clark since ’04-’05.