Kai Peter Anthon Ewans (originally Nielsen), born on April 10, 1906 in Hørsholm, Denmark, was a Danish bandleader and jazz musician. Known as Kai Ewans, he began playing banjo but switched to saxophone in 1923 when he formed the Blues Jazz Band. After disbanding in 1924, Ewans joined Valdemar Eiberg's ensemble and later led Denmark’s first big band from 1927 to 1928. He subsequently led bands in Belgium and Germany through 1931, collaborating with notable musicians like Bernard Etté, Kai Julian, and Erik Tuxen. In 1936, Ewans founded a new band featuring musicians from Tuxen’s ensemble and recorded with Benny Carter. He can be heard on the compilations Swingtime and Den Gyldne Swingtid. After dissolving his big band in 1947, Ewans moved to California in 1956 and ran a restaurant with Carter in Beverly Hills from 1960 to 1964. He returned to Copenhagen later in the decade before retiring to Connecticut, where he died on April 3, 1988.
