| Jazz moderne |
Oscar Evans – Sound Permutations: A Daring, Joyful Conversation With Himself
What happens when a musician improvises with himself? That is the question Canadian multi-instrumentalist Oscar Evans asked when he walked into a studio in Kingston, Ontario, and the answer, Sound Permutations, is one of the most exciting and original jazz records of the year. Released independently on September 5, 2026, as a digital album and as a double vinyl, it offers twelve fully improvised pieces, six acoustic and six electric, on which Evans plays everything himself: upright and electric bass, drums, trumpet and effects. It is bold, playful, surprisingly melodic, and a real discovery. We love it.
The method behind the album is as fascinating as the music. Evans did not simply overdub parts on a finished idea. He played freely on one instrument for a few minutes, then moved to the next and listened back to what he had just played only through his headphones while recording the following layer. Drums first, then bass reacting to the drums, then trumpet answering both. Nothing was prepared and nothing was heard in advance as a whole, which means that each piece is a real conversation between three instruments played by one person, each layer responding in the moment to the one before. The result has the spontaneity of a band that listens closely, together with the unity that only one mind can bring.
Oscar went into the studio with a deliberately experimental mindset, wanting to create as many pieces as possible, moving from one instrument to the next straight after each take. The recording took place at Longshot Records in Kingston, with engineer Matt Baetz, in two sessions, the acoustic one in July 2025 and the electric one in November 2025.
Two records, two worlds: The double vinyl is clearly divided, and that is part of its charm.
The acoustic record (sides A and B) is built on upright bass, drums and trumpet. It sits closer to the jazz tradition but with a free, provocative edge: “Crab Fight”, “Who’s There?”, “Goose”, “Twist and Turn”, “Dark and Stormy” and “Daylight”. The titles alone tell you about the humour and the imagination at work. “Who’s There?”, “Dark and Stormy” and “Daylight” are especially worth hearing. This is, frankly, an excellent first disc in this 2LP set, one that could serve as a source of inspiration for many jazz bands whose own original compositions fall short of the level Oscar demonstrates here.
The electric record (sides C and D) is punchier and more daring. With electric bass, drums, trumpet and sound-altering effects, Evans moves toward psychedelic rock, funk, avant-garde jazz and even dance beats. “Slow Down”, “Miles” (a title that can hardly be accidental for a trumpet player who grew up listening to Davis), “The Space Race”, “Not kool”, “Storm the Gates” and “3 A.M.” make a sonic journey that is by turns hypnotic, muscular and wild. “The Space Race”, barely two minutes long, is a compact burst of energy, while “Storm the Gates” is the longest piece of the album at over seven minutes, a real expedition.
With a total of more than sixty-six minutes, the album is generous and the split into two separate discs gives each LP and each side its own character: you can choose a mood or listen to the whole thing as a journey from the familiar to the unexpected.
Free improvisation can sometimes be hard to follow. Here it never is. Evans has a strong sense of melody and groove, and it is what makes the music so warm and accessible: even at its most adventurous, there is a pulse to hold on to and a tune to hum. The trumpet sings with a clean, expressive sound, the bass is round and rhythmic, and the drumming has both energy and wit. Everything is recorded with clarity, so that each layer has its own space, and the vinyl format suits this kind of music perfectly.
Oscar Evans, born into a musical family in Kingston, is only twenty-six, but he already has a remarkable path. He studied jazz at Humber College, plays regularly with groups such as Miranda Ceara and the Odd Fellows Orchestra and the Goat Steppers, and has released two albums of standards in 2025 (Library Sessions on trumpet and Live at Hotel Wolfe Island on bass) as well as the Gotta Start Somewhere EP of original compositions. He lost his sight in adolescence, and turned to music with even more determination, learning several instruments as a way of understanding music and musicianship from the inside. This album shows what that curiosity can produce.
What impresses us most is his attitude. In an interview earlier this year, Evans explained that what matters most to him is not showing off on several instruments, but writing music that people want to talk about, music that makes them say “I dig your music”. Sound Permutations does exactly that. It shows an artist who masters his instruments and then uses that mastery to take risks, with generosity and a sense of fun.
Oscar has more on the way, including an album of original compositions called Vibration Society, recorded with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, and a project with the Isabel Bader Centre’s IMAGINE Arts Incubator, in which he improvises with musicians who play blindfolded. We will be following him very closely.
Sound Permutations is an inventive, joyful, perfectly paced record: free jazz that welcomes the listener rather than keeping them at a distance. And when I consider that all of this is the work of a single musician—who is blind, no less—I can’t help but applaud again and again, before treating myself to a second listen of these two vinyl records. It is an album so astonishing and so beautiful that young Oscar deserves nothing less than a standing ovation!
A great calling card for a young musician who has plenty to say, and a wonderful object on vinyl. A MUST!
Frankie Pfeiffer
Editor in chief – PARIS-MOVE
PARIS-MOVE, October 24th, 2026
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Tracklisting:
Vinyl 1: Acoustic Sound Permutations (Sides A and B)
- Crab Fight
- Who’s There?
- Goose
- Twist and Turn
- Dark and Stormy
- Daylight
Vinyl 2: Electric Sound Permutations (Sides C and D)
- Slow Down
- Miles
- The Space Race
- Not kool
- Storm the Gates
- 3 A.M.
Recorded at Longshot Records in Kingston, Ontario
All pieces fully improvised by Oscar Evans.
All instruments performed by Oscar Evans: Upright bass (tracks 1-6), electric bass (tracks 7-12), drums, trumpet and effects.
Acoustic Sound Permutations:
Engineered by Matt Baetz
Mixed and mastered by Jeff Elliott (Fedge)
Recorded July 13, 2025
Electric Sound Permutations:
Engineered and mixed by Matt Baetz
Mastered by Jeff Elliott (Fedge)
Recorded November 9, 2025