Yeah we're like playing the same song and stuff, y'know? (Part 8)

Wikipedia tells us that Summertime is "the name of an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess". And who am I to argue?

The idea for this post came about last week after Star Maker Machine, a blog which I'm proud to be a participant of, did a Summertime theme. This song was the obvious choice so it didn't take long for someone to beat me to the punch.

So I'm posting them here instead. The song has been recorded by countless artists, and these are some of my favorites. These include South African prog rockers Abstract Truth, the Scientology propaganda jazz funk band The Apollo Stars (yes, a Scientology propaganda jazz funk band), British prog folk hippies Oberon, and two versions sung by Janis Joplin. One solo and one from her stint with Big Brother & The Holding Company.

One of the very best though is the amazing Artie Shaw version. I'm not sure when it was recorded, but I'm told it was either 1941 or 1945. Enlighten me.

(mp3) Artie Shaw - Summertime
Available on Blues In The Night (compilation, 1991)

(mp3) Big Brother & The Holding Company - Summertime
Available on Cheap Thrills (1968)

(mp3) Abstract Truth - Summertime
Available on Totum (1971)

(mp3) Oberon - Summertime
Available on A Midsummer's Night Dream (1971)

(mp3) Janis Joplin - Summertime
Available on Pearl (1971)

(mp3) The Apollo Stars - Summertime
Available on The Power Of Source (1974)

(mp3) Mickey Newbury - Summertime
Available on The Triad Demos (1991)

(mp3) Scarlett Johansson - Summertime
Available on Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars (compilation, 2006)