We are so glad to hear that Tony is feeling better!
A heartfelt thank you to all my fans for the well wishes. Painting away as I make a quick recovery. pic.twitter.com/5cT2L22GaQ
— Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) June 11, 2015
An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
We are so glad to hear that Tony is feeling better!
A heartfelt thank you to all my fans for the well wishes. Painting away as I make a quick recovery. pic.twitter.com/5cT2L22GaQ
— Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) June 11, 2015
Tony Bennett announced today that The Silver Lining – The Songs of Jerome Kern will be released on September 25, 2015! The album features the pianist Bill Charlap as well as his wife, Renee Rosnes (on piano duet pieces), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums).
The album includes these songs:
The Silver Lining – The Songs of Jerome Kern is available for pre-order from amazon.com.
The song of the day for Saturday, September 5, 2015 “Old Devil Moon.”
“Old Devil Moon” was composed by Burton Lane with lyrics by Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”
Tony Bennett first recorded “Old Devil Moon” in 1954 for his first album, Cloud 7. Today’s recording is from his 1967 album Tony Makes It Happen! and was arranged by the great Marion Evans.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4t3I5khZ6TCaoSYYW1cKms
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.
We interrupt our regular programming to bring you Tony Bennett YouTube Saturday. Today’s video of “Old Devil Moon” is from the MTV Unplugged concert, broadcast in April 1994. Mr. Bennett is accompanied by Ralph Sharon, Clayton Cameron on drums and Doug Richeson on bass.
The song of the day for Sunday, November 29, 2015 is “Lush Life.”
Billy Strayhorn wrote both music and lyrics for “Lush Life” as young man between 1936 and 1938. However, it was not performed publicly until 1948, when Strayhorn and vocalist Kay Davis performed it with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 1948. It’s rather amazing to realize that Strayhorn was only a teenager when he started writing this song. It has had several notable recordings, including those by Nat “King” Cole, Billy Ekstine and Johnny Hartman.
In our remembering of Billy Strayhorn, I feel that I have to feature “Lush Life” from Cheek To Cheek. Even though this is a Lady Gaga solo, I don’t think Mr. Bennett will mind just this once. She did such a wonderful job on this song, a song more closely identified than any other.
Lush Life
Listen to Lush Life on Spotify. Song · Lady Gaga · 2014
With “Lush Life,” we close our weekend tribute to Billy Strayhorn. If you are a fan of both Ellington and/or Strayhorn, I’d like to point you to one of my favorite albums: And His Mother Called Him Bill. A grieving Duke Ellington headed into the studio after Strayhorn’s death from cancer in 1967 and recorded this album of Strayhorn’s compositions. I cannot listen to Ellington playing “Lotus Blossom” without crying.
I also call your attention to “Blood Count,” Strayhorn’s last composition, finished while he was in his final hospitalization before his death on May 31, 1967. I find it almost unspeakably beautiful. He was only 51 years old when he died.
And His Mother Called Him Bill
Listen to And His Mother Called Him Bill on Spotify · Album · Duke Ellington · 1997 · 19 songs
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Review from the Coachella Valley Independent
I wonder if @ladygaga will make an appearance with Tony bennett tonight at fantasy springs casino !! pic.twitter.com/IM3OTpuOzP
— MichaelTux/AxeMan (@michaeltux) January 17, 2016