Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California on August 23-25, 1977. Originally released on Warner (3504). Includes liner notes by Richard Seidel and Francis Davis.

Personnel: Bill Evans (piano, electric piano); Eliot Zigmund (drums).

Audio Mixer: Jeff Magid.

Audio Remixers: Frank Laico; Al Schmitt.

Liner Note Authors: Francis Davis; Richard Seidel.

Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA (08/23/1977-08/25/1977).

Editor: Frank Laico.

Photographers: Scotti Lyons; Phil Bray.

Unknown Contributor Role: Bill Zavatsky.

Pianist Bill Evans's first album for Warner Brothers (after more than five years with Fantasy Records) features a title track by Michel Legrand, a French musician and songwriter who influenced Evans with his use of strong melody and sentiment. Evans turns both to his advantage on YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING, managing as usual to avoid all but the merest hint of sentimentality. Evans's original songs, "We Will Meet Again," and "B Minor Waltz," are both subtly influenced by Legrand's ease with melody, and on both tracks Evans comes close to perfecting his ability to connect instantly with his listener. Included as well is an unusually sedate version of a perennial Evans favorite, the theme from M*A*S*H, which he often included in live performances. This final recording with long-time collaborator, bassist Eddie Gomez, was released in 1981, a year after Evans's death.

Bill Evans' contract with Fantasy came to an end in the mid-'70s after Warner Bros. lured the pianist with the benefits only a major label can offer. Yet these stunning 1977 sessions were inexplicably withheld from release for nearly four years, possibly because this edition of the trio broke up before the album could be issued. In any case, Evans is in top form as he explores new material and recent compositions, most of which are somewhat somber in nature. The moody opener, "B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine)," was dedicated to his longtime common-law wife, who had tragically taken her own life. Another new work, "We Will Meet Again (For Harry)," honors his older brother, who fought depression and committed suicide a year before the pianist's own death in 1980. Its melancholy air is masked somewhat by the brisk setting, Eddie Gomez's phenomenal bass solo, and the crisp brushwork of Eliot Zigmund. "Gary's Theme," composed by Gary McFarland, is yet another haunting performance, due possibly in part to Evans' lament at the 1971 poisoning of the composer; it became part of the pianist's concert repertoire for the remainder of his life. Evans' emotional interpretation of Jimmy Rowles' lovely ballad "The Peacocks" is matched only by its composer's recording. The pianist's delicate treatment of the waltz "Sometime Ago" is harmonically rich. At the time of these sessions, Johnny Mandel's "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" had not yet caught on in the world of jazz. Evans throws his fans a curve by abandoning the mostly melancholy mood of the album and turning the movie theme into a real cooker. Like "Gary's Theme," this song also became a regular concert feature during the rest of Evans' days. Previously offered as a straight reissue of the original LP, this edition adds three bonus tracks. Evans tackles the standard "Without a Song" by alternating between acoustic and electric piano in a swinging treatment. "Freddie Freeloader" represents the pianist's only recording of the tune from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. His driving interpretation of "All of You" is also a welcome discovery. This CD is well worth acquiring, even if you already own the earlier reissue. ~ Ken Dryden