• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

May 13, 2016 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: White Christmas

The song of the day for Saturday, Mary 14, 2016 is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas” is one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often heard verse of the song, we hear that “the sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24 …” And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas” in 1940, expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1941 and completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s single of “White Christmas” is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100-million copies.

About This Version

I adore this version of “White Christmas” from Bennett/Berlin, recorded in 1987. The song features the great Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone, along with the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. This is one of the finest jazz recordings of a holiday song that I’ve ever heard.

White Christmas - 1987 Version

Listen to White Christmas - 1987 Version on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1987.


“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available from iTunes.

About Today

It was 90 degrees when I was driving home today and then and there I decided that today was the day to feature “White Christmas,” as no tribute to the music of Irving Berlin would be complete without acknowledging this song.

There is a lovely video of “White Christmas” featuring Tony, Dexter Gordon, and the Ralph Sharon Trio, stopping in an inn on a snowy Christmas Eve and singing this song. Alas, it seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Instead, here’s Tony Bennett singing it live at Rockefeller Center in 2011. May all your Christmases be bright.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bennett/Berlin, Bing Crosby, Dexter Gordon, Irving Berlin, Ralph Sharon Trio

Please feel free to leave a comment Cancel reply

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites

  • Duke Ellington and the Harlem Renaissance
  • Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon
  • The Quartet
  • Song of the Day: I've Got a Crush on You
  • Frank Laico, RIP
  • Song of the Day: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress