Sly and the Family Stone – Music New to You from the Past and Present

We have an awful lot on our minds these days and much work to do, but with summer arriving for the northern end of the globe in just a few days, here’s hoping you can find some moments of fun and comfort during this favorite of seasons.

In the early 70’s, War put out a string of hits ranging from the socially restive – “The World is a Ghetto” and “Slippin’ into Darkness” – to the upbeat – “All Day Music” and “Summer”.

This recording of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess is by Stan Getz from 1964’s Getz au Go Go. Performing on the track is then 21-year old vibraphonist Gary Burton, already showing his budding virtuoso talent (see this post from 2017 celebrating his retirement).

For songs that evoke the joy of summer, Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime” can’t be beat. Please try to boop boop ba boop boop when you want to this summer.

Summer is just around the corner, and this year’s beach music will definitely include tunes from Cayucas’ freshman release “Bigfoot” due out this week.

Cayucas began a couple of years ago as a one-man, bedroom studio recording effort by Zach Yudin. He put his first tunes out under the name “Oregon Bike Trails” but apparently decided that a variation on the name of a California seaside town suited his vibe better. “High School Lover” was first recorded under the OBT name a couple of years ago. The video for “Cayucos” sets us straight on the proper spelling of the town but is otherwise baffling.

If you need a couple of other tunes get you in the mood for summer, it’s hard to beat these two classics. Feel free to send us a comment or email with your favorite summer songs, and we’ll round them up for post when the weather gets hotter.