The song of the day for Friday, February 3, 2018 is “That Old Black Magic.”
About This Song
“That Old Black Magic” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1942 for the movie Star Spangled Rhythm. The popularity of the song has long outlived the movie it was written form. Glenn Miller made the first recording in 1942. Over the years, it has been recorded many times by many artists. It has also been used in other films, notably the 1956 Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “That Old Black Magic” three times 1962. Two were live recordings (one from his Carnegie Hall concert in June and the other at the White House in August). Today I’m featuring his first version, recorded on March 13, 1962, along with several other songs, all for the unreleased On The Glory Road. Thankfully, that album is now available, at least for downloading. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra. This recording also features Chico Hamilton on drums.
https://open.spotify.com/track/3QC3gPnEO6FPJXV675vZ43
“That Old Black Magic,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from iTunes.
About Today
I found this nice video of Tony and his quartet performing “That Old Black Magic” on the Rachel Ray show from 2013. Enjoy!
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