About Debbie Spring
Jazz is an art form that embraces a wide variety of musical styles performed on a wide variety of musical instruments that are less common in other genres. There have been a number of great jazz violinists, but there haven’t been too many jazz viola players, especially ones like violist, violinist and composer DEBBIE SPRING who plays a five string viola. Spring’s playing is heartfelt and technically flawless, and her songs are inflected with Latin, Brazilian, straight ahead jazz, pop, and classical music, reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida where she lives.
Debbie has had a diverse musical career. She was a working orchestral player and a studio musician performing on hundreds of pop records, including albums by Crosby Stills and Nash, Black Sabbath, The Bee Gees, Dr. Hook, Bobby Caldwell, KC and the Sunshine Band to name a few. She was featured on the iconic song ‘Mi Tierra’ by Gloria Estefan.
Inspired by improvisation and creative music, Debbie began playing in jazz and fusion bands. She played with multi-instumentalist Ira Sullivan for many years and recorded on his album ‘Ira Sullivan Strings Attached’.
Debbie’s debut album ‘Ocean Drive’ included her originals. The album had great response on smooth jazz radio stations. After that, Debbie toured with Shakira and was her featured soloist in concerts worldwide. She also toured with Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine.
Debbie released her second album in 2023, ‘Tocamos’ which is a tribute to the musicians from the many cultures in South Florida and the incredible contributions they have made to the Miami sound. She wrote or co-wrote almost all the songs. The album received rave reviews. Music Man blog said, “Technically flawless… her songs are very lyrical and accessible to the listener. Her tones on the viola produce a beautiful, warm and mellow sound.”
