Thanks Novak Rogic!
We can’t get through George Gershwin week without “Summertime”, apparently the most recorded song of all time. A few chords, surprisingly interchangeable with Van Morrison’s Moondance, “Summertime” can be played in a million different styles.
The song rocked and shocked the musical world as the opening number to “Porgy and Bess”, the American folk musical that hit the New York stage in 1935 with a cast of classically trained singers and dancers. The musical was not finally accepted as an “opera” for another 50 years.
I bet you could have heard a pin drop by the end of the song on the first night. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the best of all the versions in my opinion, but this cheeky number took place on a boat in Vancouver harbour on 17th October 2012. This was only a jam. I flew around 5000 miles with my saxophone to be there. The jam was part of OpenEd (Open Education Conference 2012). And that night changed my life.