Since the fish are indeed jumpin' and the cotton is looking on the tallish side, here's 25 minutes of "Summertime" that will seem either tedious or pleasantly melancholy, depending on what you think of the Gershwin tune. First, an overlooked Willie Nelson version, from an album he did with Leon Russell. (The recent
"Legacy Edition" of the album Stardust could have and maybe should have included this track.) Then there's the Janis Jopin version, which would be a definitive version of the song if that were possible, which I sincerely doubt. Then Greg Dulli does his blue-eyed-tortured-soul thing, making the song sound not only sad but also angsty, and then Booker T. and the MG's do a great soft/loud take on it. Then the cherry on top, John Coltrane's version from the
My Favorite Things album. It might be too obvious to include, but it's too damn good not to.