The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: There Will Never Be Another You

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 21 2020, is “There Will Never Be Another You.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating the birth of William James “Count” Basie, who was born on July 21, 1904, in Red Hook, New Jersey. We can’t imagine American jazz without Count Basie.

About This Song

“There Will Never Be Another You” was written in 1942 by Harry Warren and Max Gordon for the movie Iceland. The song has become a serious jazz standard and has had many fine recordings, including Bennett’s 1959 recording with Count Basie and his 1962 improvisation with Dave Brubeck at the White House Sessions. Other significant recordings include those by Lionel Hampton, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “There Will Never Be Another You” in 1959 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for their second album, In Person!. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangment.

“There Will Never Be Another You,” as well as In Person!, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Poor Little Rich Girl

The song of the day for Friday, August 21. 2015 is “Poor Little Rich Girl.”

About This Song

Noël Coward wrote “Poor Little Rich Girl” for the 1925 revue On With the Dance. It is one of his most popular songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Poor Little Rich Girl” with Count Basie and His Orchestra in 1959 for their first album: Basie/Bennett. The very effective arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

About Today

Today we celebrate the birth of one of America’s great band leaders: William James Basie, who was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 21, 1904. He started playing piano in his youth; by the time he was a teenager, he had dropped out of school and starting his career as a jazz pianist.

He made the decision to move west to Kansas City, where he joined Bennie Moten’s band in 1929. After Moten’s death in 1936, Basie formed his own band and took it to Chicago. In that time, he worked with some of the great jazz musicians: Lester Young, Freddie Green, Buck Clayton, Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams.

In 1937, he took his band to New York, playing in venues like the Roseland Ballroom and The Savoy. During this time, he played with Billie Holiday and other noted artists of the day.

Count Basie
Count Basie

Like most big bands after the war, Basie had to disband his large group, but continued to play in smaller combos and moved on to the new forms, like bebop, with a new group of musicians: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, among others. He gradually reformed his band, toured Europe and kept his band alive and vibrant all the way into the 1980s, including a wonderful appearance in Mel Brook’s film Blazing Saddles.

We note here that Tony Bennett’s drummer, Harold Jones, played with Count Basie from 1967 to 1972. Tony Bennett always introduces Jones as “Count Basie’s Favorite Drummer.” We have a little video of Harold Jones playing with Count Basie and His Orchestra that seems to prove that point:

Happy Birthday, Count Basie. Thanks for all the great music.

Poor Little Rich Girl - 1990 Remix / Remaster

Listen to Poor Little Rich Girl - 1990 Remix / Remaster on Spotify. Song · Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Tristan Powell · 1959


“Poor Little Rich Girl,” as well as Basie/Bennett, is available from iTunes.