The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Thursday, December 3, 2015 is ” Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash. It was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Speak Low” in 1964 for one of my favorite of his albums: When Lights Are Low. It is also my favorite version of “Speak Low,” which Bennett has recorded, by my count, seven times. This album features just Bennett with the Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. This arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


” Speak Low,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Sunday, November 15, 2015 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Rules of the Road,” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While Coleman and Leigh are best-known for their scores for Broadway musicals, such as Little Me and Wildcat, “The Rules of the Road” was not written for a show. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, the song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

I absolutely love this song when it’s sung by Tony Bennett. And this version, recorded with the Ralph Sharon Trio (with Billy Exiner on drums and Hal Gaylord on bass) in 1964 for When Lights Are Low is far and away my favorite of all his recordings of “The Rules of the Road.”

The Rules Of The Road

Listen to The Rules Of The Road on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“The Rules of the Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got Just About Everything

The song of the day for Thursday, April 17, 2014 is “I’ve Got Just About Everything.”

About This Song

This wonderful song was written by the great Bob Dorough. Readers of a certain age may remember Dorough as the composer for Schoolhouse Rock, which had its first broadcast in 1973. Dorough lives and works in Pennsylvania at the age of 91. He and Dave Frishberg performed together at the Portland Jazz Festival this year.

About This Version

Your author came home from work today completely and totally exhausted. After dinner, we sat down for a little dish of ice cream while listening to our local Portland jazz station, KMHD, as I wondered aloud what song I would feature for Thursday’s song. And then, we heard just the first few bars of “I’ve Got Just About Everything” and the decision was made. I adore this song and nothing in the world cheers me up like listening to Tony Bennett sing it. It’s a wonderful arrangement and the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums, is just great.

http://open.spotify.com/track/32ne5iCh5B7geOvcX8PQsu
“I’ve Got Just About Everything,” as well as the album When Lights Are Low,” is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Sunday, September 8, 2013 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

This song was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1961. You can read more about this song, hear Tony’s different recordings of it, and read the lyrics at our sister site The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

About This Version

Well, it’s been three whole months since I’ve chosen “The Rules of the Road” as the song of the day. I absolutely, completely, totally love this song and cannot and will never get enough of hearing it. Besides, sometimes we all need a little reminding about the rules of the road.

Today’s version is from Tony’s 1964 album When Lights Are Low, featuring Tony and the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3Ym1D0K9Qk4PTK2Iw2Z6It
“The Rules of the Road,” as well as the album When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got Just About Everything

The song of the day for Saturday, July 6, 2013 is “I’ve Got Just About Everything.”

About This Song

This song was written by Bob Dorough, a bebop and cool jazz pianist and composer. This great song has been in my head all day long, so I knew it had to be the song of the day.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1964 album with the Ralph Sharon Trio, When Lights Are Low. This is a sublime jazz album from just these four musicians: Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon (piano), Hal Gaylord (bass) and Billy Exiner (drums). Every song on this album is a winner, but this song especially swings. The arrangement is perfect and the trio gets a chance to shine in the extended instrumental section.

http://open.spotify.com/track/32ne5iCh5B7geOvcX8PQsu
“I’ve Got Just About Everything,” as well as the entire When Lights Are Low album, is available from iTunes.