“Summertime” is one of the most frequently recorded songs in American music, with thousands of versions on tape in a wide variety of styles. Maybe the appeal to re-imagining Gershwin comes from how forward-thinking and eclectic George Gershwin was in his own composition— Diedre Murray says that, in Porgy and Bess, she not only hears elements of jazz, but “There’s a lot of Puccini and Bizet in there. And Wagnerian flourishes. And ragtime. I even hear R&B and rap.”
Below, you can listen to and watch a video playlist of our favorite Porgy and Bess covers. To read more about the tracks below, check out the A.R.T. Porgy and Bess Guide.
The Original Score
Summertime
Film Soundtrack (1959)
I Loves You Porgy
Summertime
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Summertime
Miles and Gil
It Ain’t Necessarily So
Nina Simone
I Loves You Porgy
The Doors
Summertime
Janis Joplin
Summertime (Live in Stockholm)
Diana Ross
I Loves You Porgy
Bronski Beat
It Ain’t Necessarily So
Sublime
Doin' Time
Fantasia Barrino
Summertime
Brian Wilson
I Got Plenty of Nuttin’
Comment on our YouTube channel with your favorite Porgy and Bess remix, revamp or reinvention!
