Méva's Journal

Méva’s Journal is a fresh hard bop outfit in the Brisbane Jazz scene, modeled off of the late 50's/60's ‘hard bop’ ensembles. 

The band is led by Evan J. Evans, a Brisbane drummer currently studying a Bachelor in Jazz performance at the Jazz Music Institute, who has written all the music for the band. 

The music is based heavily in the early era of hard bop, taking heavy influence from more angular bebop composers like Thelonious Monk. The band features Tyger Middleton on Tenor Saxophone, Chris James on Alto Saxophone, Jordan Stitt on Piano and Alex Askew on Double Bass.

All members of the band attended the highly valued Jazz Music Institute in Brisbane Australia, Endorsed by Jazz at Lincoln Center's Wynton Marsalis. Learning through this institution gave the members opportunities to meet, play with and question many well known people from the Jazz scene all around the world, especially New York such as Marcus Printup, Vincent Gardner, Jerome Jennings, Eric Alexander, Sherman Irby and more.

Composer and leader of the band Evan J. Evans started music young, picking up guitar around age 5 and continuing that throughout High School playing with friends and writing music, after picking up the drums in his last year of High School, Evan fell in love with the sound of jazz and decided to move to Brisbane to be at JMI. It was here that he was given to tools to learn how to write authentically and true to the tradition of Jazz, taking from musicians and composers such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons and Freddie Redd, it was also here that he would meet who would become Méva's Journal.

The project started in mid 2023, playing a few shows at The Bearded Lady, Can You Keep a Secret? and JMI Live, then moving on to recording their debut album Chimera in July of 2024. The album was written to authentically fit in the tradition of early 60’s hard bop but still have a fresh originality that reflected the band as people, moving between suite-like ballads and hot up-tempo bop-like tunes, the album reflects Evan’s progression through Jazz as a student, musician and composer.

The band uses their individual musicians strengths and taste’s to make a classic sound feel new.

Gear

Drum kit

Upright bass

Piano

Tenor saxophone

Alto saxophone

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