The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 19, 2014 is “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars.”

About This Song

“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” (“Corcovado” in the original Portuguese) was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. Gene Lees wrote the English lyric. This is one of the better known bossa nova songs and has been widely recorded by artists including Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Doris Day and Miles Davis among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” in 1963 for his album I Wanna Be Around. It was arranged and conducted by Marty Manning and produced by Ernie Altschuler. It’s a lovely recording and I hope you enjoy it as much I do.

http://open.spotify.com/track/79MANBUYixOGlFgoZnVTqw
“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” as well as the remastered album I Wanna Be Around, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Yesterday I Heard The Rain

The song of the day for Saturday, March 15, 2014 is “Yesterday I Heard The Rain.”

About This Song

“Yesterday I Heard The Rain” (“Esta Tarde Vi Llover” in the original Spanish) was written by in 1968 by the great Mexican composer Armando Manzanero. The English lyrics are by Gene Lees.

About This Version

This is one beautiful song that probably isn’t well known to many Tony Bennett fans, though perhaps more since its inclusion on the album Viva Duets. It was arranged and conducted by Torrie Zito and produced by Howard A. Roberts.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3tze4nATeCjWWqoWA9aQoz
“Yesterday I Heard The Rain,” as well as the album of the same name, is available from iTunes.

It’s YouTube Saturday. Today we feature Tony Bennett’s duet with Alejandro Sanz from Viva Duets singing “Yesterday I Heard The Rain.”

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Song of the Day: Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)

The song of the day for Friday, January 3, 2014 is “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars.”

About This Song

Today’s song, known as “Corcovado” in the original Portuguese, was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. Corcovado refers to the mountain of the same name located in Rio de Janeiro. The English lyric, as sung here, was written by Gene Lees. The song is one of the early bossa nova songs that became popular world-wide in the early 1960s. Wikipedia has an excellent overview article about bossa nova that you may be interested in.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded this song in 1962 for his (wonderful) album I Wanna Be Around … Today’s version, however, is from the recently-released Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. Both versions are excellent, but today we are in the mood for a live performance.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4wGUxzZmeNqWxBFLZvWYyk
“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” as well as the album Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars

The song of the day for Thursday, October 24, 2013 is “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars.”

About This Song

Known in the original Portuguese as “Corcovado,” “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” was written in 1960 by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. The English lyrics, which were added later, are by Gene Lees. This song was an early bossa nova hit and is now considered a jazz standard. It has been widely recorded, by artists including João Gilberto, Miles Davis, Charlie Byrd, Frank Sinatra and Diana Krall, who used it as the title song for her 1990 album Quiet Nights.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964, released this month on iTunes. Tony Bennett slides in this slow-tempo song after a fast number and the song shines even more for that placement. It’s a quiet, sensitive and very genuine and honest performance of this beautiful song. I’m a big fan of Bennett singing bossa nova and this song is an excellent example of why I do. I also love the shout-out to the orchestra.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4wGUxzZmeNqWxBFLZvWYyk
“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” as well as Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964 is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Right To Love

The song of the day for Thursday, September 26, 2013 is “The Right To Love.”

About This Song

Today’s song was first recorded, without lyrics, in 1963 on an album called Reflections by Stan Getz and Lalo Schifrin. Tony Bennett liked the song from the beginning and suggested that Gene Lees write the lyrics. The resulting song is an anthem for “forbidden” love. At that time, most people associated the song with interracial relationships; in later years, it has been sung by gay singers. In addition to Bennett’s recording, this song has been recorded by Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and k.d. lang.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Right to Love” for his wonderful 1965 album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. And, as the joke goes: What do you mean, IF?

The entire album is worth a listen, if not only for today’s recording. It also contains his first recordings of “Watch What Happens” and “Fly Me To the Moon,” as well as some very nice bossa nova songs.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3g5Sm60hsiJQOes3RHlQqb
“The Right To Love,” as well as the album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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