About Today

Sixty-three years ago today, on June 9, 2025, Tony Bennett performed at Carnegie Hall.

Carnegie Hall issued the invitation and Columbia Records backed him completely, including releasing a record of the concert. Tony Bennett asked his old Army buddy Arthur Penn, who had just finished filming The Miracle Worker, to help with the staging. Penn enlisted director Gene Saks to help.

Meanwhile, Bennett and Ralph Sharon were preparing for the concert. Sharon put the orchestra together and was busy writing arrangements for the two-act concert, with 40 songs. Bennett related in his book The Good Life:

Two weeks before the concert, I was in Chicago in a bistro on Rush Street called the Living Room. Ralph was rehearsing day and night in preparation for our Carnegie Hall show. The jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross were working across the street and Jon Hendricks and I ended up jamming in every joint on Rush Street. By the end of the two weeks I was ready for opening night

The concert was held on June 9, 1962. Backstage I had a healthy case of the butterflies and reflected on Sinatra’s advice about the jitters. From the minute I hit the stage all the nervousness disappeared, and I knew I was gonna nail it. I’m proud to say the concert was an absolute triumph.

My whole family was in the audience that night. I was particularly proud that my mother was there; that made me feel like a million bucks. It was the biggest night of my life. My mom couldn’t believe how far I’d come. She was sitting between Mary and Tom, and as the crowds were cheering for an encore, she kept turning to Mary and asking, “Why don’t they let Anthony go home and rest? He must be exhausted after two and a half hours of singing.” She was so precious, she meant everything to me.

The concert was, indeed, a triumph.

About This Song

“All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it to be one of Kern’s finest songs and with good reason. It’s a beautiful tune and Hammerstein’s lyrics are excellent.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All The Things You Are” live at Carnegie Hall 63 years ago on June 9, 1962. A condensed version of the concert on a 2-LP set was released in August 1962 as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall. The complete concert was released on 2 CDs in 1997.

“All The Things You Are,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.