The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Bennett Singing and Dancing

The playlist for the week of September 15, 2019, is Tony Bennett Singing and Dancing. Some of my favorite songs that Tony sings have to do with dancing. I hope you enjoy this selection.

Shine On Your Shoes from Steppin’ Out

Steppin’ Out with My Baby from Steppin’ Out

I Won’t Dance from Cheek To Cheek, with Lady Gaga

Shall We Dance from Steppin’ Out

It Only Happens When I Dance With You from Steppin’ Out

Let’s Face the Music and Dance from Cheek To Cheek, with Lady Gaga

Dancing in the Dark from My Heart Sings

Dream Dancing from Together Again, with Bill Evans

You’re Easy to Dance With/Change Partners/Cheek to Cheek from Steppin’ Out

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails from Steppin’ Out

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Song of the Day: Don’t Wait Too Long

The song of the day for Thursday, September 12, 2019, is “Don’t Wait Too Long.”

About This Song

“Don’t Wait Too Long” was written by Sunny Skylar. This song concerns a relationship between a younger and older person (“you are the summer and I am the autumn”) and the realization that the time together may not be as long as they’d wish. Other recordings of this song are by Frank Sinatra (1965, September of My Years) and Blossom Dearie (1964, May I Come In).

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded “Don’t Wait Too Long” in 1963 for his album The Many Moods of Tony. Today’s version, however, is from his 2014 album Cheek To Cheek, his duet album with Lady Gaga. Each singer had a solo recording for the album; this song is Bennett’s solo. Lady Gaga’s solo was “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.”

“Don’t Wait Too Long,” as well as Cheek to Cheek, is available from iTunes.

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Playlist of the Week: Marion Evans does great jazz arrangements for Tony

The playlist of the week of July 28, 2019, is Marion Evans does great jazz arrangements for Tony.

I have a real soft spot in my heart for Marion Evans. Like me, he’s also from Alabama, and we have musical friends — or acquaintances in my case — with fine Alabama musicians, such as Hugh Martin, who wrote the songs for Judy Garland’s Meet Me in St. Louis, including the best Christmas song ever (IMHO): “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

A few years after I started this blog, he left a comment thanking me for acknowledging the importance of arrangers to the greatness of recordings. Tony Bennett has worked with many great arrangers and I’ll be featuring some of them in coming weeks.

But this week is Marion Evans. We start with their first album: the 1967 Tony Makes It Happen!, followed bu Duets II and Cheek to Cheek.

Marion Evans does great jazz arrangements for Tony

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It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), with Lady Gaga, by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills
The Lady’s in Love With You by Burton Lane and Frank Loesser
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington and Bob Russell
On the Sunny Side of the Street by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields
The Lady is a Tramp, with Lady Gaga by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Old Devil Moon by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg
They All Laughed, with Lady Gaga, by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Henry Nemo, and John Redmond
Can’t Get Out This Mood by Jimmy McHugh and Frank Loesser
Anything Goes, with Lady Gaga by Cole Porter

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves Irving Berlin

The playlist of the week for July 21, 2019, is Tony Loves Irving Berlin.

Tony Loves Irving Berlin

Playlist · Tony Loves Irving Berlin · 10 items

When I Lost You from Bennett/Berlin
Always from Tony
They Say It’s Wonderful from Bennett/Berlin
All of My Life from Bennett/Berlin
Let’s Face the Music and Dance from Bennett/Berlin
Cheek to Cheek from Cheek to Cheek
Russian Lullaby from Bennett/Berlin
Steppin’ Out with My Baby from Steppin’ Out
The Song is Ended from Bennett/Berlin
White Christmas from Bennett/Berlin

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Sings With the Ladies, Part 1

The playlist of the week of June 30, 2019, is Tony Sings With the Ladies, Part 1.

Tony Sings With the Ladies, Part 1

This week’s playlist features some of Tony’s duets with female singers.

“Lullaby of Broadway” with the Dixie Chicks, from Duets: An American Classic

“I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)” with k.d. lang, from A Wonderful World

“Body and Soul” with Amy Winehouse, from Duets II

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” with Diana Krall, from Love Is Here To Stay

“But Beautiful” with Lady Gaga, from Cheek to Cheek

“Stormy Weather” with Natalie Cole, from Playin’ With My Friends

“Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” with Queen Latifah, from Duets II

“I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” with Bonnie Raitt, from Playin’ With My Friends

“Anything Goes+ with Lady Gaga, from Cheek to Cheek