The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Twilight World

The song of the day for Saturday, July 27, 2013 is “Twilight World.”

About This Song

“Twilight World” was written in 1957 by the pianist Marion McPartland, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Reviewer Ken Dryden writes of “Twilight World”:

Marian McPartland is justifiably proud of her composition “Twilight World,” a song which has long been a part of her performing repertoire and shows up on a number of her recordings, in her concerts, and on a number of her Piano Jazz radio programs. This mid-tempo ballad is one of her loveliest contributions to jazz. It is occasionally performed with a bit of a bossa nova influence, depending upon who (if anyone) is joining her. It also has great lyrics by Johnny Mercer, though it hasn’t been sung often enough. … Of the several versions available by the composer, McPartland’s solo from her Maybeck Recital Hall concert is the most definitive performance.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Twilight World” in 1972 for the album With Love. In spite of the hippyish-Peter Max cover, this album is a real treasure. All of the songs on the album were arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. This album includes some great music that isn’t heard often enough, like Johnny Mercer’s “Harlem Butterfly,” “Remind Me,” by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields and Bennett’s first recording of “Maybe This Time” by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0yQvzXVPzajxgGWniXcSsA
“Twilight World,” as well as the full album With Love, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Dream Dancing

The song of the day for Friday, July 26, 2013 is “Dream Dancing.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Dream Dancing” for the 1941 movie You’ll Never Get Rich, which starred Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. However, the song was only used as an instrumental for the movie. Fred Astaire recorded the song, with lyrics, in 1941 with the Delta Rhythm Boys.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett and Bill Evans’ second album, Together Again, released in 1977, although Dream Dancing wasn’t included on the original LP, but was added to the 1999 Rhino CD reissue.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6V2WinPrfCchxybbDIu4W2
“Dream Dancing,” as well as the remaster album Tony Bennett and Bill Evans: Together Again (with additional outtakes), is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Love Is Here To Stay

The song of the day for Thursday, July 25, 2013 is “Love Is Here To Stay.”

About This Song

“Love Is Here To Stay” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1938 musical film The Goldwyn Follies, which was released shortly after George Gershwin’s death in July, 1937. It was the last song that George Gershwin composed. The song is a jazz and popular standard and has been recorded by singers from Nat King Cole to Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday to Eric Clapton. The song ranks #57 on the jazz standards website.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s wonderful 1959 album Hometown, My Town. This is a remarkable album and if you don’t have it in your collection, I urge you to consider getting it; it’s $4.99 at iTunes and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2EnIxktTOZc3kAPZ3fte40
“Love is Here To Stay,” as well as the full remastered album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Country Girl

In honor of the birthday of Robert Farnon, the song of the day for July 24, 2013 is “Country Girl.”

About Robert Farnon

Robert Farnon was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on July 24, 1917. In his long and extraordinary career, Farnon was a composer, conductor and arranger in addition to playing the trumpet. He not only composed for film and television, but is known for his classical works as well.

Robert Farnon
Robert Farnon

When World War II started, Farnon was commissioned as a Captain in the Canadian Army and was named the head of the Canadian Band of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and served his country in Europe during the war. After the war, he decided to make England his home, settling in the town of Guernsey.

Farnon had the well-deserved reputation of being one of the finest arrangers in the world. Tony Bennett recalled in The Good Life:

I met Bob Farnon in early 1952, when I was playing the Casino in Toronto. … Even back then, Bob wanted us to record together, but I had such reverence for his work that I told him I wasn’t ready. I just didn’t feel that I had developed enough as an artist to make an album with him. I thought I’d have to wait about twenty years before I sang with Bob, and I was pretty close, because we didn’t work together until 1967.

Their first album together Bennett’s 1968 album Snowfall, which is arguably the finest Christmas album ever recorded and stands tall as an album in and of itself and is anything but a standard album of Christmas songs.

Farnon and Bennett continued to work together on, including With Love, his live concert album Get Happy with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tony Bennett’s Greatest Hits, Volume 7 (for Verve), and, in 1992, Perfectly Frank, which not only was a gold record in the US, but won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Performance.

Robert Farnon died on April 23, 2005 at the age of 87, in Guernsey. At his memorial service, held at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, Tony Bennett sang “Country Girl.”

For more information about Robert Farnon and his exceptional accomplishments, please visit the Robert Farnon Society website.

About This Song

The song “Country Girl” was written by Farnon based on the Wordsworth poem The Solitary Reaper. “Country Girl” was written in 1966 for the Eurovision Song Contest; it came in third. All I can say is that those other two songs must have been phenomenal, because “Country Girl” is one of the most beautiful and touching songs that I have ever heard.

About This Version

Today’s version comes from the 1967 album Tony Makes It Happen! and was arranged and conducted by Marion Evans.

http://open.spotify.com/track/441kwTO21pAs83sCXNZENj
“Country Girl,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Lady’s In Love With You

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 23, 2013 is “The Lady’s In Love With You.”

About This Song

“The Lady’s In Love With You” was written in 1939 by Burton Lane and Frank Loesser. Burton Lane wrote the music for many fine musicals, including Finian’s Rainbow and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Frank Loesser wrote two of the great American musicals: Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Though Burton and Loesser wrote several songs together, they never collaborated on a musical.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Makes It Happen! “The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as all the songs on this album, was arranged and conducted by Marion Evans. His big band arrangements are superb, and Tony Makes It Happen! is a joy for fans of the big band sound. And Tony swings this number hard!

http://open.spotify.com/track/196IZPSQKytH80IeAzzT4b
“The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.