An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Sunday, October 10, 2021, is “Make Someone Happy.”
“Make Someone Happy” was written by Jule Styne, Adolph Green, and Betty Comden for the 1960 musical Do Re Me. It as introduced by John Reardon and Nancy Dussault.
Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “Make Someone Happy” in 1976 for their second album, Together Again, released in 1977.
Make Someone Happy - Remastered 2003
Listen to Make Someone Happy - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 1977
“Make Someone Happy,” as well as Together Again is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Sunday, October 3, 2021, is “Lucky To Be Me.”
“Lucky To Be Me” was written by Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green, and Betty Comden for the 1944 Broadway musical On The Town. The song (as were most of the songs from the score) was cut from the 1949 film. Considering that “Some Other Time” was also cut from the film version, I think that this may be a badge of honor.
Bill Evans and Tony Bennett recorded “Lucky To Be Me” in 1976 for their second album, Together Again, which was released in 1977.
Lucky To Be Me - Remastered 2003
Listen to Lucky To Be Me - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 1977
“Lucky To Be Me,” as well as Together Again is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Thursday, September 30, 2021, is “Some Other Time.”
“Some Other Time” was written for the 1944 Broadway musical On The Town by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden. This song is sung at the end by two of the couples. Inexplicably, this beautiful song was cut from the 1949 film version.
Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “Some Other Time” in 1975 for their first album, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, which was released on Fantasy Records, which published Evans’ albums.
Some Other Time
Bill Evans, Tony Bennett · The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1975
“Some Other Time”, as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for August 30, 2021, is “Make Someone Happy.”
“Make Someone Happy” is from the 1960 musical Do Re Mi, by Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green. Do Re Mi concerns a guy, a bit of a loser and a con, who goes into the jukebox business with some gangster pals. ”Make Someone Happy” was introduced by John Reardon and Nancy Dussault.
“Make Someone Happy” was the third song in Tony Bennett’s set at the 1962 concert in Washington, DC. It’s also the third song in the set written by Jule Styne. This song, as well as The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s set, the Bennett and Brubeck improv session, and all of Tony’s songs with The Ralph Sharon Trio can be found on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962.
Make Someone Happy - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962
Listen to Make Someone Happy - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2013
“Make Someone Happy,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Saturday, August 28, 2021, is “Just In Time.”
Fifty-nine years ago tonight, August 28, 1962, Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio and The Dave Brubeck Quartet, invited by President John Kennedy, performed at a concert to celebrate that year’s group of Presidential Scholars. Originally the concert was to be held on the White House grounds, but was so popular that it was held on the National Mall by the Washington Monument. Bennett and Brubeck each played their sets. Then Bennett, Brubeck, bass player Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello returned for a short, completely improvised set.
The concert was recorded and survived long enough for one of the improv numbers to be used on other records. And the original tapes were since thought to be lost. Not long after Brubeck’s death in 2012, the tapes were found, misfiled in the classical music section of Columbia’s vaults. In 2013, Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 as released.
In honor of this concert, The Year of Tony Bennett will feature all of Bennett’s set and the Bennett/Brubeck improv set over the next ten days. Enjoy!
“Just In Time” was written for the 1956 Broadway musical hit, Bells Are Ringing, by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The song was introduced by Judy Holliday and Sidney Chaplin. Holliday and Dean Martin sang it in the 1960 film version of Bells Are Ringing.
Tony Bennett sang “Just In Time” at the White House concert in 1962, with The Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass, and Billy Exiner on drums. The performance was released on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962.
Just In Time - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962
Listen to Just In Time - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2013
“Just In Time,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 is available on Apple Music.