The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Friday, October 28, 2016 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

“Trav’lin’ Light” was written in 1942, with music by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This wonderful song was first recorded by Paul Whiteman with Billie Holiday on vocal; this same recording was distributed as V-disc in 1944 to soldiers during World War II. It’s a wonderful, classic Mercer lyric and the tune is lovely. In addition to this recording, this song has been recorded by Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” in 1996 for his 1997 album Tony Bennett On Holiday, his album of songs made famous by Billie Holiday.

I have to say that I absolutely adore this song: the song itself, the Paul Whitman version with Billie Holiday, and this beautiful and heartbreaking recording by Tony Bennett.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

And while we’re at it, here’s the 1942 version with Billie Holiday with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. I never cared for Paul Whiteman until I heard this recording; it’s absolutely wonderful.

Trav"lin" Light

Listen to Trav"lin" Light on Spotify. Song · Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday · 1988

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 18, 2015 is “Trav’lin’ Light .”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Trav’lin’ Light,” was written by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This wonderful song was first recorded by Paul Whiteman with Billie Holiday on vocals. It’s a wonderful, classic Mercer lyric and the tune is lovely. In addition to this recording, this song has been recorded by Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” 1996 for his tribute album to Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett on Holiday, released in 1997. This song features Ralph Sharon on piano.

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for this song; I actually have a “Trav’lin’ Light” playlist on my iPod. It’s a beautiful melody with deep and meaningful lyrics. I never tire of listening to this song.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light ,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today we pay homage to the great John Herndon Mercer, who was born on November 18, 1909 in Savannah, Georgia. Mercer is, at least for this writer, the greatest lyricist of American popular song. From “Skylark” to “That Old Black Magic” to “Come Rain or Come Shine” to “Satin Doll” and dozens more are imprinted on fans of jazz and popular music. In addition to his gifts as a lyricist, he was also a composer, as we saw with yesterday’s “I Wanna Be Around,” as well as a gifted performer.

Mercer worked with great songwriters, including Harold Arlen, Henry Mancini, David Raskin, Jimmy Van Heusen and many more. In addition to his distinguished songwriting career, he also founded Capital Records.

The lyrics of Johnny Mercer have never lost their immediacy–they are as good now as they were when they were written some 60 or 70 years ago.

And so, today, we honor Johnny Mercer.

If you’re wanting some more Mercer, here’s a wonderful story from NPR in 2012:

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Thursday, April 30, 2015 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Trav’lin’ Light,” was written by two musicians: Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy. Young was a trombonist who played with many of the great swing bands, including Earl Hines, Jimmie Lunceford and Benny Goodman. He also played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the mid-1940s and then joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars in 1952, where he stayed until 1964. Jimmy Mundy played tenor saxophone in the same era and was also a noted arranger. Together, they wrote the melody for “Trav’lin’ Light” in 1942 with lyrics from Johnny Mercer. Billie Holiday made the first recording of this song, but it has been relatively widely recorded, by artists including Chet Baker, Carmen McRae, Queen Latifah, Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O’Day.

About This Version

I have to start out by saying that I absolutely adore this song. The first time I listened to Tony Bennett sing this song, I listened to it constantly for days. I may be one of the few people in the world who not only have a “Trav’lin’ Light” playlist on their iPod, but listen to it regularly. Tony Bennett’s recording of this song is one of the most beautiful songs he’s ever recorded. I hope you like it too.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

About Billie Holiday’s Version

Billie Holiday recorded “” several times, beginning with the first recording of the song June 12, 1942 with the Paul Whitman Orchestra. I’m not always a huge fan on Whitman, but this recording is astounding. It was released as single and also as a V-disc. Mundy did the arrangement and Trummy Young played trombone on this recording. Lester Young also played on this recording.

Trav"lin" Light

Listen to Trav"lin" Light on Spotify. Song · Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday · 1988


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Billie’s Blues, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 19, 2014 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

This beautiful song features a wonderful lyric from Johnny Mercer and an equally wonderful tune from Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy. Munday was a tenor sax player and arranger who worked for Benny Goodman in the late 1930s before forming his own band in the early 1940s; he did free-lance arrangements for Goodman as well as other band leaders during that time. Trummy Young was a trombonist who played with Jimmy Lunceford in the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.

“Trav’lin’ Light” was written in 1942 and was first recorded by the Paul Whiteman band with Billie Holiday on vocals. It has also been recorded by Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” in 1996 for his album of Billie Holiday songs entitled On Holiday. I love this song more than I can possibly say and Bennett’s version is quite beautiful.

About Today

As part of Johnny Mercer Week at The Year of Tony Bennett, we continue with his biography …

As the son of a relatively well-to-do businessman, Johnny Mercer enjoyed growing up in Savannah. His father owned the first car in the town, and young Mercer certainly enjoyed his driving privileges. He attended prep school in Virginia. While he wasn’t a top student, his studies of literature helped to develop his song writing capabilities. He also helped organized the musical entertainment on the campus and began writing songs.

The Mercer family had a long association with Princeton University and it was always assumed that Johnny would enter Princeton upon graduation from prep school. However, his father’s business (and wealth) suffered severe setbacks from a failed real estate venture in Florida in 1927 and had to put his company into receivership in order to pay off a $1 million loss. Instead, young Mercer set his sights on New York.

… to be continued …

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as On Holiday, is available on iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 5, 2014 is Trav’lin’ Light.

About This Song

“Trav’lin’ Light” was written in 1942 by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Billie Holiday and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra recorded this song the year it was written and it was very well received.

Additional recordings include those Peggy Lee, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Queen Latifah. And, of course, Tony Bennett.

About This Version

This may very well be the most beautiful Tony Bennett song that you’ve never heard. Mr. Bennett recorded it for his 1997 album of songs associated with Billie Holiday, On Holiday. Note that the picture of Miss Holiday used on the cover of the album was painted by Tony Bennett.

I had come across the Billie Holiday recording of this song and fell in love with it immediately. The melody is quite beautiful and the lyrics are classic Johnny Mercer.

This is a stunning arrangement, featuring Ralph Sharon with a nice and subdued orchestra. The album was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli and produced by Tony Bennett and Danny Bennett.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1qgbAv7Q5TY5IAEv03FzJ3
“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as the album On Holiday, is available from iTunes.