The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: You’re Nearer

The song of the day for Friday, September 12, 2014 is “You’re Nearer.”

About This Song

Written in 1940 for the film version of Too Many Girls, this song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart is not one of their better-known songs, but it is a lovely song nonetheless. It has not been widely recorded, but there are excellent recordings by Judy Garland, Jeri Southern and, of course, Tony Bennett and Bill Evans.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “You’re Nearer” for their second album, Together Again, released in 1977. After the release of Together Again, Richard Rodgers wrote that “Tony’s recording of “You’re Nearer” makes me extremely happy and would affect Larry Hart the same way if he could hear it.”

You"re Nearer - Remastered 2003

Listen to You"re Nearer - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 1977


“You’re Nearer,” as well as the album Together Again, is available from iTunes.

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Remembering Bill Evans

The great jazz pianist Bill Evans was born on August 16, 1929 and died on September 5, 1980.

The collaboration between Bill Evans and Tony Bennett was an extraordinary one. Their two albums, The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album and Together Again are both extraordinary and bring out the greatest qualities of both musicians.

I saw this on Twitter today, and have to share it, as I believe it as true as the person who wrote it:

And so here it is … “My Foolish Heart” from The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, 1975.

My Foolish Heart

Bill Evans, Tony Bennett · The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1975

Happy Birthday, Bill.

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Song of the Day: Reflections

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 17, 2014 is “Reflections.”

About This Song

The music for “Reflections” was written by Duke Ellington as a piano solo titled “Reflections in D” in 1953. The lyrics, written by Milton Raskin and Marjorie Houseman, were added later.

The piano solo was recorded by Bill Evans in 1978 at a concert at Carnegie Hall, released that year on the album New Conversations.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Reflections” for the first album released on his own Improv label, Life Is Beautiful. It was arranged by Torrie Zito and features Zito on piano, Chuck Hughes on drums and John Guiffrida on bass.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6gRs3mGqP2QjF6sZ5Uz4Y4
“Reflections,” as well as all of the songs collected on The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from iTunes.

And, if you’re interested, here is Ellington playing it himself, as recorded in April, 1953. It’s a beautiful piano solo by a great artist.

Reflections In D

Listen to Reflections In D on Spotify. Song · Duke Ellington · 1989

And, finally, Bill Evans from 1978 on New Conversations.

Reflections In D

Listen to Reflections In D on Spotify. Song · Bill Evans · 1978

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Song of the Day: Dream Dancing

The song of the day for Sunday, June 15, 2014 is “Dream Dancing.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Dream Dancing” for the 1941 movie You’ll Never Get Rich. It was to be sung by Fred Astaire to his co-star, Rita Hayworth, followed by a dance to the music. The singing of the song was cut, leaving just the instrumental dance number. Astaire liked the song and recorded it, but it came out during an ASCAP strike and got no radio play as a result. Porter used it again in 1957 for This Could Be The Night in a nightclub scene.

In spite of a slow beginning due to these circumstances, the song gradually caught on and has been adopted as a jazz standard. It’s a quite lovely ballad that works well as both as instrumental and a vocal. In addition to this recording by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, “Dream Dancing” has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé and George Shearing and Zoot Sims.

About This Version

“Dream Dancing” is from Bennett’s and Evans’ second album, Together Again, released in 1977.

Dream Dancing - Remastered 2003

Listen to Dream Dancing - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 1977

“Dream Dancing,” as well as the album Together Again, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When In Rome

The song of the day for Saturday, May 24, 2014 is “When In Rome.”

About This Song

“When In Rome” was written in 1964 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. In the year 2000, part of his 70th birthday celebration at the Library of Congress, Stephen Sondheim chose a list of ‘Songs I Wish I Had Written (At Least in Part).’ On this list were several songs by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, most of which are songs that Tony Bennett has recorded including “When In Rome.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans chose “When In Rome” as one of the songs for their first album, The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, released in 1975. Like all the songs on the album, it’s about as close to perfect as can be.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0z8NAX4UK2KxwvIUSvetdb
“When In Rome,” as well as The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

For our Saturday video, here’s a clip from the Clint Eastwood documentary about Tony Bennett, The Music Never Ends, about Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, including their appearance on The Tonight Show, where they performed “When In Rome.”

The Music Never Ends is available from Amazon. The special edition DVD also includes Tony Bennett’s performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2005.

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