Black Music Sunday: 'Spring has sprung, the grass has riz,' and jazz is 'where the flowers is'

It’s spring here in New York, and May is usually filled with flowers, but few of mine are blooming yet. I walked out into my garden this week, looking at the winter damage which I’ve not yet repaired. A version of an old refrain, often incorrectly attributed to Ogden Nash, echoed in my head: "Spring has sprung and the grass has riz, I wonder where the flowers is?"

I decided I’d have to celebrate my spring and the not-yet-blossomed flowers with music. I waltzed around to the sound of Freddie Hubbard’s “Up Jumped Spring,” which brightened a gray and cloudy day, and went digging through my music collection to find more tunes on spring, and flowers to lift my spirits.

I hope they will lift yours.

Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music. With over 150 stories (and counting) covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack, I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.