"Summertime" (and Two More Tunes)

#41 / A Video Extra

With more than 65,000 versions in existence, George Gershwin’s 1935 composition “Summertime” is the most recorded song in America. This extraordinary melody seems to thrive in every kind of styles and moods, from versions by Sam Cooke, Fun Boy Three and Billie Holiday to those by Janis Joplin, Al Martino and Billy Stewart.

In the Floodisphere, we’ve been doing the tune for more than 20 years now, resulting in many different incarnations. Above, in a video shot by Flood manager Pamela Bowen, is a cool 2022 rendition from this week’s Flood gathering, with Veezy Coffman and Danny Cox sharing the solo spaces.

Now For Something Different, here, from the same session, is another moment.

Trumpeter Cootie Williams wrote and sang this novelty tune back in 1938 when it was recorded by Duke Ellington's orchestra. We in The Flood have had it in our book since 2003 when our friend, the late George Walker, introduced us to the tune for our 2003 “I’d Rather Be Flooded” album. However, in The Flood’s hands, the song seldom has had the swank and glide that Danny and Veezy’s solos have brought to this rendition.

Of all the tunes we do, none is more evocative than “Autumn Leaves,” Joseph Kosma’s post World War II composition that quickly became a jazz standard in America from the 1950s right up to today. Memorable renditions have been recorded by everyone from Miles Davis and Chet Baker to Erroll Garner and Mel Tormé. And while certainly the lyrics are beautiful and touching, as this instrumental track from a recent Flood rehearsal demonstrates, when Veezy and guys meditate on that melody and how it so stunningly captures magic and melancholy.

Want Still More?

If you’d like to see a little more of The Flood in action, check out this earlier issue of Flood Watch, which covered the band’s performance at Heritage Station in downtown Huntington last fall. Pamela shot about a half dozen vids that fun day. Here’s the link.