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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 3, 2012 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing

I needed some Duke Ellington today and so the song of the day for Monday, December 3, 2012 is It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing

About It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing

This great song was composed by Duke Ellington in 1931, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It was first recorded in 1932 by Ellington’s orchestra with vocals by Ivie Anderson and instrumental solos by Joe Nanton and Johnny Hodges.  In addition to being a terrific song, it also introduced the term “swing” into the jazz vocabulary and was cornerstone for the swing era. It’s an often-recorded song by vocal (Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone) and instrumental artists (Thelonius Monk, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli). And it swings like crazy!

About This Version

This version is from the Grammy-winning album MTV Unplugged, released in 1994. It features some wonderful drumming by Clayton Cameron.

This song, as well as the entire album MTV Unplugged, is available on iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Clayton Cameron, Duke Ellington, MTV Unplugged

November 28, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Body and Soul

The Song of the Day for Wednesday, November 28, 2012 is Body and Soul.

About Body and Soul

Body and Soul was written in 1930 by Johnny Green, with lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton.  In its first year of publication, it was recorded by eleven different groups. Louis Armstrong was the first jazz artist to record the song in October 1930 with his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. It is thought to be the most often recorded jazz standard. Significant  recordings include those by Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon.

About This Version

This version of Body and Soul is the live recording from Tony Bennett’s Grammy-winning 1994 MTV Unplugged. The Year of Tony Bennett loves Mr. Bennett singing live and all of the songs on this album are wonderful to listen to. On this song, as well as the entire album,  he is backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Mr. Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

This version of Body and Soul, as well as the entire MTV Unplugged album can be purchased at iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Clayton Cameron, Doug Richeson, Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, MTV Unplugged, Ralph Sharon, Ralph Sharon Trio, Robert Sour

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