The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Sophisticated Lady

The Song of the Day for October 23, 2012 is Sophisticated Lady.

About Sophisticated Lady

The music for Sophisticated Lady was written in 1932 by Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington, with lyrics added later by Mitchell Parish. It has been a jazz standard since it was written and been recorded widely by jazz performers, both as a vocal and as an instrumental.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded Sophisticated Lady in 1999 for his remarkable Bennett Sings Ellington Hot & Cool. My co-blogger Lesley and I both have been listening to this album and, specifically this song, a lot lately. We both think it’s one of Mr. Bennett’s most heartfelt and finest recordings.

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Song of the Day: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

Michael Bublé, Tony Bennett collaborator, was born on this day in 1975. To help celebrate Mr. Bublé’s birthday, the Song of the Day is their duet Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.

About Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

This song was written by Duke Ellington in 1940, with lyrics by Bob Russell added in 1942. In 1943, two different versions of the song reached #1 on the R&B chart: one by Duke’s band and another by the Ink Spots. Both versions also charted on the top ten pop charts the same year.

The song was, and remains, a popular jazz standard, sung by the royalty of jazz and popular singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Natalie Wood. It’s been a crossover hit for B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Cliff Richard, and Sam Cooke.

About This Version

Mr. Bennett first recorded this song (to the best of my knowledge) in 1967 for Tony Makes It Happen!  The same recording also appeared on the 1973 album Sunrise Sunset. He re-recorded the song, with a new arrangement by Ralph Burns on his 1999 tribute album to Duke Ellington: Bennett Sings Ellington Hot & Cool.

Today’s version is the Tony Bennett – Michael Bublé duet from the 2011 Duets II. The arrangement is by Marion Evans, who also arranged the 1967 version.

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Song of the Day: I’m Just a Lucky So And So

The Song of the Day for August 29, 2012 is I’m Just A Lucky So And So.

About I’m Just A Lucky So And So

Another great song by Duke Ellington, written in 1945. It’s been recorded by many jazz and popular singers, from Ella to Diana Krall and Louis Armstrong to Chuck Berry.

About This Version

This version is, like yesterday’s Solitude, is also from the 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. Mr. Bennett’s version from Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool  (1999) is also worth a listen, as is the entire album.

Like many people, I associate this song with Tony Bennett. But I also believe strongly that we make our own luck possible by our acts and deeds and heart.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The Song of the Day for August 28, 2012 is Solitude.

About Solitude

Solitude was written in 1934 by Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills.  Amazingly, Duke wrote the song in twenty minutes while waiting for the recording studio to open. Written first as instrumental, the lyrics were added later.

About This Version

I can’t stop listening to Tony Bennett’s 1962 Carnegie Hall Concert and this afternoon, at a perfect moment, Solitude started and I heard something in this performance of this song (that I had listened to many, many times) that was at once soulful, joyous, passionate, yearning and, well, perfect.

And, with thanks to Spotify, here is a recording of Solitude by the Duke Ellington Orchestra from the late 1930s, recorded for a radio program and compiled on Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club. This 2-CD set is available from Amazon.com.

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In A Sentimental Mood

I’ve been in a Duke Ellington mood all day and so the Song of the Day for August 9, 2012 is In A Sentimental Mood, written by Edward Kennedy Ellington in 1935. Lyrics were written later Irving Mills and Manny Kurtz. It may be one his most-recorded songs; it certainly is one his most-loved songs. In fact, I can’t remember not ever knowing and loving this song.

This is from Tony’s 1999 album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot and Cold. The personnel on this album is staggering. The Ralph Sharon Quartet (Ralph Sharon, Gray Sargent, Paul Langosch, and Clayton Cameron) are featured, as well as an orchestral charts arranged and conducted Jorge Calandrelli, the Argentinian composer, conductor, and arranger and big band charts arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns (though the big band wasn’t used on this particular song). The album is definitely worth careful listening.