Jazz Takes: Lisa Fischer & Orrin Evans

This enlightening installment of Jazz Takes features the remarkable singer Ms. Lisa Fischer and pianist and composer Orrin Evans, speaking from the Miner Auditorium stage on a range of topics including the best time of day to perform, the acapella group tradition, the philosophy behind musicians’ fashion choices, and deep thoughts on side dishes.

Fischer and Evans performed together during for the SFJAZZ 2025-26 Season, and their December 5, 2025 concert is available on-demand here.

ABOUT LISA FISCHER & ORRIN EVANS

“Hers is a voice so big and so spine-tinglingly beautiful that on a nightly basis it does the near impossible” (The Guardian). The two-time GRAMMY winner and 25-year collaborator with the Rolling Stones joined forces with acclaimed pianist and composer Orrin Evans and his outstanding trio for a week devoted to the classic Philly Soul sound of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

ABOUT MS. LISA FISCHER
A favorite at SFJAZZ, Fischer made a standout appearance in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom and has enjoyed a highly successful solo career while performing for over two decades with both the Rolling Stones and soul giant Luther Vandross. She won a GRAMMY for her standout track “How Can I Ease the Pain” from her 1991 album So Intense and has toured with artists ranging from Tina Turner, Gregory Porter, and Chris Botti to Sting and industrial rock juggernaut Nine Inch Nails.

ABOUT ORRIN EVANS
Carrying on the proud tradition of masterful Philadelphia keyboardists, Orrin Evans is “jazz’s most resourceful and invigorating contemporary pianist” (The New York Times). After studies with fellow Philadelphian Kenny Barron at Rutgers University, he parlayed his sideman stints with Bobby Watson, Branford Marsalis and Ralph Peterson Jr. into a superlative career as a composer and bandleader. He leads the Captain Black Big Band and co-leads the trio Tarbaby, and served a three-year stint with The Bad Plus starting in 2017.