An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
On the Twelfth Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Tuesday, December 25, 2012, the song of the day is a medley of Christmas carols and songs.
This medley from the 1968 Snowfall album includes:
The Year of Tony Bennett blog wishes you a very Merry Christmas.
On the Eleventh Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Monday, December 24, 2012, the song of the day is All I Want For Christmas Is You.
This is not the Mariah Carey Love Actually song. Nor is it the Vince Vance and the Valiants song from 1993 or the song written by A.C. Williams and sung by Carla Thomas.
This is, instead, the elegant song with music by Johnny Mandel and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. It often goes by the name A Christmas Love Song.
Tony Bennett recorded this song for the 2008 A Swingin’ Christmas album.
All I Want For Christmas Is You / A Christmas Love Song, as well as the full A Swingin\’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.
On the Tenth Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Sunday, December 23, 2012, the song of the day is Winter Wonderland.
This song was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard (music) and Richard B. Smith (lyrics). It\’s one of the great Christmas favorites and has been recorded by many artists since it was written nearly 80 years ago.
Winter Wonderland, as well as the full A Swingin\’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.
On the Ninth Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Saturday, December 22, 2012, the song of the day is Silver Bells.
Originally, composers Jay Livingston and Ray Evans wanted to call their song \”Tinkle Bells.\” Fortunately, Mr. Livingston\’s wife pointed out the alternate meaning of \”tinkle\” and so the song became Silver Bells. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards in October 1950.
Tony Bennett recorded Silver Bells for the 2008 A Swingin\’ Christmas. It was arranged by Lee Musiker and featured the quartet of Monty Alexander (piano), Gray Sargent (guitar), Paul Langosch (bass) and Harold Jones (drums).
Silver Bells, as well as the full A Swingin\’ Christmas album, is available from iTunes.
On the Eighth Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Friday, December 21, 2012, the song of the day is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
I have always had a weakness for this song. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written in 1943 by Ralph Blane (music) and Hugh Martin (lyrics). Mr. Martin was not only from my own hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, but also attended my alma mater of Birmingham-Southern College. But aside from that, it really is one the best Christmas songs ever written. It was first sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 Vincent Minnelli film, Meet Me In St. Louis.
In his Twitter Q&A in November, 2012, Tony Bennett was asked what his favorite Christmas song was; he replied with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Mr. Bennett has recorded two versions: one for the 1968 Snowfall and one for the 2008 A Swingin\’ Christmas. I\’ve been trying to decide for a week or more which version to feature today, but I couldn\’t; I love both versions dearly. So today, there are two versions. Enjoy! And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
http://open.spotify.com/track/7yUx5eB7jvq8wuhhOn3Nas
http://open.spotify.com/track/0Z52gqfioTOy0goZIrjcNy
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, as well as the full Snowfall and A Swingin\’ Christmas albums are available from iTunes.