The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Pennies From Heaven

The song of the day for Monday, February 18, 2013 is Pennies From Heaven.

About Pennies From Heaven

Pennies From Heaven was written in 1936 by Arthur Johnston, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby in the film of the same name in 1936. This recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.

It was a popular song during the Great Depression and remains popular to this day with jazz and popular singers including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1959 album In Person! with the Count Basie Orchestra. Originally intended as a live album, engineering difficulties caused fake audience applause to be spliced into the original vinyl record; the re-released CD is free of this artifice. What remains is a wonderful recording of a very fine song by Bennett with the Count Basie Orchestra. It is also a reminder of how truly wonderful it is when singers sing the verse.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6fq9zlFcvgcOKkZqOzgfMs
Pennies From Heaven, as well as the full In Person! album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Poor Little Rich Girl

The Song of the Day for Sunday, November 4, 2012 is Poor Little Rich Girl.

About Poor Little Rich Girl

Poor Little Rich Girl was written by Noel Coward with Philip Braham for the 1925 musical revue, On With The Dance. It opened in Manchester, England and was soon transferred to London.  At the time, Noel Coward was not at all well-known, and barely received a mention in the reviews.

About This Version

This version was recorded by Mr. Bennett with Count Basie and His Orchestra in January 1958 for the Basie / Bennett album, released in 1959. This recording is included on From Now On, a Tony Bennett  compilation album from Europe released in September, 2012.

In this author’s opinion, the Count Basie-Tony Bennett collaboration was a brilliant next step after his two jazz albums: Cloud 7 and Beat Of My Heart. I have always respected Mr. Bennett for giving Count Basie top billing for this album as a measure of his respect for the body of work by Bill Basie. The collaboration with Count Basie further cemented Tony Bennett’s reputation as a jazz musician. This version was arranged by Ralph Sharon and it swings.

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Song of the Day: Lost In The Stars

The Song of the Day for October 25, 2012 is Lost in the Stars.

About Lost In The Stars

Lost in the Stars, from the musical of the same name, was written by Kurt Weill,  with book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. Based on Alan Paton’s book Cry The Beloved Country (written in 1948), the musical was produced on Broadway in 1949 and was Mr. Weill’s last work.  Lost in the Stars movingly tells the story of apartheid in South Africa.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded this song several times. My favorite recording is the version offered today: the single recorded in 1958 with the Count Basie Orchestra and Ralph Sharon, as compiled on Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett.