Aug 16, 2011
It's summer in New England, so why not some lazy music for these lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"?
The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics.
The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Sorry Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds)) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.
Click here to download Podcast 225, an uninterrupted 90minute plus mixtape of music to laze away those hot days. I've gone deep into my collection for a variety of types of jazz, many with summer titles or themes, so I hope you enjoy:
Azar Lawrence - "Keep It Hot"
Bob Baldwin - "Hot Fun the the Sun"
Sachal Vasandani – “Summer No School”
Phil Woods Quintet – “Summertime”
Anthony Wilson – “Elyria”
Last Albertson & Nelson Delamotte – “Bird of Paradise”
Joe Pass – “Summer Night”
Michael Franks – “Dragonfly Summer”
Philippe Saisse Acoustique Trio – “Summer Breeze”
Kevin Karn – “Summer Daydreams”
Madeleine Peyroux – “The Summer Wind”
Lonnie Liston Smith – “Summer Days”
Marc Johnson – “Summer Running”
Monty Alexander – “Is This Love?”
Fabrizio Scott – “Amancer”
Duda Lucena Quartet – “Corcovado”
Mace Hibbard – “Always On My Mind”
Soulive – “Golden Lady”
Ramsey Lewis – “Sun Goddess”