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, November 6, 2012 is Solitude.

About Solitude

Solitude was written in 1934 by Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It’s one the Duke’s best songs and is a jazz standard. It’s been recorded by Paul Robeson, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Scott, Terrace Blanchard and many more. The song is primarily associated with Billy Holiday, who recorded it in 1941.

About This Version

This version of Solitude was recorded in 1958 with the Count Basie Orchestra and originally appeared on In Person! We link to the same recording, compiled on the recently release album, From Now On.

Tony Bennett’s Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool is an exceptional album, with a wonderful selection of Ellington songs.  Alas, it’s not available on Spotify, but The Year of Tony Bennett recommends this album highly. It is available on Amazon, both on CD and MP3s. It is also available on iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The Song of the Day for October 28, 2012 is Moonglow.

About Moonglow

Moonglow was written in 1933 by Will Hudson, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It was first recorded by Joe Venuti, followed quickly with recordings by Ethel Waters and Benny Goodman. The Benny Goodman version was used in the films The Aviator and The Fabulous Baker Boys.

About This Version

This week is k.d. lang week at The Year of Tony Bennett. We celebrate her as an artist in own right and a collaborator of Mr. Bennett. She celebrates her birthday on November 2 and we will featuring their music all week.

Today’s Moonglow is from Tony Bennett’s 1994 MTV Unplugged album, on which he sang with k.d. lang for the first time. This was the first time Tony and k.d. sang together, and it was magical. With Moonglow, as well as everything else they’ve sung, their voices are perfect together.

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