# Joy Spring

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This article is about the composition. For albums with the same title, see [Joy Spring (disambiguation)](/source/Joy_Spring_(disambiguation)).

1954 song by Clifford Brown and Max Roach

"Joy Spring" Song by Clifford Brown and Max Roach from the album Clifford Brown & Max Roach Released December 1954 (1954-12) Recorded August 1954 Studio Capitol, Los Angeles Genre Jazz Length 6:52 Composer Clifford Brown Lyricist Jon Hendricks

"**Joy Spring**" is a 1954 [jazz](/source/Jazz) composition by [Clifford Brown](/source/Clifford_Brown) that became his signature work. The title was his pet name for his wife Larue.

## Early history

Brown first recorded "Joy Spring" in a [studio session](/source/Studio_recording) led by him on August 6, 1954, at [Capitol Recording Studios](/source/Capitol_Records), in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), with [Harold Land](/source/Harold_Land) (tenor sax), [Richie Powell](/source/Richie_Powell) (piano), [George Morrow](/source/George_Morrow_(bassist)) ([bass](/source/Double_bass)), and [Max Roach](/source/Max_Roach) (drums). They did two [takes](/source/Take) – 10877-3 and 10877-4.[1][2]

Six days later (August 12, 1954), at the same studio, Brown, as leader, recorded [Jack Montrose](/source/Jack_Montrose)'s arrangement of it with [Stu Williamson](/source/Stu_Williamson) ([valve trombone](/source/Valve_trombone)), [Zoot Sims](/source/Zoot_Sims) ([tenor sax](/source/Tenor_saxophone)), [Bob Gordon](/source/Bob_Gordon_(saxophonist)) ([baritone sax](/source/Baritone_saxophone)), [Russ Freeman](/source/Russ_Freeman_(pianist)) (piano), [Joe Mondragon](/source/Joe_Mondragon) ([bass](/source/Double_bass)), and [Shelly Manne](/source/Shelly_Manne) (drums). That take has been issued on several albums, including *[Jazz Messages](/source/Jazz_Messages)* ([Jazztone](/source/Jazztone_Records) J-1281), *Clifford Brown & Max Roach* ([Pacific Jazz](/source/Pacific_Jazz_Records) CDP 7 46850 2), and *Jazz Immortal – Featuring Zoot Sims* (1988; [Pacific Jazz](/source/Pacific_Jazz_Records) CDP 7 46850 2).[3]

Larue Anderson, before marrying Brown, had been a [classical music](/source/Classical_music) student at the [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California).[4] Without any knowledge of jazz theory – and, in particular, without any knowledge of bebop articulations, phrasing, and the use of half-step progressions, tritone substitutions, and other musical features of the style – she had begun writing a thesis titled "Classics versus Jazz". [Max Roach](/source/Max_Roach), her friend who introduced her to Brown, took her aside and said: "Honey, the whole world is not built around tonic / dominant." He convinced her to the point that she became a jazz devotee.[3][5]

## Covers

In 1985, [Jon Hendricks](/source/Jon_Hendricks) wrote lyrics to Brown's music and the song was performed and published by [Manhattan Transfer](/source/The_Manhattan_Transfer) on their album *[Vocalese](/source/Vocalese_(album))* with the title "Sing Joy Spring".

- 1955, version in the studio album *[Arranged by Montrose](/source/Arranged_by_Montrose)* of [Jack Montrose](/source/Jack_Montrose)

- 1957, [Oscar Peterson](/source/Oscar_Peterson) trio with [Ray Brown](/source/Ray_Brown_(musician)), [Herb Ellis](/source/Herb_Ellis) *[At the Opera House](/source/At_the_Opera_House)*

- 1958, [Lem Winchester](/source/Lem_Winchester) and [Ramsey Lewis](/source/Ramsey_Lewis) in the album *[A Tribute to Clifford Brown](/source/A_Tribute_to_Clifford_Brown)*

- 1960, [George Shearing](/source/George_Shearing) with his quintet in the live album *[On the Sunny Side of the Strip](/source/On_the_Sunny_Side_of_the_Strip)*

- 1961, [Gary Burton](/source/Gary_Burton) on his debut album *[New Vibe Man in Town](/source/New_Vibe_Man_in_Town)*

- 1964, [Joe Pass](/source/Joe_Pass) live version in the album *[Joy Spring](/source/Joy_Spring_(Joe_Pass_album))*

- 1981, [Stan Getz](/source/Stan_Getz) with his quartet in the album *[The Dolphin](/source/The_Dolphin_(album))*[6]

- 1982, [Freddie Hubbard](/source/Freddie_Hubbard) in the album *[Born To Be Blue](/source/Born_to_Be_Blue_(Freddie_Hubbard_album))*

- 1985, [Larry Coryell](/source/Larry_Coryell), [Emily Remler](/source/Emily_Remler) in the album *[Together](/source/Together_(Larry_Coryell_and_Emily_Remler_album))*.

- 1989, [McCoy Tyner](/source/McCoy_Tyner) in the album *[Things Ain't What They Used to Be](/source/Things_Ain't_What_They_Used_to_Be_(McCoy_Tyner_album))*

- 1992, [Arturo Sandoval](/source/Arturo_Sandoval) in the tribute album *[I Remember Clifford](/source/I_Remember_Clifford_(album))* with [Ed Calle](/source/Ed_Calle) and again in 2003 in the album *Trumpet Evolution*

- 1993, [Doug Sert](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doug_Sert&action=edit&redlink=1) in the album *Joy Spring*

- 1994, [Helen Merrill](/source/Helen_Merrill), in the tribute album *[Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown](/source/Brownie%3A_Homage_to_Clifford_Brown)*

- 1995, [Tito Puente](/source/Tito_Puente) in his album *[Tito's Idea](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tito%27s_Idea&action=edit&redlink=1)*

- 1996, [Karrin Allyson](/source/Karrin_Allyson) in the album *[Collage](/source/Collage_(Karrin_Allyson_album))*

- 1998, [Billy Taylor](/source/Billy_Taylor) in the album *[Ten Fingers, One Voice](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ten_Fingers,_One_Voice&action=edit&redlink=1)*

- 2003, [Larry Coryell](/source/Larry_Coryell) in his album *[Joy Spring (The Swinging Side Of Larry Coryell)](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joy_Spring_(The_Swinging_Side_Of_Larry_Coryell)&action=edit&redlink=1)* [7]

- 2007, [Buddy Rich](/source/Buddy_Rich) with his posthumous release in the album *Time Out*

- 2012, [Paolo Fresu](/source/Paolo_Fresu) with [Marco Tamburini](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marco_Tamburini&action=edit&redlink=1), [Fabrizio Bosso](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fabrizio_Bosso&action=edit&redlink=1), [Flavio Boltro](/source/Flavio_Boltro), [Franco Ambrosetti](/source/Franco_Ambrosetti) in the album *50 anni suonati.*

## Filmography

- 1988: *[Let's Get Lost](/source/Let's_Get_Lost_(1988_film))* – "Joy Spring"

- 1999: *[Guinevere](/source/Guinevere_(1999_film))* – "Joy Spring"

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lordisco_2019_06_1-0)** "Clifford Brown" (Musician detail: B13509), *[The Jazz Discography](/source/The_Jazz_Discography) Online* ([lordisco.com](https://lordisco.com)), Tom Lord (ed.); [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [182585494](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/182585494), [690104143](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/690104143). Retrieved June 19, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-discogs_2518642_2-0)** [*Clifford Brown Featuring Zoot Sims – Jazz Immortal* on Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/it/Clifford-Brown-Featuring-Zoot-Sims-Jazz-Immortal/release/2518642) Retrieved October 24, 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Spellman-Horwitz_2005_Jun_10_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Spellman-Horwitz_2005_Jun_10_3-1) [Spellman, A. B.](/source/A._B._Spellman) and [Murray Horwitz](/source/Murray_Horwitz) (August 1, 2001). ["Max Roach: 'Clifford Brown and Max Roach,'"](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4182274) [NPR](/source/NPR) Retrieved October 24, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-USC-Yearbook_1951_4-0)** "Kappa Kappa Alpha – Larue Anderson" (college yearbook entry with photo), *El Rodeo* (yearbook of the [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California)), Vol. 46 (1951), p. 317; [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [822063048](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/822063048), [910495447](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/910495447) (accessible *via* [Ancestry.com](/source/Ancestry.com)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Black-Music-Research-Journal_2011_Spr_5-0)** "Clifford Brown in Los Angeles," by Eddie Spencer Meadows, PhD; born 1939; *[Black Music Research Journal](/source/Black_Music_Research_Journal)*, published by the Center for Black Music Research, [Columbia College Chicago](/source/Columbia_College_Chicago) and [University of Illinois Press](/source/University_of_Illinois_Press), Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2011, pp. 45–63; [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR) [www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacmusiresej.31.1.0045](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacmusiresej.31.1.0045); [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [729620529](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/729620529), [6733333114](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/6733333114), [778359559](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/778359559); [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0276-3605](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0276-3605).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Stan Getz - The Dolphin on Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/it/Stan-Getz-Quartet-The-The-Dolphin/release/4437411)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Joy Spring (The Swinging Side Of Larry Coryell)"](https://www.discogs.com/it/Larry-Coryell-Joy-Spring-The-Swinging-Side-Of-Larry-Coryell/master/1037081) on Discogs.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joy Spring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Spring) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Spring?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.