The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Tony Live! Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, July 11, 2020, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About Today

Tony Live moves to 1994 and one of Tony Bennett’s greatest triumphs: His live appearance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. The performance was a huge hit, for both MTV and Bennett. The concert album MTV Unplugged not only won Bennett the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also the coveted award for Album of the Year.

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTVUnplugged, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It’s Only a Paper Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 10, 2020, is “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”

About This Song

“It’s Only a Paper Moon” was written in 1933 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Originally written for an unsuccessful play called The Great Magoo, this song was used in the 1933 movie Take a Chance. Paul Whiteman recorded it that year. There were two very fine recordings in the 1940s by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, which sealed the popularity of the song. Since that time, it has been a popular and jazz favorite that has been widely recorded.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It’s Only a Paper Moon” in 1998 for his album for children, The Playground. Bennett is accompanied by The Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosh on bass, Clayton Cameron on drums, and Gray Sargent on guitar. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first album that guitarist Gray Sargent recorded for. Gray is in Bennett’s current quartet and this writer continues to be impressed with his very fine work.

“It’s Only a Paper Moon,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day:Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

The song of the day for Friday, March 292, 2019, is “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.”

About This Song

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” was written in 1944 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. This charming song was written in the style of sermon with the message of being positive is the key to happiness. Mercer is said to have heard a sermon by Father Divine, who said “you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” And thus this memorable song was born. The song was first used in the 1944 movie Here Comes the Waves, starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton. Significant recordings include those by Bing Crosby, Kay Kyser, Artie Shaw, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” in 1998 for his delightful album for children: The Playground. He is accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Clayton Cameron on drums, Paul Langosch on bass, and Gray Sargent on guitar.

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Concentrate On You

The song of the day for Friday, June 22, 2018 is “I Concentrate On You.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “I Concentrate On You” in 1940 for the film Broadway Melody of 1940. It’s one of Porter’s best songs, with recordings by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington and Judy Garland among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Concentrate On You” in 1993 for his album of songs sung or danced by Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out. The Ralph Sharon Trio, with Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums, sounds fantastic and the arrangement by Sharon and Bennett is first-rate. This entire album is a real joy.

I Concentrate on You

Listen to I Concentrate on You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1993


“I Concentrate On You,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It Amazes Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 14, 2018 is “It Amazes Me.”

About This Song

Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh wrote “It Amazes Me” in 1958. Liza Minnelli recorded this song when she was only eighteen years old on her first album. It has also been recorded by Bill Evans, George Shearing and Cleo Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang this version of “It Amazes Me” on April 12, 1994 on his MTV Unplugged performance. The album MTV Unplugged not only won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also for Album Of The Year. And it is a hell of an album. Bennett was backed by The Ralph Sharon Trio, which featured Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994

Listen to It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


“It Amazes Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Tony Bennett sang “It Amazes Me” at his concert last week in Portland, but it’s not for that reason alone that I chose this song.

Cy Coleman, who composed this song as well as other hits for Tony Bennett, was born on June 14, 1929 in New York. He was a child prodigy who gave recitals at Steinway and Carnegie hall starting at the age of six. He formed a jazz trio as a young man, but soon found his way to popular music and Broadway scores. He wrote many songs with lyricist Carolyn Leigh, although their relationship was rocky for as long as it lasted. He later partnered with Dorothy Fields, with who he wrote Sweet Charity and Seesaw. Coleman later wrote On The Twentieth Century, Barnum and City of Angels, among others. Coleman died of a heart attack on November 18, 2004.

We honor Cy Coleman on the anniversary of his birth. Thanks for the great songs.