Podcast 292: Jazz for the Dog Days

This went over so well last year, I thought I'd bring it back for another try! 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 for Podcast 292, featuring the coolest of summery tunes inclyding: Kenny Garrett – “Boogety Boogety” Jazznovation – “Summer Sun” Bill Connors – “Melting” Alan Pasqua, Peter Erskine, Dave Carpenter – “Summer’s Waltz” Michael Franks – “Barefoot On the Beach” James Taylor Quartet – “Summer Fantasy” James Carter – “Summer Babe” Lonnie Liston Smith – “Summer Days” Tierney Sutton Band – “Summertime” John Handy – “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” Mike LeDonne – “Deep Blue” Roni Ben-Hur & Santi Debriano – “Fotografia” Esperanza Spalding – “Samba Em Preludio” John Pizzarelli - "I Feel Fine/The Sidewinder" Project Grand Slam – “Remember (Instrumental)