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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

August 21, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Taking A Chance On Love

The song of the day for Thursday, August 21, 2014 is “Taking A Chance On Love.”

About This Song

“Taking a Chance on Love” was written for the 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky by Vernon Duke (music) and John Latouche and Ted Fetter (lyrics), where it was introduced by the great Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson. The song works well for both jazz singers and instrumentalists, with significant recordings by Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland and Dizzy Gillespie.

And, even though we have featured two songs in row with lyrics by John Latouche, it is not John Latouche Week, though that’s a great idea.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded today’s song in December, 1958 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the 1959 album In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra. In his autobiography, The Good Life, Bennett tells this story:

Although I’d talked with him on the telephone I didn’t meet Count Basie until our rehearsals began. It was an amazing experience, the fulfillment of a dream, and I’ll never forget it. We hit it off right away, as though we always knew and understood each other. At one point, Basie turned to his band, pointed his finger at me, and said, ‘Anything this man wants, he gets!’ I was floored.

About Today

William James “Count” Basie was born on August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey and would have been 110 years old today. He learned to play piano from his mother as a child and by the time he was a teenager, he was performing. He had dropped out of school and ran lights for a vaudeville house while he learned to accompany silent movies. By the age of 16, he was performing professionally. Though from the East Coast, he really got his start in jazz in Kansas City, playing with Bennie Moten’s Band from 1929 until 1935, when Moten died. He then started his own band, which lasted for nearly fifty years. Some of the great talent that came through Basie’s band include Lester Young, Freddy Green, Buck Clayton, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams. Billie Holiday toured with Basie after the band moved to New York in 1938.

Basie’s was one of the very bands that managed to stay together after the Swing era ebbed out in the early 1940s; even Benny Goodman dismantled his band. Basie and Ellington found ways to last, even though it meant prodigious touring to make the payroll.

Younger fans may remember Count Basie and His Orchestra playing in the desert at the end of Mel Brook’s Blazing Saddles.

And Tony Bennett fans remember that his current drummer, Harold Jones, played with Basie.

Taking A Chance On Love

Taking A Chance On Love, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cabin in the Sky, Count Basie, Happy Birthday Count Basie, In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra, John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke

June 27, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe

The song of the day for Friday, June 27, 2014 is “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe.”

About This Song

“Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1943 film version of Cabin In The Sky, starring Ethel Waters, Eddie Anderson and Lena Horne. Ethel Waters introduced the song in the film. Interestingly, the song was not part of the original 1940 stage version of Cabin In The Sky. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to “You’ll Never Know” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon; other songs nominated that year include “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” (Cole Porter), “That Old Black Magic” (Arlen and Johnny Mercer) and “My Shining Hour” (also by Arlen and Mercer). I only mention these in admiration of the incredible quality of songwriting for the movies in those years.

Notable recordings of “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” include this fine one by Tony Bennett, Ethel Waters, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Abbey Lincoln.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” in 1959 for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. As with all of the songs on this album, it’s just Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon on piano. I know I say this about many of Tony Bennett’s albums, but this one really is one of my favorites.

Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe – Remastered

Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cabin in the Sky, Harold Arlen, Tony Sings for Two, Yip Harburg

January 11, 2014 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: Taking a Chance on Love

The song of the day for Saturday, January 11, 2014 is “Taking a Chance on Love.”

About This Song

“Taking a Chance on Love” was written for the 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky by Vernon Duke, with lyrics by John La Touche and Ted Fetter. The song was introduced by the great Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson. The song works well for both jazz singers and instrumentalists, with significant recordings by Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland and Dizzy Gillespie.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded this song for his second album, Tony, released in 1957. However, I prefer this version from 1958 In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra. This version was also used on the 1962 album I Left My Heart in San Francisco.


“Taking a Chance on Love,” as well as the album In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra, is available from iTunes.

And as it’s YouTube Saturday, I have two videos for you.

The first is Tony Bennett singing today’s song:

And here is Miss Ethel Waters from Cabin in the Sky:

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cabin in the Sky, Ethel Waters, In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra, John La Touche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke

April 23, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Taking A Chance On Love

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 23, 2013 is Taking A Chance On Love.

About This Song

Today we feature another song from Cabin In The Sky, Taking A Chance On Love. This song was written for the original 1940 Broadway production by Vernon Duke, with lyrics by John LaTouche and Ted Fetter.  Taking A Chance on Love has been a favorite of jazz and popular performers since it was written, including recordings by Dizzy Gillespie, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Jane Monheit and even Rod Stewart.

About This Version

I can’t get Cabin In The Sky out my mind and have found myself humming this song a lot since I watched the movie on Saturday. I felt like a Count Basie song for today and so here’s Taking A Chance on Love from In Person! Bennett and Basie really swing this version.


Taking A Chance On Love, as well the full In Person! album, is available from iTunes.

And again the amazing Ethel Waters, singing our song of the day, with dancing by the amazing Bill Bailey. And you thought Michael Jackson invented the Moonwalk.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bill Bailey, Cabin in the Sky, Ethel Waters, John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke

April 21, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe

The song of the day for Sunday, April 21, 2013 is Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe.

About This Song

This song, written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, was included in the film version of Cabin In The Sky, starring Ethel Waters, Eddie Anderson and a very young and very lovely Lena Horne. The Broadway production of Cabin In The Sky opened in 1940 starring Miss Waters and Dooley Wilson, and had a spectacular score by Vernon Duke and John LaTouche, which included a Tony Bennett favorite Taking A Chance on Love.

The film version was released in 1943. In addition to the Duke-LaTouche score, additional songs were added, including the Arlen-Harburg masterpiece, Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe, which was nominated for an Academy award for the Best Original Song, losing to the Harry Warren-Mack Gordon song You’ll Never Know from Hello Frisco, Hello.  Arlen was nominated for two songs that year; the other was That Old Black Magic written with Johnny Mercer. Also nominated were songs by Cole Porter, Jule Styne, Jimmy McHugh and Arthur Schwartz. Pretty tough company. The film, directed by Vincent Minnelli (his first solo film directing credit), included a brief scene with Louis Armstrong as The Trumpeter (complete with little devil horns) and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

About This Version

I had never seen this film until this weekend; I recorded it just to check it out (thanks Turner Classic Movies) and found it delightful. Great performances, Ethel Waters, and a production number by Busby Berkeley. What more do you want in a movie? It was pure joy and the music was wonderful. The full score is available from iTunes.

Tony Bennett recorded this song only once, to the best of my knowledge, for his 1962 album with Ralph Sharon, Tony Sings For Two.


Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe, as well as the remastered Tony Sings For Two album, is available from iTunes.

And here’s Ethel Waters singing our song of the day from the film Cabin in the Sky:

 

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cabin in the Sky, E. Y. (Yip) Harburg, Ethel Waters, Harold Arlen, Tony Sings for Two

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