The song of the day for Saturday, January 4, 2020, is “That Old Black Magic.”
About This Song
One of the great songs by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, “That Old Black Magic” was written in 1942 and first recorded by Glenn Miller. It was also used in the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.
About This Version
Tony Bennett, along with the Dave Brubeck Trio (Brubeck, piano; Eugene Wright, bass; Joe Morello, drums), recorded “That Old Black Magic” in an improv session after the rehearsed sets by both artists. I love the bet of this recording; Eugene Wright and Joe Morello do a great job backing the stars: Tony and Dave Brubeck. It’s a great recording!
The tape of concert was lost for years, misfiled in the classical vaults at Columbia. Luckily, the tapes were discovered and released on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 in 2013, not long after Dave Brubeck’s death.
“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available from iTunes.
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