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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

April 28, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Love is Here to Stay

The song of the day for Friday, April 29, 2022, is “Love is Here to Stay.”

About This Song

“Love is Here to Stay” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for The Goldwyn Follies movie, which was released after George Gershwin’s death. It’s also known as “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” but the published title of the song omits the “Our.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love is Here to Stay” for the 1959 album Hometown, My Town, featuring an excellent arrangement by Ralph Burns.

“Love is Here to Stay,” as well as Hometown, My Town is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: George Gershwin, Hometown My Town, Ira Gershwin, Ralph Burns, Tony Bennett

April 21, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Fascinating Rhythm

The song of the day for Friday, April 22, 2022, is “Fascinating Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Fascinating Rhythm” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 for the Broadway musical Lady Be Good. It was introduced by Cliff Edwards and Fred and Adele Astaire. The Astaires also recorded the song in 1926 with Gershwin on piano. “Fascinating Rhythm” was and still is, a jazz number. For that reason, it has never been out of favor with jazz artists, both vocal and instrumental.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, singing as Joe Bari, recorded “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with “Vieni Qui,” on a 2-sided 78 rpm record on the Leslie Records label. While the record “went absolutely nowhere” (Tony’s description) it was a big deal for Bennett to have made the record at all and served as a great demo disk for the young singer. The record did go somewhere: Mitch Miller, producer for Columbia Records, heard “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with a recording made later that year “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and decided to sign Bennett to Columbia in 1950. This song, as well as many of Bennett’s very early recordings, is collected on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1.

“Fascinating Rhythm,” as well as the rest of the songs on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1 is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Leslie Records, Tony Bennett

March 25, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Hi-Ho

The song of the day for Saturday, March 26, 2022, is “Hi-Ho.”

About This Song

“Hi-Ho” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1936. It was one of the first songs the Gershwin brothers wrote when they first came to Hollywood and slated for the movie Shall We Dance featuring Fred Astaire dancing in the streets of Paris. The song was cut due to concerns over the costs of filming the sequence. The song faded from then and was only published in 1967. Tony Bennett’s was the first recording of this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Hi-Ho” in 1968 for his album Yesterday I Heard The Rain. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“Hi-Ho,” as well as Yesterday I Heard The Rain is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Tony Bennett, Torrie Zito, Yesterday I Heard The Rain

November 30, 2021 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Shall We Dance

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 1, 2021, is “Shall We Dance.”

About This Song

“Shall We Dance” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Astaire and Rogers film Shall We Dance. Gershwin wrote a series of songs for this film that demonstrated the different styles of dance and choreography, including ballet, waltzes, and more. Other great songs from this score include “They Can’t Take Away From Me” and “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Shall We Dance” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“Shall We Dance,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Ralph Sharon, Shall We Dance, Steppin' Out, Tony Bennett

November 15, 2021 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Somebody Loves Me

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 16, 2021, is “Somebody Loves Me.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes the wonderful Diana Krall a very happy birthday!

About This Song

“Somebody Loves Me” was written by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald, for George White’s Scandals of 1924. Popular early recordings include those by Paul Whiteman and Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike. Other recordings include those by Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Fletcher Henderson, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall recorded “Somebody Loves Me” for their 2018 album Love Is Here To Stay with The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums).

“Somebody Loves Me,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay is available on Apple Music.

Tony and Diana did this story on NPR about their album.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Ballard MacDonald, Bill Charlap, Diana Krall, George Gershwin, Happy Birthday Diana Krall, Kenny Washington, Peter Washington, The Bill Charlap Trio, Tony Bennett

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