This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares three jazz standards perfect for spring listening.
It’s been getting warmer lately. At the live jazz gigs I play regularly, I often get requests from the audience, and this time of year, “something that feels like spring” comes up a lot.
So here are three songs I often play for exactly that request. They’re all beautiful tunes — I hope you’ll give them a listen.
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1. Joy Spring
This is probably the tune that says “spring” the most to me. It’s got “Spring” right in the title, and it’s one I played often at jam sessions around this time of year.
That catchy melody always feels like it’s looking forward to the warm season ahead.
That said, catchy as it is, the tune modulates pretty aggressively, which makes both the bassline and the improvising genuinely challenging. But it’s such a great tune — definitely give it a listen.
2. It Might as Well Be Spring
Of all the “Spring” tunes, this is personally my favorite — and I’m especially fond of this particular recording.
The interplay between the organ and tenor sax here is gorgeous. It’s the kind of track I’d love to just sit in the sun and relax to.
3. You Must Believe in Spring
This one feels to me like spring with a little bit of winter’s chill still hanging on.
It’s not a tune I’ve personally played often at sessions, but it has “Spring” right there in the title, so I wanted to include it.
The bass solo right after the theme, from the very start, is wonderfully melodic and just sounds great.
I hope these give you something new to listen to this season — and listening closely to recordings like these is exactly the kind of ear-training that pays off when you’re trying to internalize a style.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.