Feb 12, 2026
Library of Congress Acquires Manuscripts of Jazz Musician Gil Evans
Archive Includes Jazz Orchestrator’s Collaborations With Miles Davis, Arrangements Spanning 40-Year Career

Lee Mergner Jazz Photograph Collection

“The Library of Congress has acquired the complete collection of music manuscripts of jazz bandleader, arranger, pianist and composer Gil Evans (1912-1988). Evans is widely remembered as one of the greatest orchestrators in the history of jazz – and is celebrated for his collaborations with legendary jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Evans was inducted into the Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986 and awarded the 1960 Grammy for Best Jazz Composition for “Sketches of Spain” (with Miles Davis), and a 1989 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for “Bud and Bird.”

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“It’s an honor and we are grateful that the Gil Evans hand-written scores, sketches and lead sheets have been placed at the Library of Congress, where his brilliant work will be preserved,” said Miles Evans, son of Gil Evans. “We are thrilled that scholars, researchers and musicians will be able to access his innovative masterpieces within the Music Division for generations to come.”

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This archive contains a vast collection of Evans’ compositions and arrangements, much of it in his own handwriting. The collection includes approximately 350 scores, 35 lead sheets, five music sketches and 50 instrumental parts for works Evans created for recording projects between 1947 and 1987. Lead sheets a condensed, single-staff musical notation that provides only the essential elements of a song.”

Gil Evans lived at Westbeth from 1970’s until his passing in 1988.
More Info at Library of Congress