The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Monday, November 18, 2024, is “That Old Black Magic.”

About Today

We are remembering Johnny Mercer on the anniversary of his birth in Savannah, Georgia, on November 18, 1909.

About This Song

“That Old Black Magic” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1942 for the film Star Bangled Banner. It was first recorded in 1942 by Glenn Miller. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including Bus Stop in 1956, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and The Dave Brubeck Trio (Brubeck on piano, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums) recorded “That Old Black Magic” live on August 28, 1962, at the White House Seminar American Jazz Concert, organized by The White House and President John F. Kennedy. Tony Bennett, with his trio, and Dave Brubeck with his quartet played sets at the concert. After the last set. Bennett and Brubeck and his trio did an impromptu four-song set, including “That Old Black Magic.”

Although the concert was taped, the tape appeared to be lost somewhere in the Columbia vaults. It was discovered in the classical music section of the vaults in 2013, just a few weeks after Brubeck’s death on December 12, 2012. Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 was released on May 28, 2013.

FYI: The concert was originally to be held in the White House Rose Garden, but they were forced to relocate to the Sylvan Theater grounds near the Washington Monument due to the size of the audience.

“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Make Someone Happy

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 3, 2024, is “Make Someone Happy.”

About This Song

“Make Someone Happy” was written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green for the 1960 musical Do Re Mi, which 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.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Make Someone Happy” live at The Washington Monument on August 28, 1962, with the Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass, and Billy Exiner on drums). Bennett and The Dave Brubeck Quartet were invited by President John F. Kennedy to play at the White House, but there was so much interest in the concert that it was moved to the Washington Monument. concert was taped, but the masters were lost in the Columbia vaults (misfiled in the Classical section) and were only located in 2012. Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 was released in 2013.

“Make Someone Happy,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Thursday, February 15, 2024, is “That Old Black Magic.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Harold Arlen, who was born 119 years ago on February 15, 1905. Of all the songwriters who contributed to the Great American Songbook, none is greater and has remained more current than Harold Arlen.

About This Song

“That Old Magic” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm. One of the early great recordings was made in 1942 by Glenn Miller. The song has been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and The Dave Brubeck Trio (Brubeck on piano, Eugene Wright on bass, Joe Morello on drums) recorded “That Old Black Magic” live on August 28, 1962, at a concert on The Mall in Washington, D.C, at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy. Bennett and The Dave Brubeck Trio had both performed their sets and then did an impromptu improv session. “That Old Black Magic” was performed at that session.

For many years, the tapes of the concert were lost. However, soon after Brubeck died in 2012, the tapes were located, having been misfiled in the Classical music archives at Columbia Records. Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 was released the following year.

“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 20, 2023, is “That Old Black Magic.”

About This Song

“That Old Black Magic” was written in 1942 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. It was used in the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm and was recorded by Glenn Miller in 1942 as well. “That Old Black Magic” has been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

In 1962, Tony Bennett, with The Ralph Sharon Trio, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet were invited by President John F. Kennedy to perform at a concert honoring that year’s group of White House interns. The concert was originally planned to be held on the White House grounds, but there was so much interest that the concert was held on The Mall near the Washington Monument. On August 28, 1962, the concert opened with the Dave Brubeck Quartet playing a set of four songs, including “Take Five.” After that, Bennett and The Ralph Sharon Trio did their set of favorites, including “Just In Time” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

After that, Bennett and Dave Brubeck, with Joe Morello (drums) and Eugene Wright (bass), returned to the stage for a completely unrehearsed improv session. Our song today was part of that improv set.

The concert was taped, but over time the tapes were lost in the Columbia vaults and thought to be gone forever. From an article in Jazz Times:

One of the great lost treasures of American musical history, the Tony Bennett-Dave Brubeck White House Seminar performance came about when the artists–each already on the bill with his own ensemble–agreed to seize the moment with an impromptu set. While the Bennett-Brubeck recording of ‘That Old Black Magic’ had surfaced on the occasional compilation (Brubeck’s 1971’s out-of-print LP, Summit Sessions, and 2001’s Vocal Encounters), the rest of the Bennett and Brubeck performances-an hour’s worth of music-were a mythical lost object in the Sony Music Entertainment vaults until finally surfacing through a fortuitous discovery last December, just weeks after Brubeck’s passing on December 5, 2012 (one day shy of his 92nd birthday).

Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 was released to great acclaim in 2013.

That Old Black Magic”,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart In San Francisco

The song of the day for Thursday, September 1, 2022, is “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross.

This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters constantly gave Ralph Sharon copies of their songs. Cross and Cory had done that and Sharon had stuck the song in a drawer and forgotten all about it. In 1961, he and Bennett were heading out on tour, which included a stop in San Francisco at The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Sharon came across the music and thought it might be a nice local number for the San Francisco audience. After a performance in Hot Springs, Arkansas, they found a piano and started to work on the song a bit. An early fan was the bartender, who said that he’d buy the first copy if they ever decided to record it. Of course, I Left My Heart in San Francisco was a huge hit at the performance, and in January 1962, Bennett recorded it and released it on a 45 RPM record on the B-side to “Once Upon a Time.” But gradually, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” started getting all the airplay and it became a major hit for Bennett, winning him his first Grammy Award. It is his signature song and is beloved by all of his fans.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang this version of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” live on August 28, 1962, at a concert hosted by President Kennedy’s White House held at the Washington Monument. The concert, with Bennett and his trio and Dave Brubeck and his quartet, was released in 2013 on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962. Bennett’s trio consisted of Ralph Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass, and Billy Exiner on drums.

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 is available on Apple Music.