Instrumental music for the four seasons
September 9, 2013 9:55 AM   Subscribe

I am working on a playlist for a restaurant. I would like suggestions of instrumental music that evokes summer, fall, winter and spring. I tried some tropical music by Martin Denny which worked really well for summer. It is a Japanese restaurant in Japan. I think that jazz is the best match for the restaurant so I am looking for mostly jazz suggestions. See the current playlist linked below

here is the playlist. Ideally I would divide up what is in the current playlist into 4 playlists for the seasons and then fill them out with more music that is appropriate. Of what is on the playlist the albums that I really like are: Jazz impressions of Japan, the Martin Denny albums and some of the Abdullah Ibrahim. Any suggestions welcome. (This is an extension of this question)
posted by Infernarl to Media & Arts (9 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 


October Wedding by Montreaux always struck me as a really Autumn-sounding instrumental.
posted by xingcat at 10:06 AM on September 9, 2013


April in Paris by the Count Basie band is the essence of spring.

Sinatra's "September of My Years" is mournful autumn, with summer/youth on its way out.

Summer speaks for itself.

And this Brad Mehldau cover of Radiohead feels wintry and freezing cold to me ...
posted by jbickers at 10:16 AM on September 9, 2013


It's not completely instrumental but close enough- Sigur Ros is very, very winter.
posted by notsnot at 10:20 AM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]


For fall, there are innumerable instrumental versions of "Águas de Março."

For winter, this might be too US-specific, but how about the Vince Guaraldi Trio?
posted by hydrophonic at 10:30 AM on September 9, 2013


Cannonball Adderly's cut of Autumn Leaves is one of my all time favorites. For autumn, natch.

In a Sentimental Mood from the Duke Ellington & John Coltrane album always evokes the feeling of foggy windows on a snowy day.

Also, Coltrane's cut of My Favorite Things from Newport '63 is very wintery.

While we're on Coltrane, Summertime is quite, well, summery.
posted by slogger at 10:46 AM on September 9, 2013


For winter, this might be too US-specific, but how about the Vince Guaraldi Trio?

Also: "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Thanksgiving Theme" are super autumnal for me, though again maybe not to non-US ears of certain generations.

It's not completely instrumental but close enough- Sigur Ros is very, very winter.

Not jazz either, but mostly almost totally instrumental if I remember correctly, their "Angels of the Universe" soundtrack with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson is supremely and bleakly winterly.
posted by dyobmit at 1:11 PM on September 9, 2013


Astor Piazzolla's Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons in Buenos Aires) are heavily jazz inflected, but not jazz in the strictest sense.
I like the Quinteto Nuevo Tango versions best.
posted by dr. boludo at 7:12 PM on September 9, 2013




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