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The Charles Evans/Neil Shah duo represents a culmination of a longstanding musical partnership. The duo’s new CD, “Live at St. Stephens,” a baritone saxophone/piano recording of chromatic and introspective music, will be released December 1, 2009 on Hot Cup Records (Mostly Other People Do the Killing).

One technique implemented by the Charles Evans/Neil Shah duo is economy of improvisation over dense harmonies. Despite stated jazz influences and predecessors, this music is genre-nonspecific and organically evolves in equal parts from various musical traditions. The combination of modern poly-chordal jazz harmonies, 20^th century classical techniques and free improvisation demonstrate the duo's ability to transcend traditional art music genres, as well as the versatility of Evans' compositions. Shah presents poly-chords, traditionally non-programmatic, with the subtlest dynamic, creating a sonic landscape that drips with genuine introspective love. Evans' role in the dialog is a mastery of the difficult altissimo register of the baritone, utilizing a large tone and wide vibrato. This is countered with the use of freely associated triads and chromatic lines in polyphonic improvisation. Quartertones, notes existing between the traditional 12-note temperament, can be heard via Evans' baritone quite often, in both improvisation and composition. The listener may even catch strict 12-tone writing supplied by Evans, countered by masterful tonal and atonal piano cadenzas improvised by Shah.