The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Thursday, January 17, 2013 is But Beautiful.

About But Beautiful

Originally written for the 1947 film Road To Rio, But Beautiful was written by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced in the film by Bing Crosby. It found great popularity as jazz ballad, with recordings by Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman, and Shirley Horn, among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded this song in 1975 for their first album,The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album. Bill Evans had recorded the song with Stan Getz in 1974 at the Laren (Holland) International Jazz Festival; an album, with the same name, was released posthumously in 1996.  Mr. Bennett often sings this song in concert.

But Beautiful

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

But Beautiful, as well as the full The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

Readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of the work that Tony Bennett and Bill Evans did on their two albums. On their second album, Together Again, they included a piano solo The Bad And The Beautiful, which I have always liked. A few weeks ago, the film showed up on Turner Classic Movies and I so watched it, for the first time. It’s a bit of a melodrama, but it has a terrific cast (Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Barry Sullivan and many more) and its theme song, by David Raskin, is used throughout. Here’s But Beautiful, here from the The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings set from Fantasy / Concord. Note that this set contains a good selection of alternate takes from the Together Again session.

The Bad And The Beautiful - Remastered 2003

Listen to The Bad And The Beautiful - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 2009

The Bad and the Beautiful, as well as the full Together Again album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Sunday, January 13, 2013 is You Must Believe In Spring.

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans

About You Must Believe in Spring

You Must Believe In Spring was written by Michel Legrand for the 1967 film musical The Young Girls of Rochefort, with lyrics by the film’s director, Jacques Demy. The English lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

About This Version

You Must Believe in Spring was recorded by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans in 1976 for their second album, Together Again. Today’s version, however, is not released version. Instead, it’s an alternate take that was included on the The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings, specifically Take 4. This is my favorite of three versions on the complete set. I can hear the exhaustion in Bennett’s voice; he’s whispering and I hear the voice start to break a few times. But I also hear a profound plea to believe in love, even after all that has happened. The singer must believe in spring and love in spite of what feels like a place just a few steps up from despair. I love the song, but I especially love Bennett’s voice in this particular take.

You Must Believe In Spring - Alt. Tk4

Listen to You Must Believe In Spring - Alt. Tk4 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 2009

Bill Evans went on to record an album with Eddie Gomez (bass) and Eliot Zigmund (drums) featuring (and called) You Must Believe In Spring. This album, considered one of his finest later albums, was released in 1980 after Evan’s death.

You Must Believe In Spring, as well as The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: A Child is Born

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 26, 2012 is A Child Is Born.

About A Child Is Born

A Child is Born was composed by Thad Jones, with lyrics by Alec Wilder, in 1969. Click here for more information about the life and work of Alec Wilder. Click here for more information about Thad Jones.

About This Version

This version was recorded by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans for their second album, Together Again, recorded in 1976 and released in 1977. Today’s link is from the The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings, released by Concord in 2009.

A Child Is Born - Remastered 2003

Listen to A Child Is Born - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 2009

A Child is Born, as well as the full album Together Again, is available from iTunes. This remastered album contains several alternate takes, including one for A Child Is Born.

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 4, 2012, is My Foolish Heart.

About My Foolish Heart

My Foolish Heart was written by Victor Young, with lyrics by Ned Washington, for the 1949 film of the same name. The film got terrible reviews; the song was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Frank Loesser’s Baby It’s Cold Outside.

Billy Eckstine recorded the song in 1950 and it was a major hit. Since that time, it’s been a jazz and cabaret standard. I first fell in love with this song in 1993 when I heard it on Nancy LaMott’s 1993 album My Foolish Heart.

My Foolish Heart has had been recorded significantly as an instrumental piece (Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett) and, of course as a vocal (Ms. LaMott, Margaret Whiting, Ann Hampton Calloway and and many more).

About This Version

Today’s version is from the brilliant 1975 The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album. Both artists had previously recorded the song: Tony in 1958 for Long Ago and Far Away and Bill as early as 1961 with the Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard (with Paul Motian on drums and Scott LaFaro on bass, who died in an automobile accident just ten days after the live recording at the Village Vanguard).

The recording that Bennett and Evans made in 1975 is markedly different from both of their previous recordings: it’s as beautiful and heartbreaking as the song can be, without an ounce of pathos or self-indulgence. For this author, it’s one of the highlights of Tony Bennett’s collaboration with Bill Evans.

The album (expanded from the original with alternate takes), as well as the song, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The Song of the Day for Monday, November 26, 2012 is But Beautiful.

About But Beautiful

But Beautiful was written by Jimmy  Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was written for the 1947 movie Road To Rio and was introduced by Bing Crosby.

About This Version

This version is from the 1975 Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album. Bill Evans had recorded the song the year earlier with his trio with Stan Getz. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Bennett and not recorded the song prior to this album. It is a great song for him and this recording is quite moving.

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