Jazz certainly works for me in the summertime although I'm not so sure, as you say, that it works all that well in a lush, country setting down by the lake. Although I'm listening right now to Ben Webster's "Soulville" which might even work at the cottage since it's just that smooth, bluesy and perfect for keeping as immobile as possible in this overbearing heat. It almost sounds like Ben recorded it in the middle of the afternoon, maybe in July of 1957, on a streetcorner somewhere in the southern states and he wants to keep the pace as mellow as can be. Bop and hard bop work less well for me in this weather. I keep those for spring and fall.

Two current releases that are fitting in nicely in the current environment are Sam Prekop's latest and Beck's disc Geuro. Beck has always been a great summertime listen as he sounds like he's just doing enough to enunciate the words and little more. Plus the music to me has a sort of 70's summer in NYC feel.

Some fave summer tunes would be the rather obvious choice of Flaming Lips "Its Summertime", any one of 3 or 4 tracks from "Screamadelica" and the slow version of "Wave of Mutilation" by the Pixies.