The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Make Someone Happy

Well, someone made me very happy today  and so the song of the day for Thursday, June 6, 2013 is “Make Someone Happy.”

About This Song

“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 juke box business with some gangster pals.  “Make Someone Happy” was introduced by John Reardon and Nancy Dussault.

This song was a favorite of Jimmy Durante’s; his version was used in the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Perry Como.

About This Version

Today’s live version comes from the newly released Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, released last week. Tony Bennett is accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7LmGma0lhICYYOsCdZT3yG
“Make Someone Happy,” as well as the Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 album, is available from iTunes.

And for some extra happiness, here’s is the wonderful Jimmy Durante singing our song of the day:

Make Someone Happy

Jimmy Durante · As Time Goes By: The Best Of Jimmy Durante · Song · 2008

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Song of the Day: There Will Never Be Another You

The song of the day for Thursday, May 30, 2013 is There Will Never Be Another You.

About This Song

There Will Never Be Another You was written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Mack Gordon in 1942 for the Sonje Henie movie Iceland.  This song has long outlived the so-so film and has been a well-respected song, both as a popular standard and in the jazz repertoire. Significant recordings (in addition to the one that we feature today) include those by Frank Sinatra, Art Tatum, Chet Baker, Rosemary Clooney and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

This song has been a favorite of mine for many years and so I was very happy to see on the playlist for the newly released Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 album.  It comes at the end of the album in the section where Tony Bennett and the Dave Brubeck Trio (Brubeck, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello) improvise for a few songs, including the previously released That Old Black Magic.  This recording is a revelation. It starts off like the nice slow ballad I’ve always loved and then Tony just takes off on one of the most exciting jazz vocal performances I’ve ever heard. It’s really extraordinary how well this album captures the energy of that live performance.

There Will Never Be Another You (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to There Will Never Be Another You (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013

There Will Never Be Another You, as well as the new Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available from iTunes. It is also, as of this writing, the number one jazz album on Amazon.com.

For more information about the Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 album, please visit our sister site (which is still under construction) The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

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Bennett/Brubeck – News, Reviews, Interviews

Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 will be publicly available on May 28, 2013.

Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.
Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

News

Great article from the Washington Post on this fine album.

Excellent article by Mark Myers from The Wall Street Journal: A Lost Improv from 1962 Resurfaces

The New York Times has a streaming preview of the album available here.

Creative Allies announces a poster contest for Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 with a $500 prize and a copy of the CD.

Reviews

Review from The Second Disc.

Review from the Denver Post.

Review from Nick DiRiso at Something Else! Reviews.

Review from the London Express.

Review and other news from the Sacramento Bee.

Review from Broadway World.

Reviews from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Vanity Fair says that Tony Bennett is Earth’s Coolest Cat. No argument here.

 

Interviews

Tony Bennett will be appearing on CBS This Morning on Tuesday, May 28.

Update: The CBS This Morning story is excellent. “He is the epitome of cool.”  You’ll get no argument from me.

Interview with Tony Bennett from the Atlanta Magazine about Bennett/Brubeck and his upcoming concert in Atlanta