The song of the day for Saturday, December 6, 2025, is “That Old Black Magic.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett remembers Dave Brubeck, who was born 105 years ago on December 6, 1920. He was a pianist, composer, and bandleader. There’s an excellent website, davebrubeck.com, which has a thorough biography, information about his compositions, and much more.

About This Song

“That Old Black Magic” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with The Dave Brubeck Trio, recorded “That Old Black Magic” live in Washington, DC on August 29, 1962, at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy. The audience was a group of college students who had volunteered to work at White House that summer. At the concert, The Dave Brubeck Quartet played a set, followed by Tony Bennett and The Ralph Sharon Trio. It ended with a improv set, with Bennett, Dave Brubeck (piano), Eugene Wright (bass),and Joe Morello (drums). “That Old Black Magic” is from the improv session.

Columbia Records sent an engineer to record the concert. At some point, the tapes of the concert seem to have disappeared and were thought permanently lost. Thankfully, they were discovered in late 2012, misfiled in the classical music archives. The album Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 was released on May 28, 2013.

“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available on Apple Music.

Tony Bennett made a very nice video about the concert that evening. It includes some great photographs from that day.