From the recording Nine Decades of Jazz featuring Billy Wallace
Michel Jean Legrand, Alan and Marilyn Bergman
The Summer Knows (1971) I saw Michel Legrand, a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist while in Paris at the Petit Journal Montparnasse. Legrand is a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores in addition to many memorable songs. I was familiar with his music from the 1960's. Billy and I fell upon this song together, and what a pleasure it was to sing with his expert interpretation.
During my tours in Paris, I met Sasha Chimkevitch, an artist that lived in Montparnasse who is known for his renditions of jazz artists. He often had lunches at his little place on Thursdays where he would invite jazz musicians, jazz writers, and jazz producers. I was invited by Claude Tissendier (French jazz musician) to attend several of these lunches. We would enter thru his art studio, and Sasha would make chicken and rice, and others would bring dessert and wine. He sent me the artwork for this CD as a gift thru Claude Tissendier, for me to use one day. My brother had the music for this chart. He loved it as well.
Lyrics
The summer smiles, the summer knows
And unashamed, she sheds her clothes
The summer smoothes the restless sky
And lovingly she warms the sand
On which you lie
The summer knows, the summer's wise
She sees the doubts within your eyes
And so she takes her summertime
Tells the moon to wait and the sun to linger
Twists the world 'round her summer finger
Lets you see the wonder of it all
And if you've learned your lesson well
There's little more for her to tell
One last caress
It's time to dress
For fall
And if you've learned your lesson well
There's little more for her to tell
One last caress
It's time to dress
For fall.