Building on back-to-back Grammy nominations for its Smoke Sessions albums Presence (2018) and The Intangible Between (2020), the Captain Black Big Band returns with Walk a Mile in My Shoe: a set that embodies the CBBB’s infectious community spirit like no other. Led by the acclaimed pianist Orrin Evans and packed with estimable talent from Evans’ orbit in Philadelphia and New York, the CBBB expands its concept on Walk a Mile in My Shoe to include collaborations with four extraordinary vocal talents: Lisa Fischer (“Blues in the Night,” “Overjoyed”), Bilal (“All That I Am,” “Save the Children”), Paul Jost (“Dislocation Blues,” “If”) and Joanna Pascale (“Sunday in New York”).

Walk a Mile in My Shoe, in the singular, is a reference to a malformation of the left foot that Evans has lived with from birth. “I walk with a cane because I was born with neurofibromatosis,” he states. “This is what the ‘Elephant Man’ had, but luckily it only affected my left leg/foot. I had several surgeries, the last one when I was eight. I don’t have the neurological issues anymore, but I’ve had several reconstructive surgeries since then. My musical journey is closely connected to my medical journey, and this record is me opening the door into what I’ve lived with for years.”

Pictured on the album are some of the special shoes Evans needed to wear, each a vivid reminder of his condition and its impact on his early childhood. But there’s a larger point with Walk a Mile in My Shoe: it’s about feeling worthy, about taking ownership of the journey and doing things without waiting for the “perfect” time. Such was the motivation to release Walk a Mile, sooner rather than later, on Imani Records, Evans’ own flagship label since the early 2000s. The pianist’s deep love for Smoke Sessions Records remains—wryly epitomized by trombonist David Gibson’s affecting horn choir arrangement of Jerome Kern’s “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” to close out the album.

“We’re getting a little older,” muses Evans, “and I started thinking about it. How Phyllis Hyman didn’t make it to my age. Charlie Parker and Jesus didn’t make it to my age, you know? So it’s about taking that walk regardless, and walking with your head held high with pride that you deserve everything that you’ve worked for.”

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LABEL: Imani Records

ALBUM: walk a mile in my shoe

RELEASE DATE: August 16, 2024

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