The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Watch What Happens

The song of the day for Saturday, June 29, 2013 is “Watch What Happens.”

About This Song

“Watch What Happens” was written in 1964 by Michel Legrand with English lyrics by Norman Gimbel for the film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Bennett’s masterful 1965 album If I Ruled the World – Songs For the Jet Set.

Tony Bennett has opened every concert of his that I have attended with this song, which makes me very happy because I love this song very much and never tire of hearing him sing it. (And yes, this dates back to seeing The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the tender age of fifteen. I think my parents took me because I was taking French in school at the time.)

http://open.spotify.com/track/6J1m1Bse56jNnCy7opDbXb
“Watch What Happens,” as well as the If I Ruled The World – Songs For the Jet Set, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Friday, June 28, 2013 is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller with lyrics by Andy Razaf. It was well-accepted in jazz bands of the 1930s, with recordings by Fletcher Henderson, Red Norvo, Mildred Bailey and Count Basie. Waller’s 1934 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” for his 1995 album Here’s To The Ladies, in which he honored the great female sings of the American Songbook with the songs associated with them. “Honeysuckle Rose” is for Lena Horne. Tony and Lena Horne toured together in both England and  the United States in the early 1970s.

http://open.spotify.com/track/47R9OVh2SSv5VciZh8S064
“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as the entire Here’s To The Ladies album, is available from iTunes.

And here’s Fats Waller …
http://open.spotify.com/track/0EYRLGRgsgnKetAVziaaLT

 

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Song of the Day: Quiet Nights (Corcovado)

The song of the day for Thursday, June 27, 2013 is “Quiet Nights.”

About This Song

“Quiet Nights” was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. The original Portuguese title was “Corcovado,” after the mountain in Rio de Janiero. Gene Lees wrote the English lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first heard bossa nova music in the early 1960s on the beaches of Rio de Janiero when he was performing there.  His bass player, Don Payne, woke him up one morning and dragged him down to the beach to hear Joao and Astrud Gilberto singing and playing. He fell in love with the music and began to feature Jobim songs in concerts and on his albums.

“Quiet Nights” from I Wanna Be Around was his first recording of Jobim’s bossa nova music in 1963.

Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)

Listen to Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1963

“Quiet Nights,” as well as the entire I Wanna Be Around album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: With Plenty of Money and You

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 26, 2013 is “With Plenty of Money and You.”

About This Song

“With Plenty of Money and You” was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for the movie Gold Diggers of 1937. Originally, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg were slated to write all the songs for the movie, but Busby Berkeley wasn’t happy with the songs for the productions numbers and so he added Warren and Dubin. The final score for the movie includes songs by both songwriting teams.

About This Version

This swinging song is from Bennett’s widely-hailed 1959 album with the Count Basie Orchestra: Basie/Bennett, originally released on the Roulette label, which handled Basie’s albums. They got together again in 1959 for In Person!, this time from Columbia. Both albums are terrific.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7G5L3XC5LMcReydpXlxHov
“With Plenty of Money and You,” as well as the entire remastered Strike Up The Band album, is available from iTunes.

And, if you’re interested, here’s Dick Powell singing this song from the film:

With Plenty Of Money And You - Gold Diggers Of 1937

Listen to With Plenty Of Money And You - Gold Diggers Of 1937 on Spotify. Song · Dick Powell · 2005

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Rembrandt and The Zen of Bennett

One of my favorite scenes from The Zen of Bennett was when Tony Bennett was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spoke about the Rembrandt self portrait that hangs there.

When last week’s New Yorker magazine arrived, there was one cartoon that made me laugh so hard that I nearly fell off the sofa. And so I have to share.

selfie