‘Summertime’ is probably the best-known standard outside the jazz circless. This song is an aria from the 1935 opera ‘Porgy and Bess’, composed by George Gershwin. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel ‘Porgy’ on which the opera was based. The show opened in Boston on September 30, 1935, to positive reviews from the critics and praise from the audiences, but when it moved to New York it wasn’t welcomed as warm. It closed after 124 performances, becoming a financial disappointment, exhausting the entire balance of the original $70,000 investment. Despite such an unsuccessful start ‘Porgy and Bess’ went on to become the most performed American opera ever.
‘Summertime’ is the most memorable piece of the opera. It is kind of a mix of a lullaby and a spiritual. It was recorded for the first time by Abbie Mitchell on July 19, 1935, with George Gershwin playing the piano and conducting the orchestra.
In September 1936, a recording by Billie Holiday was the first to hit the US pop charts, reaching no. 12.
The opera was adapted for film in 1959, directed by Otto Preminger and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. This movie won the 1959 Golden Globe Award for Best Picture -Musical and the 1959 Academy Award for Best Musical Score. Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey, Brock Peters, and Diahann Carroll were the stars in the film, and ‘Summertime’ was sung by Loulie Jean Norman.
Sidney Bechet’s slow, bluesy arrangement of ‘Summertime’ is a standout performance of the tune and one of the most significant moments in Bechet’s career and in the early history of Blue Note Records.
One of the best performances of Gershwin’s opera is that of Miles Davis and arranger Gill Evans, which proved to be a defining moment in their fruitful partnership which lasted for several years.
The most famous variant of the song, not coming from a jazz musician, is Janis Joplin’s version from the late sixties. It probably is responsible for popularizing the tune among non-jazz audiences.
‘Summertime’ is one of the most recorded tunes in the history of music. There are more than 33.000 renditions of the song so far. Here are some of the most exciting versions in jazz history.
