The song of the day for Sunday, March 16, 2014 is “But Beautiful.”
About This Song
“But Beautiful” was written in 1947 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for the movie Road To Rio. Road To Rio was one a series of “Road” films starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. In this film, Bing Crosby introduced this song, singing it to his co-star, Dorothy Lamour. The song quickly found its home in the jazz world, with great recordings by Stan Getz, Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday and Gregory Porter. The Tony Bennett and Bill Evans version is among the very best.
About This Version
My website content management system just let me know that I’ve used this song as the song of the day six times. I try to not repeat myself too much, but this beautiful version from Tony Bennett and Bill Evans must be the exception to that rule. Evans, of course, is no accompanist. In this song, as in the album, they meet as both two instruments and two voices in these performances. For this author, it’s both musicians at their very best.
http://open.spotify.com/track/0239f1wAgvbGw7pzFg5Upd
“But Beautiful,” as well as The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.
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