The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Saturday, November 4, 2017 is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

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

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” in 1994 live for Bennett’s MTV Unplugged show. The album won two Grammy awards: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and the coveted Album of the Year.

Moonglow - Live

Listen to Moonglow - Live on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


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

About Today

As today is Saturday, we are pleased to present this video of Tony and k.d. from the MTV Unplugged telecast.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Friday, September 15, 2017 is “Solitude.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “Solitude” in 1934, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills 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 (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

This may very well be my favorite number from Tony Bennett’s 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. Ralph Sharon did a very nice arrangement with good use of his small string section. I love how softly Bennett starts the song … with just the brushes on the drums and Eddie Costa’s vibe … and he hits the verse hard with the brass … and holds that last note on “love” for quite a while. Just great! Bennett shows us in the concert, and not just with this song but also “I’m Just a Lucky So and So,” that he has a deep feeling for Ellington’s songs, which we see several decades later on Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool.

I am grateful for this recording 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. Song · Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon & His Orchestra · 1962


“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Monday, November 28, 2016 is “Solitude.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “Solitude” in 1934, with lyrics from Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills 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 (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 1958 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the album In Person!

Solitude

Tony Bennett & Count Basie · The Complete Recordings (Bonus Track Version) · Song · 2013


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

I had the great fortune of attending a Tony Bennett concert last month, here in Portland, Oregon. He sang “Solitude” and it was breathtakingly beautiful. I am so glad he’s put in his set list.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Monday, August 15, 2016 is “Solitude.”

About This Song

Written in 1934, Duke 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). The lyrics are by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. 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 “Solitude” several times. Today’s recording is from 1996 for his tribute album to Billie Holiday: Tony Bennett On Holiday.

Solitude

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Darn That Dream

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 1, is “Darn That Dream.”

About This Song

Louis Armstrong as Bottom in Swinging The Dream
Louis Armstrong as Bottom in Swinging The Dream

Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange wrote “Darn That Dream” in 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 full-length album: Cloud 7, released in 1955.

Darn That Dream

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


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

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