Evans, Gil (Ian Ernest Gilmore Green) 1912-88
Canadian jazz pianist, composer and arranger

Born in Toronto of Australian parents, he spent his childhood in Washington State and California, and was self-taught as a musician. His first influential work was done in the mid-1940s when, apart from three years' military service, he was principal arranger for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Although basically a dance orchestra, its use of french horns and tuba to create dense textures attracted the interest of young jazz performers. The result was a series of collaborations between Evans and Miles Davis, starting in the late 1940s, which led to the emergence of the 'cool jazz' style. As an arranger and conductor, Evans continued to collaborate with Davis until 1960, covering a very influential period in the trumpeter's career. Evans went on to lead and write for a range of groups until his death, and was one of the first modern jazz arrangers to use electronics and rock influences successfully in combination with the swing and bebop idioms.