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Using a Fake Book

Yeah thats pretty much it. Also you should try to listen to some songs with those type of "feels" to figure out some common rhythms and line styles (like "medium bossa" or "latin" or "swing",etc). Then you can do what you like (or get influence from other recordings) with the lines and improvise with the chords. Knowing what the melody is also helps a bit but not necessary the books are usually just for the tempos and chord changes for bassists.