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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

February 19, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Album of the Week: Tony Sings For Two

The album of the week starting on February 20, 2022, is Tony Sings For Two.

Tony Sings For Two

On October 28, 1959, Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon entered the CBS 30th Street Studio with a briefcase full of sheet music to record an album with no orchestra, just Bennett and Sharon on piano. They looked through the music and tried different tunes. Once a song was selected, they recorded it in one or two takes; the arrangements were spontaneous. In one afternoon, they recorded 16 songs, 12 of which made it onto the album; a 13th song was added to the 1995 CD re-release. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that they were really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading Bennett, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” The resulting album, Tony Sings For Two was released until early 1961. The album was a masterpiece and is one of Bennett’s finest albums.

Album Facts

Release Date February 6, 1961
Label Columbia
Producer Mitch Miller
Vocals Tony Bennett
Piano Ralph Sharon
Recording Date October 28, 1959
Recording Engineer Frank Laico

Listen to Tony Sings For Two

You can also listen to Tony Sings For Two on

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Filed Under: Album of the Week Tagged With: A Sleepin' Bee, Bewitched, Frank Laico, Happiness is a Thing Called Joe, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, I'm Thru With Love, Just Friends, Mam'selle, Mitch Miller, My Funny Valentine, Nobody's Heart Belongs To Me, Ralph Sharib, Skylark, Street of Dreams, The Man That Got Away, Tony Bennett, Where Or When

June 22, 2019 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves a Harold Arlen Song

The playlist of the week of June 23 is Tony Loves a Harold Arlen Song.

Harold Arlen is widely considered to be one of America’s finest songwriters. Bennett’s recordings of his work are all wonderful.

Tony Loves a Harold Arlen Song

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, from The Playground

A Sleepin’ Bee, with lyrics by Truman Capote, from Tony Sings For Two

Blues in the Night, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, from Playin’ With My Friends

Don’t Like Goodbyes, with lyrics by Truman Capote, from The Art of Romance

Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good), with lyrics by Ted Koehler, from Tony Bennett On Holiday

Last Night When We Were Young, with lyrics by Yip Harburg, from Perfectly Frank

One for My Baby (And One More for the Road), with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, on Perfectly Frank

So Long, Big Time, with lyrics by Dory Langon Previn, on The Many Moods of Tony

That Old Black Magic, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, from Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962

The Man That Got Away, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, from Tony Sings For Two

Filed Under: Playlist of the Week Tagged With: #tony90, A Sleepin', A Sleepin' Bee, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, Blues in the Night, Don't Like Goodbyes, Dory Langdon Previn, Harold Arlen, Ill Wind (You're Blowing Me No Good), Ira Gerswhin, Johnny Mercer, Last Night When We Were Young, One for My Baby (And One More For the Road), Perfectly Frank, Playin' With My Friends, So Long Big Time, Ted Koehler, That Old Black Magic, The Art of Romance, The Man That Got Away, The Many Moods of Tony, The Playground, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett On Holiday, Truman Capote, Yip Harburg

May 11, 2019 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves a Piano

The playlist of the week of May 12, 2019, is Tony Loves a Piano. Some of Bennett’s finest recordings have been made with just Tony and a pianist. This week we honor some of the best of those recordings.

Tony Loves a Piano

Some of Tony Bennett's finest recordings have been with only Tony and a pianist. This week we honor some of the best of those recordings.

My Foolish Heart (Victor Young and Ned Washington) with Bill Evans
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart) with Ralph Sharon
Cold, Cold Heart (Hank Williams) with John Bunch
Some Other Time (Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green and Betty Comden) with Bill Evans
The Man That Got Away (Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin) with Ralph Sharon
A Sleepin’ Bee (Harold Arlen and Truman Capote) with Ralph Sharon
Dream Dancing (Cole Porter) with Bill Evans
One For My Baby (by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer)/It Had To Be You (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn) with John Bunch
We’ll Be Together Again (Carl T. Fischer and Frankie Laine) with Bill Evans

Filed Under: Playlist of the Week Tagged With: A Sleepin' Bee, Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, Bill Evans, Carl T. Fischer, Cold Cold Heart, Cole Porter, Dream Dancing, Frankie Laine, Gus Kahn, Hank Williams, Harold Arlen, I Love a Piano, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Isham Jones, It Had To Be You, John Bunch, Johnny Mercer, Larry Hart, Leonard Bernstein, My Foolish Heart, Ned Washington, One For My Baby, Ralph Sharon, Richard Rodgers, Some Other Time, The Man That Got Away, Truman Capote, Victor Young, We'll Be Together Again

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