This feature is derived from KNKX's Tree of Jazz, a weekly deep dive into artists, albums, and instruments from the roots of jazz to it's new budding leaves.
In the summertime, the natural beauty of the great outdoors shines.
With the long days, temperate climate, and an abundance of natural wonders, the Pacific Northwest — where KNKX Public Radio is based — is one of the best places to spend the summer, whether in the city or amongst the trees.
Music is the perfect complement. So, let’s dive into some great jazz — new and old — that captures the essence of the natural world.
Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy”
Nat King Cole recorded “Nature Boy” in 1947. The song would help launch Cole into superstardom as a grandiose crooner and exuberant balladeer. The song became a major hit for Cole; it helped him break the color barrier in music and launched his solo career.
While the song doesn’t speak much of the natural world despite its name, it provides wisdom that perhaps can only be given by someone very much in tune with nature. The lyrics speak of an “enchanted boy” who teaches a profound lesson: “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
Nature is exactly where the song came from, and it’s author, an iconoclast of his era, was eden ahbez, a long-haired, bearded man who, during the ‘40s, was a part of a movement of “Nature Boys.” These men lived communally alongside nature, and also ate raw and vegetarian. Ahbez penned the song for his mentor, Bill Prestor, known as the “Hermit of Palm Springs.”
Ahbez was told that Nat King Cole would be the perfect voice to perform his song, so he reportedly tried his best to get the song to Cole during a concert at Lincoln Theatre in Los Angeles. One day, Ahbez passed the song to Cole’s valet outside the theatre before riding off on his bike — without leaving his name or contact information.
Cole enjoyed the song, began performing it, and wanted to record it, but ahbez was hard to find. He was eventually discovered living in the shadow of the Hollywood sign in the Los Angeles hills and credited. The success of “Nature Boy” created a media frenzy for ahbez. He would go on to write other music for Eartha Kitt, Sam Cooke and others.
Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de Março”
This bright and cheerful bossa nova, known in English as “The Waters of March,” is considered one of the greatest Brazilian songs of all time. In 1972, Jobim wrote the song, evoking the frequent rainfall and transition from summer to fall in Brazil. He also translated the song into English, eschewing some of the very specific Brazilian imagery in the lyrics.
The English version also conveys more of the springtime renewal that occurs in March in the northern hemisphere. But, both versions focus on the ups and downs of life, the cycles of the seasons, and the cleansing rain that washes metaphorical hardships away.
Esperanza Spalding’s “Endangered Species”
In 2012, Esperanza Spalding covered a song by one of her favorite artists of all time: jazz legend Wayne Shorter. She chose "Endangered Species,” originally from Shorter’s 1985 album Atlantis.
The original is an instrumental, but with permission from Shorter, Spalding penned her own lyrics to the song that slyly propose that humans are endangering the planet with all our concrete and pollution. We are not only endangering other living things, she sings, but we are endangering the human race as well and ignoring the warning signs that the Earth is giving us.
On this funk groove, Spalding and guest vocalist Lalah Hathaway both dazzle with their ability to sing the intricate melody and lyrics.
Going beyond nature’s simple beauty, these songs can help us reflect on nature as a source of wisdom, renewal and a precious resource to care for while we still can. So, as summer settles in, take these songs with you on your next walk around the neighborhood, camping trip or beach day.
Tracks from this article were featured on the June 14th, 2026 edition of The Tree of Jazz. Listen to the past two weeks of Tree of Jazz On-Demand, and hear deep dives like this each week on air and online every Sunday from 3-6 p.m. PT.
