The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 22, 2021, is “Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. 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 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 first recorded “Solitude” in 1958 for his album with Count Basie: In Person! He performed it at his 1962 Carnegie Hall concert on June 9, 1962. I think this version of “Solitude” is not just Bennett’s finest recording of this song; I think it’s one of the greatest recordings of “Solitude” ever recorded and it’s captured on Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall.

Solitude - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962

Listen to Solitude - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962 on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1962.

“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

As we continue with Duke Ellington Week, the song of the day for Monday, April 26, 2021, is “Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written by Duke Ellington in 1934; the lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills were added later. One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short. per Ted Gioia in 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,” his first, in 1958 for his second album with The Count Basie Orchestra, In Person! Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Solitude

Listen to Solitude on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1959.

“Solitude,” as well as In Person!, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s Ellington’s 1934 recording of today’s song:

Solitude

Listen to Solitude on Spotify. Duke Ellington · Song · 2018.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Friday, February 5, 2021, is Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. 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 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 1959 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the album In Person! The name of the album is kind of odd. The songs were originally recorded live, but the tape was unusuable. So they went to studio and re-recorded it all over again.

Solitude

Listen to Solitude on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1959.

“Solitude,” as well as In Person, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Darn That Dream

The song of the day for Thursday, January 7, 2021, is “Darn That Dream.”

About This Song

“Darn That Dream” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange for the 1939 musical Swingin’ the Dream, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The cast had many big names: Louis Armstrong playing Bottom, Maxine Sullivan as Titania, Bill Bailey, and Dorothy Dandridge. It only ran for 13 performances and is considered to be a flop. Fortunately, “Darn That Dream” proved to be a big hit and earned some money for the investors.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Darn That Dream” in 1954 for his first jazz album, Cloud 7, released in 1955. Chuck Wayne wrote the arrangement.

Darn That Dream

Listen to Darn That Dream on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1955.

“Darn That Dream,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Moonglow

The song of the day for Saturday, September 12, 2020, is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933 by Will Hudson and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It’s been a popular song since it was written. The first recordings were by Joe Venuti and His Orchesta, Ethel Waters, and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. Later recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and guest k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” in 1994 for Bennett’s MTV Unplugged live performance. This led to a long-term collaboration of the two singers, including one of my favorites, A Wonderful World, consisting of songs associated with Louis Armstrong.

“Moonglow,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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