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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

November 9, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Little Did I Dream

The Song of the Day for Friday, November 9, 2012 is Little Did I Dream.

About Little Did I Dream

Little Did I Dream was written in 2003 with music by Johnny Mandel and lyrics by Dave Frishberg. (A big Portland shout-out to Dave Frishberg, by the way.)

About This Version

This song is from The Art Of Romance from 2004. In addition to writing several songs for this very romantic album, Johnny Mandel also conducted the orchestra for most of the album.  This album featured Lee Musiker (p), Paul Langosch (b), Clayton Cameron (d) and Gray Sargent (g), with Phil Woods on saxophone.

If you ever feel yourself in need of exploring all the aspects of romantic love, I advise spending some time with The Art Of Romance. It’s a master class, from the master, Tony Bennett.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Dave Frishberg, Johnny Mandel

November 8, 2012 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: This Can’t Be Love

The Song of the Day for Thursday, November 8, 2012 is This Can’t Be Love.

About This Can’t Be Love

This Can’t Be Love was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1938 musical The Boys of Syracuse.  It’s been recorded by Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra, among others.

About This Version

This version comes from the 1973 Tony Bennett Songs 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

This album was the second album, after Life is Beautiful, that Mr. Bennett recorded on his own Improv label. While the label may not have been a financial success, it was very much an artistic success. The Rodgers and Hart albums are really quite beautiful.

The arrangement of this song (as well as the other songs on the album) are exceptional.  For both albums, Mr. Bennett worked with the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, which featured Ruby Braff on cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Giuffrida on bass. Coming off the Columbia years, I believe that Tony Bennett was brilliant in transitioning to the jazz sound, using jazz musicians, that has been a mainstay of the second half of his career. Ruby Braff’s cornet on these albums is a wonderful change from the larger orchestral arrangements many listeners were used to. These arrangements are timeless: they honor the original time period the songs were written in and yet sound as if they could have been recorded in any decade since. You can read more about Ruby Braff here and here. Note that Tony Bennett’s current guitarist, Gray Sargent, played with Ruby Braff.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers, Ruby Braff

November 7, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The Song of the Day for Wednesday, November 7, 2012 is The Best Is Yet To Come.

About The Best Is Yet To Come

This wonderful, upbeat song was written in 1959 by the Broadway song writing team of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, though it was not written for the stage. The song is strongly associated with Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1964 with the Count Basie Orchestra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded this song in 1960 as a single, arranged and conducted by Mr. Coleman. The same recording appeared on I Left My Heart In San Francisco, released in 1962. This version is from the same year, from Mr. Bennett’s legendary Carnegie Hall concert.

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum!

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Carolyn Leigh, Cy Coleman

November 6, 2012 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: Solitude

The Song of the Day for Tuesday, November 6, 2012 is Solitude.

About Solitude

Solitude was written in 1934 by Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It’s one the Duke’s best songs and is a jazz standard. It’s been recorded by Paul Robeson, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Scott, Terrace Blanchard and many more. The song is primarily associated with Billy Holiday, who recorded it in 1941.

About This Version

This version of Solitude was recorded in 1958 with the Count Basie Orchestra and originally appeared on In Person! We link to the same recording, compiled on the recently release album, From Now On.

Tony Bennett’s Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool is an exceptional album, with a wonderful selection of Ellington songs.  Alas, it’s not available on Spotify, but The Year of Tony Bennett recommends this album highly. It is available on Amazon, both on CD and MP3s. It is also available on iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange

November 5, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Lazy Afternoon

The Song of the Day for Monday, November 5, 2012 is Lazy Afternoon.

About Lazy Afternoon

Lazy Afternoon was written for the 1954 musical The Golden Apple, which uses mythological Greek characters from Ulysses but set in the state of Washington (at Mount Olympia, of course) in the United States.  The music was written by  Jerome Moross, with lyrics by John Treville Latouche.

The Golden Apple is interesting not only because of its unusual premise, but that it was sung-through musical, along the lines of Porgy and Bess, Candide and The Most Happy Fella. Even though the score was very well received, it has been considered more of a “cult” musical and there was never an original cast album. Not until 2009 was the complete piano-vocal score published. The song was introduced in the original production by Kaye Ballard, and became a jazz standard. In addition to Mr. Bennett’s recording, it has also been recorded by artists such as Eartha Kitt, Sarah Vaughan, John Coltrane, George Shearing,  June Christy, and Joe Henderson, among others.

Correction: The original cast album of the 1954 production of The Golden Apple is available and may be purchased at Amazon.com and other retailers. My apologies.

About This Version

This version comes from Tony Bennett’s 1962 Carnegie Hall concert.   It’s beautifully sung by Mr. Bennett in that concert.  The recording for the Carnegie Hall concert is available as double CD and for download at iTunes. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves the music of Tony Bennett.  I’ve said it before, and shall say again, that it’s one of the finest live recordings ever made.  From the Carnegie Hall website:

He had the Carnegie Hall audience in the palm of his hand throughout this marathon concert. Accompanied by an outstanding lineup that included Al Cohn on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Candido Camero on percussion, and his longtime pianist Ralph Sharon, Bennett worked his way through 44 songs and medleys. The original vinyl release featured just 28 tracks on a double album. It was not until the 1997 CD release that fans could experience the full program.

I chose this song today simply because I was listening to this album in the car today and was struck immediately by what a wonderful song it is and how beautifully it is sung.  And not bad way to ease into a Monday.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Jerome Moross, John Latouche, The Golden Apple

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