Pick Only One: Version of "Summertime"

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Right now I'm listening to John Coltrane's, so I pick that one. For now.

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 20:50 (nineteen years ago)

for reference

gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:00 (nineteen years ago)

Please listen to them all before choosing.

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:03 (nineteen years ago)

Booker T. and the MG's

Taylor, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:04 (nineteen years ago)

BILLY STEWART

mucho, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:05 (nineteen years ago)

From gab's link

"Sidney Bechet (23)"

daaaaaaaamn...closest runner up is Duke with 16.

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:06 (nineteen years ago)

Please listen to them all before choosing.

Except Sublime's, of course.

Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

Galaxie 500

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

The Zombies did one of Ready Steady Go! that was quite nice.

QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:09 (nineteen years ago)

Miles Davis.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

With Fun Boy Three the runners up.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

Mungo Jerry

punis (punis), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 21:32 (nineteen years ago)

Mark two down of the Zombies version...

hector savage, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 22:51 (nineteen years ago)

The Zombies of course

coco the kid, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

Charlie Parker with Strings

tronidlfjsdlfkj, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

Louis and Ella. Gotta be.

chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 23:02 (nineteen years ago)

Sam Cooke with the Bumps Blackwell Orchestra

remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 23:05 (nineteen years ago)

David Grisman and Tony Rice

baht habit, Tuesday, 23 May 2006 23:20 (nineteen years ago)

The Coltrane version is great, but I'm going with the Charles Mingus Trio version.

Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 23:30 (nineteen years ago)

D.J Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.

(Different song, but fuck all y'all)

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 00:01 (nineteen years ago)

Go sit with punis, thou apostate!

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Wednesday, 24 May 2006 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

Louis and Ella. Gotta be.

With Buddy Rich!

Honestly I really like this version that we did in college, the guitarist and bassist came up with this great groove that's stuck in my head ever since.

Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 01:09 (nineteen years ago)

Definately Billy Stewart!
Second is Ella.

shieldforyoureyes (shieldforyoureyes), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 01:21 (nineteen years ago)

Billy Stewart! (But really, my vote's as much going to Maurice White's drumming on the track and the horn chart.)

Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 02:54 (nineteen years ago)

Anna Domino, Arthur Baker remix.

fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 04:13 (nineteen years ago)

Billie Holliday!

JTS (JTS), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

Swansway!

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

billy stewart, easy

xhuxk, Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

Louis and Ella otm

Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

from memory, Nina Simone.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 16:09 (nineteen years ago)

Lonnie Johnson

christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 17:07 (nineteen years ago)

Billy Stewart, by far. That was Maurice White? I never knew that, but in retrospect, it sounds obvious.

Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, since it got a million votes, I found a copy of Billy Stewart's version (somehow I'd never even heard of him before.)

Um, he's absolutely insane, isn't he?

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Friday, 26 May 2006 01:50 (nineteen years ago)

BILLY STEWART

As sampled by 2 Live Crew in the summertime classic "Pop That Pussy"

PappaWheelie B.C., Friday, 26 May 2006 03:03 (nineteen years ago)

Will Smith

Scott CE (Scott CE), Friday, 26 May 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

Fantasia Burrino!

Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

I just re-bought Will Friedwald's Stardust Melodies, which has a chapter on "Summertime," where he talks about a lot of different versions of the song. I need to re-read that chapter and check some more out. I won't claim them as my favorite or anything near it, but I like the two versions on Red Hot + Rhapsody, by Morcheeba/Hubert Laws and the Roots/Bobby Womack.

Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:50 (nineteen years ago)

Janice

NickB (NickB), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

JaniceJanis

NickB (NickB), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:53 (nineteen years ago)

Jesie Belvin. Cool late 50's smooth RnB version with stuttering guitar in the foreground. (Mickey Baker?)

bendy (bendy), Friday, 26 May 2006 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

Incredible how Helen Jepson and Ella Fitzgerald are both yet to be namechecked even once.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 26 May 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

right, Ella was namechecked four time

gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 26 May 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

Hating rhythm means you can't count.

Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Friday, 26 May 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

T/S JANIS V. MILES

BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 05:35 (eighteen years ago)

NOCERA (ESL for the win)!

Romeo Jones, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 06:16 (eighteen years ago)

Friends of Dean Martinez

joanet vich, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 10:43 (eighteen years ago)

Swansway!
-- mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, May 24, 2006 3:28 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Funnily enough, the site hasn't listed this one.

(I sent them it)

Mark G, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 10:52 (eighteen years ago)

ha, their email addy bounced!

Mark G, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 11:17 (eighteen years ago)

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, of course.

Naw, it's Ella and Louis.

kingkongvsgodzilla, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 11:25 (eighteen years ago)

Cathy Berberian

blunt, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 12:15 (eighteen years ago)

Lee Scratch Perry's dub versh is mad awsome.

t**t, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 15:08 (eighteen years ago)

I like the Richard Davis/Elvin Jones version a lot.

Jordan, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 15:13 (eighteen years ago)

Miles

I can't believe I'm agreeing with Geir.

Jazzbo, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 15:29 (eighteen years ago)

Angelique Kidjo's version is nice.

shieldforyoureyes, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

Billy Stewart seconded! BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRROPPP!

P'zone, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 18:08 (eighteen years ago)

Upsetters seconded

sexyDancer, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 18:10 (eighteen years ago)

Mahalia Jackson

The Brainwasher, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 18:40 (eighteen years ago)

The Sundays

DavidM, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 18:42 (eighteen years ago)

I am sorely tempted to recreate this as a poll.

Oilyrags, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 19:46 (eighteen years ago)

If you create a poll here are the possible choices.

zaxxon25, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 20:14 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

Does it ever seem weird that this song is so heavily covered? I mean it's a great song, but why this one? And also, it's a very bitter and ironic song and I feel like a lot of performances don't capture that.

signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Monday, 20 January 2014 17:01 (twelve years ago)

Is it impossible to do the song justice without doing so?

tsrobodo, Monday, 20 January 2014 17:17 (twelve years ago)

Shades of "Mack the Knife"/"Moritat," maybe: a strong melody over simple but memorable chord changes (excuse the lack of precision and the dangerous proximity to Geir territory) can be compelling to a wide range of interpreters even if many of them don't actively engage with the darkness or shades of irony of the lyrics. "Summertime" and "Moritat" also have a tendency to stand in for the larger works of which they're a part (then again, several other songs from Porgy & Bess are also standards, so that might not be so relevant).

one way street, Monday, 20 January 2014 17:59 (twelve years ago)

I don't consider the chord changes to be simple - they are in the trickier end of the spectrum of jazz standards.

It can be performed either ironically or not. If I remember correctly it is performed more than once in the musical, including unironically/undark as a lullaby. I think it's okay to do it that way.

Anyway, I think it's covered a lot because yeah, strong melody, memorable chord changes and great lyrics. But also because it was written in the 30s and there wasn't a ton of songs like this around then so it really stood out, not just as a bluesy, spritual pop song but was also the outstanding example of that kind of thing for a long time.

everything, Monday, 20 January 2014 20:04 (twelve years ago)

they're simple inasmuch as you can pretty much do single-key "blues scale" improv over most of the progression.

I used to get annoyed when I was more of a jazz player because every vocalist either wanted to sing this or All of Me

signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Monday, 20 January 2014 20:14 (twelve years ago)

The Zombies did one of Ready Steady Go! that was quite nice.

I've never heard this but they did a studio version also, which is my pick.

Doctor Flange, Tuesday, 21 January 2014 19:23 (twelve years ago)

I'd go for Louis and Ella, easily, but no love for the Cal Tjader?!

Le passé, non seulement n'est pas fugace, il reste sur place (Michael White), Tuesday, 21 January 2014 21:14 (twelve years ago)

two years pass...

http://bandwidth.wamu.org/remembering-billy-stewart-and-van-mccoy-two-lesser-known-d-c-music-legends/

includes link to a live version by Billy Stewart that's on Youtube

“Billy did jazz, Billy did blues, he did lots of things that fit his style of music,” Ruffin says. “The thing that excited him most was when he did George Gershwin.”

curmudgeon, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 16:34 (nine years ago)

Billy Stewart has Pete Cosey on a lot of his sides too. Love that stuff.
Also several live versions by Big Brother & Holding co thanks to that destructive James Gurley guitar.
& that Zombies version is one I always loved.
Would have been good by the Doors too.

Stevolende, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 17:55 (nine years ago)

love this george shearing version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSnsSDoQWlI

brimstead, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 19:08 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF_kIV1Dnmw

hypnic jerk (rushomancy), Tuesday, 28 June 2016 19:16 (nine years ago)

L. Ron Hubbardtime

tylerw, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 19:25 (nine years ago)

Lots of choice cuts listed already, Doc & Merle Watson's version might also be added:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPpf3FLjuMs

bodacious ignoramus, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 22:37 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSOU6A-D_Co

the event dynamics of power asynchrony (rushomancy), Monday, 11 July 2016 10:56 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cab-A_W7rHE

Mark G, Monday, 11 July 2016 11:05 (nine years ago)

four years pass...

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/514533/city-lights-watch-fat-boy-the-billy-stewart-story/

Billy Stewart doc on PBS website

curmudgeon, Friday, 16 April 2021 04:15 (four years ago)

Zombies

✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 16 April 2021 05:13 (four years ago)

one year passes...

Another vote for Sidney Bechet.

Double Elvis on the Dime (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 7 June 2022 16:08 (three years ago)

Billie's is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THflqYOqm3A

birdistheword, Tuesday, 7 June 2022 16:13 (three years ago)

many versions are objectively better, but my favorite is still the first I heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC_Ghf3OPnw

Brad C., Tuesday, 7 June 2022 16:59 (three years ago)

eleven months pass...

RIght now this one, since it just popped up. Hank Mobley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTJTjC0fpA

The Original Human Beat Surrender (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 4 June 2023 20:02 (two years ago)

I'm probably the only person on Earth who dislikes this tune. I think I was neutral on it until Arkology, on which there are like four consecutive versions of it on one of the discs. One is too many

Paul Ponzi, Sunday, 4 June 2023 20:13 (two years ago)

What’s there to dislike?

calstars, Sunday, 4 June 2023 20:24 (two years ago)

Paul try this, seriously it rules:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pxbr9GXZoI

brimstead, Sunday, 4 June 2023 20:26 (two years ago)


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