You mentioned Summertime, probably the most heartfelt song I have heard. For some reason it strikes a responsive chord in my emotions.

Generally, I don't care for jazz, and I know that the music of George Gershwin is considered to be jazz, but there is something about Gershwin in particular that I really like. I think that part of it is because he was rejected by "serious" musicians (i.e. classical) because they considered him to be a "tin pan alley" songwriter. But Gershwin yearned to be taken seriously, and despite his lack of classical training became one of America's most famous composers.

The song "Summertime" has been done by a number of people but Billy Holliday, because of her raw singing style, catches the real emotional spirit of the song. She's not polished like Ella Fitzgerald (who does a great job on it as well), and her voice isn't as low and rich as Sarah Vaughn's, but she is probably my favorite singer of this song.

The first time I'd ever heard "Summertime" was in 1969 when I bought a copy of Big Brother and the Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin. Janis' rendition of the song riveted me to the wall (partially due to the weed, no doubt!) but it was years later before I discovered where the song actually came from: the musical "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin.

How about y'all?