An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Thursday, July 16, 2015 is “Pennies From Heaven.”
“Pennies From Heaven” was written in 1936 by Arthur Johnson and Johnny Burke. This song was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1936 film of the same name. It’s one of the classic Great Depression songs.
Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1958 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for their second album, In Person!
Pennies From Heaven
Listen to Pennies From Heaven on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1959.
The song of the day for Monday, April 20, 2015 is “My Old Flame.”
“My Old Flame” was written in 1934 by Arthur Johnson (music) and Sam Coslow (lyrics) for the movie Belle of the Nineties, which starred Mae West. Mae West was an ardent Duke Ellington fan and insisted that he and his orchestra be hired to do the film and accompany her when she sang it.
Today’s song, “My Old Flame,” is the 11th song from Tony Bennett On Holiday. It features a very nice arrangement with Ralph Sharon backed by Jorge Calandrelli’s orchestra. It starts quite nicely with Bennett singing a cappella, which is always a joy to hear. Even though the tempo is slow, it’s more wistful than sad, and quite lovely.
My Old Flame
Listen to My Old Flame on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1997.
Billie Holiday recorded four versions of “My Old Flame” on March 25, 1944 at the WOR recording studios in New York. All four of these versions would up being released at some point, both as singles on the Commodore label and in various collections. Today’s version is MX A4743-1 and was originally released on Commodore 585.
My Old Flame
Listen to My Old Flame on Spotify. Billie Holiday · Song · 1957.
“My Old Flame,” as well as The Complete Commodore and Decca Masters, is available from iTunes.