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The MASH Theme brought me to “You Must Believe In Spring,” I heard that there wasa rendition of the show’s opening and I listened to it a few times before demoing the entire album.. Suicide Is Painless is a gorgeous piece that bounces back and forth from this emotionally charged theme and a danceable series of thematic variations that keep returning to the original, but more uplifted as it goes on.. Continuing the album I was rewarded with tracks that never stopped giving quite varied and nuanced expressions of love and wistful melancholy, and the melancholy isn’t so deep blue, yet is more of an aqua-green. Gary’s Theme has a melody that, upon opening the track, it is a reminiscent, nostalgic track that holds the listeners hand and says goodbye – a warm final emnbrace in punctuated chords and a wonderful interplay between bass and piano, the drums take a mild approach, leaving the bassist most of the space between. My Foolish Heart is also a goodnight slowdance with an enraptured lover, a slow build to a slower conclusion. It feels like dancing, rocking back and forth in love; as well whatbfollows is an upbeat piece, that title track, two versions, with the second featuring a prominent bass solo that has such a lovely swing. These two albums are full of tracks like these, and they are Evans’ specialty, wistful solace and a tinge of sadness, reminiscing on some other past time… There’s even a song called Some Other Time that has this exact mood and atmosphere.

I won’t be ignoring anything from Evans’ career anytime soon, and his aptitude to express a theme continuously through his improvisations continue to amaze me.. He was a man fascinated by beauty, what he wanted to express was a belief that things will get better, that spring will come and light will join us in our lives again after a painful winter.. When I think of Jazz as a genre, the quintessential sound of a piano trio comes to mind, and Evans always knew how to pluck the notes to turn melancholy into an upright, uplifting conversation between members. He is so particularly well spoken and his phrasings tend to link together from track to track, a wonderful tendency of divine proportions, I wonder how many more albums he will release on Bandcamp. I’m on the hunt for more Evans whenever I’m in a record store now…