The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean A Thing

The song of the day for Friday, September 18, 2020, is “It Don’t Mean A Thing.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “It Don’t Mean a Thing” in 1931, lyrics are attributed to Irving Mills. It was one of the first songs to use the word “swing” in the title and this song certainly defined what it meant to swing. Ellington recorded the song with Ivie Anderson on vocals and it was an immediate hit. It has been widely recorded since it was written and the song is a lot of fun to play and to listen to. Significant recordings include those by Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Gigi Gryce, Tony Bennett, and Thelonious Monk.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “It Don’t Mean a Thing” in 1999 for the album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool. The terrific arrangement is by Ralph Burns.

“It Don’t Mean A Thing,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, is available from Apple Music.

I just got the vinyl LP of The Great Summit, which brought Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong together for the first time. I can’t get enough of their recording of this song, in large part because it includes the verse.

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Song of the Day: Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me

The song of the day for Monday, August 24, 2020, is “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me” in 1940, with lyrics by Bob Russell. As with most Ellington songs, the tune was written first and the lyrics added later. Also, as with most Ellington songs, it became a favorite song of both instrumental and vocal musicians. Ellington recorded the song in 1944 and it was a hit on both the R&B and Popular charts. Other recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis, Jr., Anita O’Day, and Nina Simone.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me” for his tribute to Duke Ellington–Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, released in 1999, one hundred years after the birth of Duke Ellington.

“Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: In A Mellow Tone

The song of the day for Monday, July 27, 2020, is “In A Mellow Tone.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone,” written in 1939, was based on the 1917 song “Rose Room” by Art Hickman and Harry Williams. Milt Gabler wrote the lyrics. The song is a favorite of both vocal and instrumental jazz performers, including Tony Bennett, Paul Gonsalves, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, and Annie Ross.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “In A Mellow Tone” in 1999 for his album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, released 100 years after the birth of Ellington in Washington, D.C. The arrangement was written by Ralph Burns, who first worked with Bennett 40 years earlier on Hometown, My Town.

“In A Mellow Tone,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot and Cool, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Friday, June 12, 2020, is “Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington; the lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills were added later (as they were for most of Ellington’s compositions).

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 The 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 1996 for his album devoted to songs sung by Billie Holiday: Tony Bennett on Holiday. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett on Holiday, is available from Apple Music.

If you have time to listen to two songs today, here’s Billie Holiday’s version, recorded and released on the Clef label in 1952 and re-released on Verve in 1956.

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Song of the Day: Mood Indigo

The song of the day for Friday, May 29, 2020, is “Mood Indigo.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “Mood Indigo” in 1930 and named it “Dreamy Blues”; the lyrics by Irving Mills were added later. The song, which is based on a theme by Barney Bigard, who is said to have learned it from his New Orleans clarinet teacher, Lorenzo Tio. Ellington wrote the song specifically for “microphone transmission” and it was first played on a 1930 radio broadcast. Audiences loved the song, and so Irving Mills wrote the lyrics, changing the name of the song to “Mood Indigo.” The song has been widely recorded by instrumental and vocal artists, including Tony Bennett, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Mood Indigo” in May 1999 for the album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, which was released in the 100th year anniversary of Ellington’s birth. The album won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Mood Indigo,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, is available from iTunes.

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