(Editor's Note: I met Gaye through the Experience Music Project; her and Jeff Chang were giving a phenomenal talk about music in New Orleans, post-Katrina, and I discovered that her work closely aligned with many of my own interests, namely looking at cross-ethnic relations through musical activity. She has a forthcoming book called, The Future Has a Past: Politics, Music and Memory in Afro-Chicano Los Angeles which I'm eagerly awaiting. For her post, Gaye flips through six songs that capture a variety of summer rhythms from East Harlem to Southwest Louisiana with stops between at Monterey, Strong Island and more. --O.W.)
Ray Barretto: El Hijo de Obatala
From Indestructible (Fania, 1976)
The best part of this song comes after the band announces, "Damas y caballeros, ahora con ustedes, las manos duros de Ray Barretto. Y como TOCA!" The ensuing dialogue between the Edy Martinez on piano and Barretto on congas is one of the most beautiful conversations I've ever heard.
The Jacksons: Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
From The Jacksons Live (Sony 1981)
This song makes my husband Chuck want to rollerskate, and jump up in the air when the Jacksons sing, "Let's dance, let's shout (SHOUT!)" What always strikes me about this song is the intensity of energy next to the effortlessness of MJ's vocals. The tempo on the live recording is faster than the studio version; it makes you wish you were listening live and dancing with strangers on a hot summer night. Beautiful.
Charles Lloyd: Forest Flower (Sunrise and Sunset)
From Forest Flower (Atlantic, 1966)
This is a most powerful combination of the talents of Keith Jarrett (piano), Jack DeJohnette (drums), and Charles Lloyd. The high notes on the piano at the end are almost too much to take. Hard to get better than this on a summer evening.
Public Enemy: By The Time I Get to Arizona
From Apocalypse '91: The Enemy Strikes Black (Def Jam, 1991)
The temperature of "Two Sisters of Mystery" sample (Mandrill) changes in this context to an intimate, steely heat. Every time I hear Chuck D say "AriZONA" I see him throw a punch in my mind's eye, and hear the lyrical punch in my ears. Reminds you to get your summer protest on. "Go Go Go Go Go..." Evan Mecham must have heard this deliberate, inevitable fury and updated his NRA membership.
Brand Nubian: Wake Up (Reprise in the Sunshine)
From One for All (Elektra, 1990)
This song is a two-fer, because you really can't get through a summer without listening to Roy Ayers. This is a "word of wisdom to the groove from the wise" whose lyrical ease makes you want to sit back and enjoy the heat. Everybody loves the sunshine.
Keith Frank: What's His Name
From What's His Name (Maison De Soul, 1994)
There are few songs that make me want to two-step, waltz, or jig. But everything Keith Frank does in this song makes me want to break with my vegetarian, one-step sensibilities; eat gumbo, and take on the Louisiana heat for a live performance. There are no tricks in this song, just an easy, fun song that inspires love for what Zydeco is for the human spirit.
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