An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Sunday, January 25, 2020, is “Sing You Sinners.”
“Sing You Sinners” was written by W. Franke Harling and Sam Coslow for the 1930 film Honey, starring Lillian Roth. The song was an early hit in 1950 for Tony Bennett.
Tony Bennett sang “Sing You Sinners” at his concert at Carnegie Hall, released on the album Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall.
“Sing You Sinners,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.
The song of the day for Saturday, January 25, 2020, is “The Best is Yet to Come.”
“The Best Is Yet to Come” was written in 1959 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. Some say that this song was written for Tony Bennett. It certainly fits with Tony’s sunny outlook and his amazing optimism. Other recordings include those by Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Tony Bennett sang “The Best Is Yet to Come” at his legendary concert at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 1962. The album Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall was released on August 24, 1962, as a 4-LP set. Even so, a good number of songs weren’t able to be included. The CD release in 1997, 4-CD set, contained the full concert.
“The Best Is Yet to Come,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.
The song of the day for January 19, 2020, is “One For My Baby (And One More For the Road).”
“One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 film The Sky’s The Limit, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. Harold Arlen called this song one of his “tapeworms” as at 48 bars, it was longer than the standard 32 bar popular song. Alec Wilder, in American Popular Song, says that “the honors must go the lyric. Just imagine having the acuity and courage to start a song, as Mercer does, with “It’s a quarter to three”!
Tony Bennett sang “One For My Baby” to close out Act One of his concert at Carnegie Hall. The entire concert was recorded and released in 1962 on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall.
“One For My Baby (And One More For the Road),” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.
The song of the day for Saturday, January 18, 2020, is “Solitude.”
One of his masterpieces, Duke Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short (Ted Gioia in The Jazz Standards). As customary many Ellington songs, the lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills were added later. It’s a strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Billy Eckstine.
Tony Bennett sang “Solitude” at his concert at Carnegie Hall to open a selection of Ellington songs, all of which (amd much more) were released on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall.
“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.
The song of the day for Sunday, January 12, 2020, is “All The Things You Are.”
“All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it to be one of Kern’s finest songs and with good reason. It’s a beautiful tune and Hammerstein’s lyrics are excellent.
Tony Bennett sang “All the Things You Are” on June 9, 1962326, for his concert at Carnegie Hall. An abbreviated 4-LP set was released very soon after the concert as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall. The entire concert was released as a 2-CD in 1997.
“All The Things You Are,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.