The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 29, 2013 is “The Song Is Ended.”

About This Song

“The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On)” was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. Unlike practically every song that Berlin wrote, he did not write the lyrics, which were written by Beda Loehner. Interestingly, Ira Gershwin references the song title in the verse of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” where Gershwin wrote “the song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on.”

Dizzy Gillespie recorded this song for his 1966 album The Melody Lingers On. Other recordings include those by Louis Armstrong with The Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Jeri Southern.

While this song may not be one of Berlin’s most popular songs, it is one of his nicest and it swings very sweetly.

About This Version

Today’s version of this song is from Tony Bennett’s 1987 album Bennett/Berlin. The very nice trumpet work is from the one-and-only Dizzy Gillespie.

The Year of Tony Bennett apologizes for missing Dizzy Gillespie’s birthday last week; he was born on October 21, 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina. Your author had the great fortune to hear Gillespie at the Blues Alley jazz club in Georgetown, Washington DC in 1980 from the table closest to the band and got to meet Dizzy and the rest of the group. It was an evening I’ll never forget. Happy birthday, Dizzy!

http://open.spotify.com/track/3YudPLcZLV79R1j2WaS4xU
“The Song Is Ended,” as well as the Bennett/Berlin album, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Monday, March 4, 2013 is The Song Is Ended.

About This Song

The Song Is Ended was written in 1927 by Irving Berlin. The song is said to be from a musical called Will o’ The Whispers, which never opened in New York, but did run in London in 1928.

About This Version

This delightful recording of The Song Is Ended is from Bennett’s 1987 Bennett/Berlin album, comprised completely of Irving Berlin songs. This album is a lot of fun and features some great jazz musicians for various numbers, including Dizzy Gillespie on this recording.

Your author had the great pleasure to hear Dizzy Gillespie at Blues Alley in Washington DC back in 1981. My friend and I arrived early to get a good table, as we would eventually be a party of eight. As she and I settled in early, Dizzy and the band arrived for their setup and when he saw us, he said “Hello lovely ladies.” Whenever I may feel a little blue, I remember that Dizzy Gillespie once called me a lovely lady and I immediately cheer up.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3YudPLcZLV79R1j2WaS4xU
The Song Is Ended, as well as the full Bennett/Berlin album, is available from iTunes.

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In Grand Company, or Get Thee to Starbucks UPDATED

I found an amazing CD at my local Starbucks today that I recommend to anyone who loves Duke Ellington.

cd_duke_ellington_grand_company

It’s called In Grand Company. It’s a compilation of recordings made by Duke Ellington with other artists: Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and many, many more.

But the one amazing cut on this CD is It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) with Louis Armstrong. I love this song and have featured it as a song of the day here. But I’ve never heard anything as exciting as this recording with the Duke and Louis. If nothing else, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard the verse sung.

UPDATED: I found the recording of It Don’t Mean A Thing for you to listen to. If this doesn’t swing, I don’t know what does.

It Don"t Mean A Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing)

Listen to It Don"t Mean A Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing) on Spotify. Song · Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington · 2010

 

I don’t know how long Starbucks will have this in the stores, but I do encourage you to find this CD and give it a listen. You can also purchase it online from Starbucks. The CD also comes with a booklet with informative liner notes by Steven Stolder, who also produced this compilation for Sony Music Entertainment.

And, while you’re there, the Starbucks store has Viva Duets, if you haven’t picked up your copy yet.

 

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