Kai Ewans
Danish jazz reedist
Kai Peter Anthon Ewans (né Nielsen; 10 April 1906 – 4 April 1988) was a Danish and American jazz reedist.
Life and career
Music
Ewans was born in Hørsholm, Denmark in 1906. He played initially as a banjoist, but switched to saxophone in 1923 when he formed the Blues Jazz Band. The group disbanded in 1924, after which Ewans was with Valdemar Eiberg's ensemble from 1924 to 1926. He adopted the name Ewans in 1927, and led Denmark's first big band in 1927–1928, thereafter leading bands in Belgium and Germany through 1931. Following this he played with Bernard Etté, Kai Julian (1931–1932), and Erik Tuxen (1932–1936). He founded a new band including mostly musicians from Tuxen's ensemble in 1936, and recorded with Benny Carter that year. The band recorded in the 1940s. AllMusic wrote: "Ewans was a potent force behind the development of interest in jazz, and in particular in big band, swing-era-style music in Denmark. His bands were reportedly disciplined, well-rehearsed and enthusiastic outfits, reflecting the best qualities of the leader."
Business
The big band dissolved in 1947, and after this Ewans worked in business in the U.S., moving to California in 1956.
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This entry incorporates text from “Kai Ewans” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.