Gershwin's Summertime has the feel of a lazy August afternoon. It might feel a bit more relaxed when performed by Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ on the đàn bâù, a traditional Vietnamese instrument.
Tom Huizenga, writing for NPR.org, says, "The heat and humidity in the song feel even more conspicuous thanks to Võ's expressive đàn bâù. " You can hear Võ's performance here.
Võ teams with California native Frank Martin, who offers a wonderful bridge between the two cultures to make the music work.
She gave a fascinating NPR Tiny Desk Concert last year, where she played several traditional Vietnamese instruments. She starts with traditional music, then plays a transcription she made of music by Eric Satie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y02Rv8sQzw
If you'd like to hear the original Bess, (hand-picked by Gershwin himself), you can hear Ann Brown sing it here. I'll leave you with this version of Summertime by Audra McDonald. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgX6kdT0K_c