The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Are You Havin’ Any Fun?

The song of the day for Thursday, April 20, 2017 is “Are You Havin’ Any Fun?”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Are You Having Any Fun?”, was written in 1939 by Jack Yellen and Sammy Fain for the 1939 George White’s Scandals. George White produced these Broadway revues from 1919 to 1939. Stars introduced in his Scandals include Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman, Ray Bolger and The Three Stooges.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Are You Havin’ Any Fun?” in 1959 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for their album Basie/Bennett.

Are You Havin" Any Fun? - 1990 Remix / Remaster

Listen to Are You Havin" Any Fun? - 1990 Remix / Remaster on Spotify. Song · Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Tristan Powell · 1959


“Are You Havin’ Any Fun?,” as well as Basie/Bennett, is available from iTunes.

About Today

As is my custom, I have a photograph of Tony Bennett set as the wallpaper on my work computer. This time, I chose this wonderful Don Hunstein photograph from 1960:

One of my coworkers walked past my cubicle today, peeked in at the photograph on my monitor, smiled, and said, “Bennett. Basie. Are You Having’ Any Fun.” And then off he went.

Robert, today’s post is for you!

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Monday, November 28, 2016 is “Solitude.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “Solitude” in 1934, with lyrics from Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills added later.

One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short (Ted Gioia in Jazz Standards). It’s a very strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Billy Eckstine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Solitude” in 1958 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the album In Person!

Solitude

Tony Bennett & Count Basie · The Complete Recordings (Bonus Track Version) · Song · 2013


“Solitude,” as well as In Person!, is available from iTunes.

I had the great fortune of attending a Tony Bennett concert last month, here in Portland, Oregon. He sang “Solitude” and it was breathtakingly beautiful. I am so glad he’s put in his set list.

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Song of the Day: Lost In The Stars

The song of the day for Saturday, January 1, 2016 is “Lost In The Stars.”

About This Song

“Lost in the Stars” by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson is from the 1949 musical of the same name, based on the 1948 novel by Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country. Set in South Africa in an era when apartheid seemed as if it would never end, the plot concerns a black priest whose son kills, in a robbery attempt, a white man who is a friend of his father. The priest sings this song at the end of the first act, in a complete crisis of faith.

About This Version

This song is a favorite of Tony Bennett and he’s recorded it several times; some may remember this song was used at the end of The Zen Of Bennett, which is you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend that you do (it’s on Netflix streaming, by the way).

Today’s version was recorded in 1958 for his 1959 album with Count Basie and His Orchestra, In Person! The fine arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

Lost In The Stars

Listen to Lost In The Stars on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“Lost In The Stars,” as well as In Person!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Are You Having’ Any Fun?

The song of the day for Saturday, December 26, 2015 is “Are You Having’ Any Fun?”

About This Song

“Are You Havin’ Any Fun?” was written by Jack Yellen and Sammy Fain for the 1939 George White’s Scandals. George White produced these Broadway revues from 1919 to 1939. Stars introduced in his Scandals include Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman, Ray Bolger and The Three Stooges.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song on January 5, 1959, the second of two sessions with The Count Basie Orchestra. The songs from these two sessions were released on the album Basie/Bennett. This particular number featured an arrangement by Ralph Sharon, who also played piano. Other musicians on the album included Freddie Green (guitar), Sonny Payne (drums) and Thad Jones (trumpet).

Tony Bennett tells this story in his autobiography The Good Life:

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’d always knew and understood each other. At one point, Basie turned to his band, pointed at me, and said, ‘Anything this man wants, he gets!’ I was floored.

Are You Havin" Any Fun? - 1990 Remix / Remaster

Listen to Are You Havin" Any Fun? - 1990 Remix / Remaster on Spotify. Song · Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Tristan Powell · 1959


“Are You Having’ Any Fun?” as well as Basie/Bennett, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Poor Little Rich Girl

The song of the day for Friday, August 21. 2015 is “Poor Little Rich Girl.”

About This Song

Noël Coward wrote “Poor Little Rich Girl” for the 1925 revue On With the Dance. It is one of his most popular songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Poor Little Rich Girl” with Count Basie and His Orchestra in 1959 for their first album: Basie/Bennett. The very effective arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

About Today

Today we celebrate the birth of one of America’s great band leaders: William James Basie, who was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 21, 1904. He started playing piano in his youth; by the time he was a teenager, he had dropped out of school and starting his career as a jazz pianist.

He made the decision to move west to Kansas City, where he joined Bennie Moten’s band in 1929. After Moten’s death in 1936, Basie formed his own band and took it to Chicago. In that time, he worked with some of the great jazz musicians: Lester Young, Freddie Green, Buck Clayton, Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams.

In 1937, he took his band to New York, playing in venues like the Roseland Ballroom and The Savoy. During this time, he played with Billie Holiday and other noted artists of the day.

Count Basie
Count Basie

Like most big bands after the war, Basie had to disband his large group, but continued to play in smaller combos and moved on to the new forms, like bebop, with a new group of musicians: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, among others. He gradually reformed his band, toured Europe and kept his band alive and vibrant all the way into the 1980s, including a wonderful appearance in Mel Brook’s film Blazing Saddles.

We note here that Tony Bennett’s drummer, Harold Jones, played with Count Basie from 1967 to 1972. Tony Bennett always introduces Jones as “Count Basie’s Favorite Drummer.” We have a little video of Harold Jones playing with Count Basie and His Orchestra that seems to prove that point:

Happy Birthday, Count Basie. Thanks for all the great music.

Poor Little Rich Girl - 1990 Remix / Remaster

Listen to Poor Little Rich Girl - 1990 Remix / Remaster on Spotify. Song · Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Tristan Powell · 1959


“Poor Little Rich Girl,” as well as Basie/Bennett, is available from iTunes.