The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Firefly

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 9, 2014 is “Firefly.”

About This Song

“Firefly” was written in 1958 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. It was an audition number written for the upcoming musical Gypsy, starring Ethel Merman in one her greatest roles. The job of writing the score went to Jule Styne, with the lyrics by a very young Stephen Sondheim. I think I would have loved to hear what Coleman and Leigh might have done for Gypsy. Thankfully, we have this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded Firefly in August, 1958, arranged by Ray Ellis and released as single that same month. Today’s recording is from his second album with Count Basie and His Orchestra, In Person!, and was recorded just a few months later in December, 1958.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1LdR8g2RNMijylY5kS69Iq
“Firefly,” as well as the album In Person!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Then Was Then And Now Is Now

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 18, 2014 is “Then Was Then And Now Is Now.”

About This Song

“Then Was Then And Now Is Now” was composed by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Peggy Lee. Miss Lee recorded the song on her album of the same name in 1965. Tony Bennett’s was one of the first recordings of the song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Then Was Then And Now Is Now” in 1965 for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. The song was arranged and conducted by Don Costa; the album was produced by Ernie Altschuler. The album featured the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. The great Al Cohn lent his tenor sax to the album as well.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0UsymPdQ2oCHLrdBDUDpIl
“Then Was Then And Now Is Now,” as well as the album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Saturday, June 14, 2014 is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

The Year of Tony Bennett chooses this song today in honor of the composer, Cy Coleman, who was born in New York on June 14, 1929. Not only was Mr. Coleman a noted Broadway composer, he was also a jazz pianist and popular song composer. When I sit down and think of my favorite songs, so many of them were written by Cy Coleman. Thanks for the great music.

About This Song

“The Best Is Yet To Come” was written in 1959 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. Some say that the song was written for Tony Bennett. In any case, it is strongly identified with him and he sings it at many of his concerts. Other recordings include those by Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Best Is Yet To Come” in 1960 and released it in 1961 as a single and also added it to his 1962 album I Left My Heart In San Francisco. It was arranged and conducted by Cy Coleman.

http://open.spotify.com/track/463wvwQJ7DJCvBvbvD55xz
“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is available from iTunes.

Our Saturday YouTube video features Diana Krall and Tony Bennett talking about and recording this song in 2006 for Duets: An American Classic.

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Song of the Day: Baby, Dream Your Dream

The song of the day for Sunday, June 8, 2014 is “Baby, Dream Your Dream.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Baby, Dream Your Dream,” was written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity. In the musical, the song is sung by two of the taxi dancers, friends of Charity.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded and released this recording as a single just as Sweet Charity was opening on Broadway. It was arranged and conducted by David Rose. I have always loved how Bennett takes a song written for two women dreaming of a “normal” life and makes it work as a young man dreaming of providing for his wife. He sings the song with a nice, light touch and it’s quite lovely.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4azaCywcGWA94NckkPHCs4
“Baby, Dream Your Dream,” as well as the album For Once In My Life, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When In Rome

The song of the day for Saturday, May 24, 2014 is “When In Rome.”

About This Song

“When In Rome” was written in 1964 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. In the year 2000, part of his 70th birthday celebration at the Library of Congress, Stephen Sondheim chose a list of ‘Songs I Wish I Had Written (At Least in Part).’ On this list were several songs by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, most of which are songs that Tony Bennett has recorded including “When In Rome.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans chose “When In Rome” as one of the songs for their first album, The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, released in 1975. Like all the songs on the album, it’s about as close to perfect as can be.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0z8NAX4UK2KxwvIUSvetdb
“When In Rome,” as well as The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

For our Saturday video, here’s a clip from the Clint Eastwood documentary about Tony Bennett, The Music Never Ends, about Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, including their appearance on The Tonight Show, where they performed “When In Rome.”

The Music Never Ends is available from Amazon. The special edition DVD also includes Tony Bennett’s performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2005.