Tuesday, May 8, 2012: TWOfer Tuesday: The "And The Livin' Is Easy" Edition

"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. It is in the canon of American music as a classic, and it more than deserves that status.

I'm sure many would agree that the definitive version would be Billie Holiday's 1936 version, though I've been pretty partial to Janis Joplin's 1968 version (with Big Brother & The Holding Company).


But, when you've got a song that is a certified national treasure that's been recorded by the artists of the caliber of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Sam Cooke, Gene Vincent and Miles Davis, just to name a handful, then it's an uphill battle to truly make this song your own. Which is why I like these versions. They have a mighty hill to climb and, for me at least, I think they make it.

First up is a single from Billy Stewart, from his 1966 album Unbelievable, which became a Top 10 hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Stewart's version strikes the right balance between reverence and playful tinkering. It considers the source, but it doesn't get stale or weighed down with reverence which is a trap too many other versions of this song get lured into. Plus, how could that horn section not be cool?

And rounding out today's TWOfer, is an absolute classic in it's own right. Artie Shaw, bandleader and jazz clarinetist extraordinaire, actually played on Billie Holiday's above mentioned version, and his full throated five minute version from 1945, also strikes a great balance between reverence and playful tinkering. Though, this time the tinkering comes from a master big band vamping and brooding, serving up jazz riffs and then chewing them up with fervent abandon.

When Summertime is this cool, you'll never worry about the heat. And the livin' will always be easy.