By Debbie Schlussel

Can’t let this last day of summer go by without posting one of my fave songs of all time of summer.

Summer Madness is a Kool & The Gang instrumental that was innovative and ahead of its time at its 1974 release. Its sonic jazz sounds that sound almost atomic were new and novel at the time and still stand out.   And it’s still an everlasting, evergreen classic.  It’s very relaxing and reminds me of a summer evening by the pool or the beach.  Over four decades old and still holds the magic.  This instrumental not only stands the test of time, but was sampled by one of my other faves, “Summertime,” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and appears in the 1976 original Rocky movie, among many other pieces of entertainment to use it. You’ve probably heard it many times and didn’t know what it was called or who performed it. I’ve always liked Kool & The Gang for some of their other classic hits, like “Get Down On It.” But this is their best, in my opinion.

My late father introduced me to and fostered my appreciation for jazz, and for that (and many, many other things), I am eternally grateful.  It’s the little pleasures in life like listening to Summer Madness . . . .

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By the way, there is an hour-long version, if you love this song and need it for background while getting work done: