"Spring Is Here" is the only track on Jonathan Kreisberg's 2008 album Night Songs where the guitarist cedes the solo spotlight entirely to a bandmate. Pianist Gary Versace takes the single solo chorus over Richard Rodgers's 36-bar ABAC form at a hushed 59 beats per minute in G major, delivering an improvisation of exquisite sensitivity and harmonic imagination. Versace's touch is perfectly calibrated for the ballad tempo, his phrases emerging with unhurried grace as he explores the rich chromatic possibilities within Rodgers's sophisticated chord changes. The decision to feature the pianist as sole improviser speaks to Kreisberg's generosity as a bandleader and his understanding that the album's program benefits from variety in solo voices. Originally written for the 1938 Rodgers and Hart musical I Married an Angel, "Spring Is Here" is one of the more emotionally nuanced entries in the Great American Songbook, its wistful melody and bittersweet harmonies demanding the kind of expressive restraint that Versace provides. Kreisberg's guitar, Matt Penman's bass, and Mark Ferber's drums frame the piano statement with atmospheric support, creating an intimate ensemble sound that is among the most beautiful on Night Songs.
