article
Porgy Goes Pop
AUG 4, 2011
“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 Besscovers. 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!