The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 3, 2013 is “That Old Black Magic.”

About This Song

“That Old Black Magic” was written in 1942 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm. The first recording was by Glen Miller (with “A Pink Cocktail For a Blue Lady” on the flip side), which was followed with recordings by many great artists, including Margaret Whiting, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and even Johnny Mercer. Marilyn Monroe sang the song in the film version of Bus Stop in 1956.

About This Version

Today’s version is from the recently released Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962. The tape from this concert had been lost in the vaults at Columbia for years, though “That Old Black Magic” had been released in 1971 on Dave Brubeck Summit Sessions. The tape was located in the classical music section at Sony last December and was released as an album in May, 2013 and was number one on the jazz charts for several months; even today it’s still number four for jazz vocals.

This song was a short improv session with Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello. The four songs they did that August night in 1962 are really glorious and bear for repeated listening.

It’s a Harold Arlen kind of week.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0NTxPntOPk44Boyl985eAV
“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available from iTunes and amazon.com.

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Have You Pre-Ordered Yet?

Tony Bennett’s Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas 1964 concert album drops a week from today. The Year of Tony Bennett would like to remind you to pre-order this album if you haven’t already. You can get it from iTunes, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

liveathesahara

People have been talking about this recording since, well, 1964. I first heard it when it came in my 2011 Tony Bennett Complete Collection and fell head-over-heels in love with this show. As much as I adore Bennett’s studio albums, there is nothing on earth like hearing him live and this album is a great example of the kind of show he puts on. There are many moments of sheer beauty and amazing vocal power on this album and I recommend it highly.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 1, 2013 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” is, of course, from the 1954 film A Star Is Born, starring Judy Garland and James Mason and directed by George Cukor. Originally 181 minutes long, the film was brutally cut at the insistence of the movie theater owners. It’s widely thought that the cut version cost Judy Garland the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress, which instead went to Grace Kelly for A Country Girl.

The song was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin and its performance in the film is extraordinary. It was filmed dozens of times, with several different sets and costumes. That said, the final result is legendary and remains one of the greatest musical performances in film.

I agree with Alec Wilder regarding this song: “This is a true Arlen song. If you are good rememberer, try to think of anyone else who might have written it. I don’t see who it could have been but Arlen.”

About This Version

Today’s version of “The Man That Got Away” is from Tony Bennett’s 1961 album Tony Sings For Two, where he is accompanied by Ralph Sharon. While many male singers changed the man to the girl or the gal that got away, Bennett records the lyrics as written, which we really appreciate. Other than Judy Garland, I think that Bennett’s recording is one of the finest of this iconic song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2rmnQNHuDsDExyiWLam3SC
“The Man That Got Away,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and amazon.com.

And because I love it so, here’s the scene from A Star is Born:

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Exploring the Arts in Los Angeles

Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto’s foundation, Exploring the Arts, is making a huge impact on arts students in East Los Angeles. Tony and Susan were featured on the local CBS station today when they visited one of the schools that ETA is supporting.

https://twitter.com/ETA_ArtsEd/status/384730250543779840

As someone who greatly benefited from an excellent public school arts education in music and theater and taught at an Arts Magnet School in Dallas Texas, I can state unequivocally that the work they are doing is beyond important for high school students. Please consider a making a donation to Exploring the Arts; every little bit helps.

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Song of the Day: Maybe September

The song of the day for Monday, September 30, 2013 is “Maybe September.”

About This Song

This song is from the 1966 film The Oscar, which starred Stephen Boyd and Elke Sommer and co-starred Tony Bennett as Hymie Kelly, whose memories of the lead character served as the narration of the film. This song was written by Percy Faith, with lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. I’ve never seen the film; alas, it not available on DVD. It does show up on Turner Classic Movies from time to time … I’ll try to keep an eye on their schedule and give everyone a heads up if and when it is shown again.

About This Version

As today is the last day of September, it seemed time to feature this song. Today’s recording is from Bennett’s 1966 The Movie Song Album; it was arranged by Larry Wilcox and conducted by Johnny Mandel. Bennett also recorded this song in 1977 with Bill Evans for Together Again.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3NxRVqbwByRGvlo6Sb1ISF
“Maybe September,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes and amazon.com.