The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Lady Is A Tramp

The song of the day for Monday, May 26, 2015 is “The Lady Is A Tramp.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Lady Is A Tramp,” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1937 Broadway musical Babes In Arms. The song was meant as a spoof on the high society of New York, where the singer is clear about what she likes to do, no matter what everyone else is doing. “The Lady Is A Tramp” has been sung by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. More recently, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga sang a duet of this song on their 2011 album “Duets II.”

About This Version

Our version today is the Tony Bennett/Lady Gaga duet from Duets II. Not only do Mr. Bennett and Lady Gaga have a great time singing this song, the Marion Evans arrangement swings like crazy. It only took the first measure to make me fall in love with this arrangement.

About Today

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga will be appearing this evening in Vancouver BC as part of their Cheek2Cheek Tour. They’ll be in California for the rest of the week and come June, they’re off to Europe to take the summer jazz festivals by storm.

The Lady is a Tramp

Listen to The Lady is a Tramp on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2011


“The Lady Is A Tramp,” as well as Duets II, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Monday, March 30, 2015 is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill (music) and Ogden Nash (lyrics) for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Today’s version is the 2011 version from Duets II, recorded with Norah Jones. This version was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett would like to wish Norah Jones a very happy birthday. She was born on March 30, 1979 in Brooklyn, the daughter of American Sue Jones and the international sitar player Ravi Shankar. She grew up in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) and attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas (where your intrepid blogger taught part-time for a year). During her high school career, she won three DownBeat Student Music Awards: two for Best Jazz Vocalist (1996 and 1997) and one for Best Original Composition (1996). After high school, she attended the University of North Texas, which is well-known for its jazz curriculum. She left university in 1999 and moved to New York. Her first album, Come Away With Me, was released in 2002 and a major hit. In 2003, she won five Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Don’t Know Why” at the 45th Grammy Awards. She’s been singing and recording jazz ever since.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Norah Jones · 2011


“Speak Low,” as well as Duets II, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Lady Is A Tramp

The song of the day for Saturday, October 25, 2014 is “The Lady Is A Tramp.”

About This Song

Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1937, “The Lady Is A Tramp” was written for the Broadway musical Babes In Arms, where it was introduced by Mitzi Green. The song was meant as a spoof on the high society of New York, where the singer is clear about what she likes to do, no matter what everyone else is doing. “The Lady Is A Tramp” has been sung by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Today’s version is the duet with Lady Gaga from Bennett’s Duets II. As soon as I heard this song, I knew I wanted to hear more of them and, thankfully, now we have Cheek To Cheek to celebrate as well. It’s wonderful to see these two wonderful singers having so much fun with this song.

The Lady is a Tramp

Listen to The Lady is a Tramp on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2011


“The Lady Is A Tramp,” as well as the album Duets II, is available from iTunes.

And because it is Saturday, here’s the video version of this song:

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Song of the Day: Body and Soul

The song of the day for Sunday, September 14, 2014 is “Body and Soul.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Body and Soul,” was written in 1930, with music by Johnny Green and lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton. Ted Gioia, in his book The Jazz Standards, says that Body and Soul “is the granddaddy of jazz ballads, the quintessential torch song, and the ultimate measuring rod for tenor sax players of all generations. Even in the new millennium, this 1930 composition continues to serve as the cornerstone of the repertoire.” Louis Armstrong recorded the song first, followed in the 1930s by recordings from primarily white society bands, such as those led by Paul Whiteman. That said, some early recordings by jazz artists including Benny Goodman and especially Art Tatum started to cement this song as a serious jazz standard (in fact, it’s rated #1 on the jazzstandards.com website). However, the Coleman Hawkins recording from 1939 is widely acknowledged to have made the song a true jazz standard. The Hawkins recording was followed by great jazz recordings by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Art Pepper, Dave Brubeck and many more. Fine vocal recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Today’s version is the 2011 duet of “Body and Soul” with Amy Winehouse. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli and recorded in London at Abbey Road Studios. This was the last song that Amy recorded; she died just a few weeks after their session. The recording won the Grammy award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

About Today

Today would have been Amy Winehouse’s 31st birthday. She died from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. Every time I listen to her music, I am filled with sadness over all the music she never got to make and gratitude for the music she did make.

For more information about Amy’s legacy, please visit amywinehouse.com. Her parents have created the Amy Winehouse Foundation to help combat the misuse of drugs and alcohol on young people. You can learn more about the foundation at amywinehousefoundation.org.

Body and Soul

Listen to Body and Soul on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Amy Winehouse · 2011


“Body and Soul,” as well as the album Duets II, is available from iTunes.

And here’s the wonderful video of Tony and Amy recording “Body and Soul.”

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Song of the Day: On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Willie Nelson is celebrating his 81st birthday today and The Year of Tony Bennett is pleased to join in the celebration of one of America’s greatest singers and composers. In honor of his birthday, the song of the day is “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, in 1930. It was introduced in Lew Leslie’s International Revue. It was an instant jazz standard and has remained popular up to today, with both instrumental and vocal recordings of great stature. Duke Ellington recorded it 1938 with vocalist Ivie Anderson. Instrumental recordings include those Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Lester Young and Dave Brubeck. Vocal recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Judy Garland, Doris Day and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Today’s version is, of course, the duet with Tony and Willie Nelson from the 2011 Duets II. Willie also plays the sweet guitar on this version.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4hkfBXwxJnCWRf9sDZvtkr
“On The Sunny Side Of The Street,” as well as the album Duets II, is available from iTunes.

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