• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

April 28, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Prelude to a Kiss

The song of the day for Saturday, April 29, 2023, is “Prelude to a Kiss.”

About Today

Happy Birthday to the great Duke Ellington, born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. We love you madly!

About This Song

“Prelude to a Kiss” was written in 1938 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Miss. Ted Gioia in The Jazz Standards notes that in the late 1930s, having practically invented swing music”

… at this juncture, he does the exact opposite. The Duke uses his fame and great artistic freedom to become more ambitious, more experimental, less beholden to the formulas of swing music. ‘Prelude To A Kiss’ from 1938 is a case in point.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Prelude to a Kiss” in May 1999 for his album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool. The recording feature violinist Joel Smirnoff and was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Prelude to a Kiss,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool is available on Apple Music.

Here’s an early recording of today’s song:

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, Duke Ellington, Happy Birthday Duke Ellington, Irving Gorden, Irving Mills, Joel Smirnoff, Jorge Calandrelli

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites

  • Song of the Day: Samba de Orfeu
  • Song of the Day: Give Me The Simple Life
  • Song of the Day: The Good Life
  • The Quartet
  • Song of the Day: Sweet Georgie Fame
  • Song of the Day: Make Someone Happy
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress