Summertime. It's significance. Options

[IwatchAI]

Fantasia singing summertime is huge. I knew a lil bit about the movie (porgy and bess) before she sung it(i recall some of the lines of some of the songs), but since then I've found out some additional things about it that I thought were interesting. I'm going to try to keep this short, and if people have questions, i can elaborate.


First off, in a discussion in the poll section long ago, I stated that renee olstead's version of "summertime was inappropriate. Now there's a poll asking who would do better if fantasia sung don't cry out loud and diana sung summertime. but diana shouldn't do summertime, ever.

why? because it wasn't meant for her. the white author of "porgy" (the story that would lead to george gershwin's opera "porgy and bess", for which he wrote the music and his brother ira wrote the lyrics), grew up amongst blacks in the early 1900's, but was wealthy. he wrote the story "porgy" trying to describe the black experience in america.

later, when gershwin(jewish-american) adopted it into an opera, he stated (and i'm paraphrasing here) that the culture represented was not his. Thus he said in essence, that he wanted to give it to the artists whose culture it was and he wanted them to take it and to perform it, to make it their own.

later, in 1970, it was performed in charleston, south carolina, the home of the original author of "porgy". in 1952, the show was attempted but failed because white people refused to integrate with blacks to see the show.

in 1970 when it was performed, 60 minutes did a story on it, and reported on how excellent it was and how the performers were so talented that you felt guilty for assuming it would be anything but great. Many of these performers were unknowns who performed beautifully and the performance got them acclaim and notice....only not in the states. the show was performed in many places overseas, including russia.

again in later years, when it was adapted into a tv format, or when it was performed at the met, the performers would shine and get acclaim. only most of the acclaim came from overseas and from everywhere else except the united states.

actors from different versions of "porgy and bess" including the great poet and true diva maya angelou described how their performances truly shone, and how it wasn't something the white directors could direct, or that could be scripted. it came out of the african american experience.

George gershwin, before he composed the music for "porgy and bess" went to a black church to hear them sing, to listen and understand. then he created the music that he would "give" to the performers to "make their own". a sort of cultural appropriaton and redistribution. like taking the natives land and selling it back to them in america.

at any rate, fantasia's rise to stardom, largely based off her amazing performance of "summertime" is to be noted. not just for how beautifully she performed it, but for the history behind the song and the story that spawned it.

Summertime is a song sung from an african american mother to a child. Diana not only would not perform that convincingly, this is not a song for her to sing. nor renee olstead. even discounting olstead's not being black, her rendition is lackadasical and her performance is strikingly inappropriate considering the manner in which the song is to be performed, with an ironic gravity, not as if the song was about "living easy" in the summertime.

A few of the performers(black males) talked about the performance of 'porgy and bess' at the met. Racism was a problem as black actors were seemingly welcomed to play some of the stereotypical roles issued by 'porgy and bess', but shooed out the door quickly after, and not given roles in other operas at the met.

Fantasia rising to stardom, then, singing a song that so many great black singers and performers have sung, only to get denied true acclaim in the united states, is a notable moment in history. standing on the virtual eve of her cd release, it would be a defining, if hidden, moment in music and performance history.

There's probably more that I could type, but i'll leave it here for now.

[icy]

:speechless:

I dont know how I can even begin to describe how grateful I am that you wrote this post. I was waiting for you to put this performance into context. If you would like to ellaborate, then just know it would be appreciated.

This is me right now --->

[tru-dat]

verrry intersting!! i've heard bits about that movie,
but never'v actually saw it. thanx! and speakin of summertime Iwatch, i thot this
suited you best ! it's yourz! enjoy!!

[jamaicangirl81]

wow....

[IwatchAI]

[tru-dat]

^ np!

[icy]

I love this post. Can i say that again? I love this post as if it were my own family.

bobobump!

[tru-dat]

cuz we are family!! silly!

can i say that again?

cuz we are family!! silly!

[fanoftasia1000]

Thanks so much for this post IwatchAI I truly enjoyed reading it.

[icy]

[Naija79]

Fantabulous analogy IwatchAI! Thank you very much.

Applause! Applause! Applause!

I've heard of Porgy and Bess too but only in recent years, but for me only Fantasia actually brought it to life for me. I did some research and came across similar remarks.

Besides, I can only count Fantasia in and among the many great jazz singers, i.e. Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and others, who have added a sultry edge to a wonderful melody and lyrics.

Much obliged my dear!

This post has been edited by Naija79: Sep 3rd 2004, 4:22 PM

[IwatchAI]

[SofaCritic]

That is just a GREAT post. You keep outdoing yourself IwatchAI

[clayfanatical]

Interesting links

American Treasures - Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri008.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...7158655-8845665

Listen Here to Opera version:
http://www.ffaire.com/gershwin/porgy.html

Sept. 2, Historical Date - Porgy and Bess.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep02.html

Who was Porgy?
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/PORGY/porgy.html
Excerpt: "They were first and foremost African, in both appearance and action. Porgy is described as "black with the almost purple blackness of unadulterated Congo blood" and he had, moreover, something "Eastern and mystic about the intense introspection of his look" (13). The influence of Africa makes him a poet. He doesn't grunt or shout when he rolls the dice, but says the delicate little prayer, "Oh, little stars, roll me some light! . . . Roll me a sun and a moon!" (18) He sings lustily at the funeral for Robbins, the man murdered by Crown. When his Bess falls ill, he sends to the conjure woman. And when disaster looms, he reads the omen in the shadow of a buzzard perched on a wall. "

Miles Davis / Porgy and Bess
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0203_017.htm

Hollywood:
http://www.hollywood.com/movies/detail/movie/172446
Cast: Sidney Poitier , Dorothy Dandridge , Sammy Davis Jr , Pearl Bailey , Brock Peters , Leslie Scott


Hey, Hey, Hey, I sense a revival of the movie coming on....Fantasia girl...you could be next.

More stuff:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=porgy+and...-t&cop=mss&tab=

This post has been edited by clayfanatical: Sep 3rd 2004, 6:30 PM

[clay pet]

thanks iwatchai for putting summertime in its proper perspective ... all too easily we take things for granted and forget how significant certain events are

[imez]

That was excellent, A+

Summertime is considered a standard in the Jazz idiom and there are a lot of different versions of it played or sung by some very talented people. It's been covered by Al Jureau, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Paul Desmond, Chet Baker, Charlie Parker...the list goes on. Of all the versions of the song Fantasia's is by far my favorite. What's more amazing is that she only learned the song the week of her performance when she heard the piano player playing the melody.

That perofrmance was a defining moment for her on the show. There isn't anyone else in the competition that could have pulled it off like she had. The bluesy feel and the riffs that she infused into the song was more impressive and heartfelt than any prior versions. I think George Gershwin would have been proud.

[Trend setta]

see i knew the song was about a mother and her child. that's the only thing i knew about the song. but when you broke it down like you did IwatchAI, it makes it very clear why that song so fitted fantasia.

[icy]

I'm sorry. I had to bump this for anyone else who didnt have a change to read it. I this post somethin major!

This post has been edited by icy: Sep 9th 2004, 6:08 PM

[TasiaIdol3fan]

[fanOfanny68]

thank u IWatchAI that post was so eloquently written and so beautiful. after reading it i had to listen to Summertime again(the performance version) , just so i could let all the information i just learned sink in. What a history that play has! i never knew anything about it i just knew the song was from a mother to her child. i never knew what the play was about. now i want to see it! ur post has just added to the beauty of that song. when i listen to it i imagine how others sang it in the past and what the scene in the play was like......

thank u so much 4 teaching us the significance of SUMMERTIME