Another week, another well-wishing spam with seasonal sentiment. Thank you, Mr Cheggendendii. I assure you (I do assure) that if I ever have need of an assortment of printed circuits, both rigid-flex and single-side, I shall contact you posthaste.
I hope everyone enjoyed your week of “Summertime.” When time allows, such themes are well worth the effort. There are a few more versions in my arsenal, but not all are so good as what you’ve heard. Just as many artists have taken the Gershwin classic and made it their own, several others have slept their way through tired renditions, one after another. Most disappointing? I’ve one picked apart by Chet Atkins and Jerry “The Snowman” Reed that should be pretty awesome, but as it was recorded sometime in the mid-80s, it just isn’t. Sounds a bit like Muzak. Another in my collection is by Courtney Pine. It’s quite good, right until the point where the jazz-handing back-up singers start in their schmooze-jazz chorus.
And then there are those that just defy description. Like this contribution from Soul Brother Number One! (dun-dun-DUN!) The Godfather of Soul! (dun-dun-DUN!) Mr Please-Please-Please-Me Himself! (dun-dun-DUN!) … Mister James Brown of Augusta, Georgia!
Brother James did wonders for modern music. Without the contributions of James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Lyn Collins and anyone else who toured with or sessioned with the J.B.s, hip-hop and modern pop (and all of the derivations thereof) just would not exist.
However, this emotion-filled version of “Summertime” — complete with two minutes of spoken introduction in which James bemoans how pollution is destroying the beauty of our world — swings wildly from being exceptionally good (particularly when James lets cohort Martha High take the microphone) to being head-shakingly sad (like when James can’t seem to get through the first verse without footnoting every other line).
But enough talking …
[audio:jbrown_summertime.mp3]
James Brown – “Summertime” – from James Brown’s Original Funky Divas, a Polygram compilation featuring all of the very talented women that shared stage or studio time with James Brown through the 60s and 70s.
