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I’m happy to bring you an interview with the principal trombonist of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and my friend, Jay Evans. Jay is one of the most laid back people you’ll ever meet, but he’s got a ton of great advice and thoughts to share during our conversation.

Here are a few things I thought were interesting from our discussion:

 

You Never Know Who Will Hire You

Jay mentions that he began playing with the Grand Teton Music Festival many years ago because of a phone call he received from his good friend Roger Oyster (Roger is the principal trombonist of the Kansas City Symphony). Roger thought enough of Jay’s playing and personality in the times they had played together that he wanted to offer a great opportunity for Jay to perform with that amazing music festival orchestra. You never know what people will be the reason you are offered an opportunity, so it’s important to make sure to make a great impression with your playing and personality as often as you can.

 

Always Look For Ways To Grow

Jay discussed how he is constantly looking for ways to grow in his life. Whether he’s considering ways in which he could be more efficient in his musical practice, or he’s pushing himself to set new personal records when exercising, he’s never satisfied with the status quo. Many successful people speak of their need to find growth opportunities for themselves, and Jay is no exception.

 

There Is No “Correct” Path

Jay’s road to being in the Alabama Symphony is a winding road, to put it mildly. From his time with the Dallas Brass, to freelancing in New York and Chicago, it took him a little longer to find his way to his current place in life. While most people would find it stressful to not know when they were going to “arrive” at their desired destination, Jay had a different approach. His goal was simply to try and be involved with music in some way, every day. Fortunately for him, this goal was something he could achieve every day by simply practicing his instrument!

 

I hope you enjoy the conversation between Jay and I. If you do, please consider sharing on social media so others can find it and enjoy it as well! Here are a few links that might be of interest:

Jay Evans bio – Alabama Symphony Orchestra

Grand Teton Music Festival

Triathlon (Just in case our explanation didn’t make sense)

The Joe Rogan podcast with David Goggins (I basically got most of the info wrong. Either way, do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast episode too. It’s amazing.)

 

Here’s a Spotify playlist of music Jay likes to listen to. There’s some big band stuff and some music he listens to when he runs/exercises:

Jay Evans – ep. 30