The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for February 7, 2014 is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written in 1932 by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1932 Broadway revue Flying Colors, where it was performed by dancing team of Buddy and Vilma Ebsen. This song, as well as others by Schwartz and Dietz, were reused for the 1953 Fred Astaire musical The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1993 album Steppin’ Out. This album, which features songs sung by Fred Astaire in his films, features beautifully the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums. The entire album is full of delights, including today’s song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0Pnqvf10FZ7PKBFqkiz9RZ
“A Shine On Your Shoes,” as well as the album Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Thursday, September 12, 2013 is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written in 1931 by the songwriting team of Arthur Schwartz (music) and Howard Dietz (lyrics) for the Broadway musical revue The Band Wagon, which featured Fred and Adele Astaire and Frank Morgan. The song was introduced by John Barker and featured dancing on a raked, lighted mirror stage. A recording was made of the show with the Leo Reisman Orchestra in a two-sided 33 1/3 recording. It was the very first commercially released recorded at this speed. Unfortunately, this new speed required new record players and as the Depression was well under way, the expense proved too much for most people and so the new format didn’t really take off for another 20+ years.

“Dancing in the Dark” is one of Schwartz’ and Dietz’ most enduring songs, with recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bill Evans and, of course, Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1961 album My Heart Sings, which featured big band arrangements by Ralph Burns.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4up57sk978q1DVJ4NYZuxE
“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: A Rainy Day

The song of the day for Monday, August 26, 2013 is “A Rainy Day.”

About This Song

“A Rainy Day” is from the 1932 musical revue Flying Colors. The revue featured an excellent set of songs by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz. In addition to today’s song, the score also included “Alone Together” and “A Shine on Your Shoes.”

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1986 “The Art of Excellence.” And excellent it is.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4g7gvSBMe6PnlwoMH8ZGhW
“A Rainy Day,” as well as the album The Art of Excellence, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

By 1 Comment

Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 5, 2013, is Dancing In The Dark.

About Dancing In The Dark

Written for the 1931 stage revue The Band Wagon, Dancing In The Dark was written by the great songwriting team of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. It was a big band hit in 1941 by Artie Shaw. Many will remember the ballet of Dancing In The Dark with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, from the 1953 film The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded Dancing In The Dark in 1961 for My Heart Sings. Produced by Ernie Altschuler, the album features a big band, including guitarist Chuck Wayne, who arranged much of Bennett’s 1955 Cloud 7.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4up57sk978q1DVJ4NYZuxE
Dancing In The Dark, as well as the entire My Heart Sings album, is available from iTunes.

 

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I See Your Face Before Me

The Song of the Day for October 5, 2012 is I See Your Face Before Me.

About I See Your Face Before Me

I See Your Face Before Me was written in 1937 by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the musical Between the Devil. Frank Sinatra sang it on his amazing album, In the Wee Small Hours, released in 1955.

About This Version

I’ve been reading Jonathan Schwartz’s memoir of his childhood, All In Good Time. It’s not a happy book by any means, but it has encourage me to revisit the songs of Arthur Schwartz, who was a really wonderful songwriter.

Today’s version is from the 1992 Perfectly Frank.