William John Evans was born on , in Plainfield, New Jersey. Although a jazz pianist from his youth, it wasn't until after military service in World War II that his jazz career began in earnest. Early on, he played with George Russell and Charles Mingus . His first solo recording, New Jazz Conceptions, was made in 1956, although he was playing regularly with a group led by clarinettist Tony Scott . While Evans's style at that time owed much...