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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

June 13, 2018 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It Amazes Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 14, 2018 is “It Amazes Me.”

About This Song

Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh wrote “It Amazes Me” in 1958. Liza Minnelli recorded this song when she was only eighteen years old on her first album. It has also been recorded by Bill Evans, George Shearing and Cleo Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang this version of “It Amazes Me” on April 12, 1994 on his MTV Unplugged performance. The album MTV Unplugged not only won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also for Album Of The Year. And it is a hell of an album. Bennett was backed by The Ralph Sharon Trio, which featured Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994

Listen to It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994 on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1994.


“It Amazes Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Tony Bennett sang “It Amazes Me” at his concert last week in Portland, but it’s not for that reason alone that I chose this song.

Cy Coleman, who composed this song as well as other hits for Tony Bennett, was born on June 14, 1929 in New York. He was a child prodigy who gave recitals at Steinway and Carnegie hall starting at the age of six. He formed a jazz trio as a young man, but soon found his way to popular music and Broadway scores. He wrote many songs with lyricist Carolyn Leigh, although their relationship was rocky for as long as it lasted. He later partnered with Dorothy Fields, with who he wrote Sweet Charity and Seesaw. Coleman later wrote On The Twentieth Century, Barnum and City of Angels, among others. Coleman died of a heart attack on November 18, 2004.

We honor Cy Coleman on the anniversary of his birth. Thanks for the great songs.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Carolyn Leigh, Clayton Cameron, Cy Coleman, Doug Richeson, Happy Birthday Cy Coleman, MTV Unplugged, Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett

June 14, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Sunday, June 14, 2015 is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

About This Song

Written in 1959 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, some say that “The Best is Yet to Come” was written for Tony Bennett. In any case, the song is strongly identified with him and he sings it at many of his concerts. Other recordings include those by Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

This is the first version of this song that Tony Bennett recorded and is, as far as I’m concerned, just perfect. It was arranged and conducted by the composer.

About Today

Cy Coleman (nee Seymour Kaufman) was born on June 14, 1929 in New York City. He was a child prodigy on the piano and had performed at Steinway Hall, Town Hall and Carnegie Hall between the ages of six and nine. In spite of his classical background, he was drawn to jazz and formed the Cy Coleman Trio. As a composer, he worked with several lyricists, most famously with Carolyn Leigh. In addition to writing wonderful popular songs, such as today’s song and my personal favorite, “The Rules Of The Road,” he also wrote the scores for Broadway musicals including Little Me, Sweet Charity, Wildcat, The City Of Angels and Barnum. Mr. Coleman died on November 18, 2004 at the age of 75.

Once again, I want to strongly recommend the new biography of Cy Coleman: You Fascinate Me So by Andy Propst.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Listen to The Best Is Yet To Come on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2011.


“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as all of the songs collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 6, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day, Uncategorized Tagged With: Carolyn Leigh, Cy Coleman, Happy Birthday Cy Coleman

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