BIO | Evan Sherman

American drummer, bandleader, and arranger Evan Sherman (b.1993) has recorded and toured internationally in the bands of Ron Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars & Samara Joy.

Sherman grew up in New Jersey, starting on the drum set at age 5 and playing professionally by age 13. He has performed on four continents at renowned venues such as the Kennedy Center, Village Vanguard, Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Palau De La Música (Barcelona), Tchaikovsky Hall (Moscow), and numerous international jazz festivals including Newport, Detroit, Caramoor, Vail, St. Lucia, Mexico City, Jerusalem, and Dnieper (Ukraine).

In 2014, Sherman founded the Evan Sherman Big Band, a 16-piece ensemble of New York’s finest rising stars and veterans, which has headlined at Lincoln Center, Blue Note, Birdland, Rainbow Room, Perth International Arts Festival (Australia), and featured guests Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, Johnny O’Neal & more. The big band recently recorded Duke Ellington’s Queen’s Suite for Queen Elizabeth II, in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Sherman has recorded 10+ albums as a sideman, a highlight of which is Masters Legacy Vol 2 with childhood collaborator, Emmet Cohen, and Ron Carter. Critics cited Sherman as “a beacon of taste”, “who, though in his mid-20's, plays here like an old master” (All About Jazz). In 2021, he released his debut quintet album as a leader, titled Sidewalkin’.

A passionate educator, Sherman teaches privately and has presented clinics in Canada, China, Doha, Israel, and throughout the US. He is music director of Jazz for Jennings, an annual benefit created by drum legend Max Roach and the late ABC world news journalist, Peter Jennings. Sherman proudly endorses Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Drum Sticks, and Prologix Drum Pads.