The album of the week starting on January 16, 2022, is The Beat of My Heart.

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The Beat of My Heart was conceived and planned by Tony Bennett and his new musical director, Ralph Sharon. Bennett wanted to return to his jazz roots with this, his third LP. Bennett relates stories about this album in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Ralph and I wanted to make a jazz statement in a big way, and I came up with the idea of recording an album of standards that put the spotlight on different kinds of rhythm by using all the great jazz drummers I could find. We talked the concept over during our first few months on the road, and gradually it all came together. The first recording date was in June 1957, with Chico Hamilton. I was delighted with the results, particularly with the tongue-twisting. super-percussive title track, “The Beat of My Heart.” Mitch came to the first recording date, but was unusually quiet. Maybe he hoped he was giving us enough rope to hang ourselves. But when the album came out, an army of jazz fans said, Hey, this guy knows how to swing. A whole new audience accepted me—in fact, I still get my biggest reactions at jazz festivals the world over.

Album Facts

Release Date	December 1, 1957
Label	Columbia (CL-1079)
Producers	Mitch Miller, Al Ham
Vocals	Tony Bennett
Arrangements	Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett
Piano	Ralph Sharon
Percussion	Art Blakey, Chico Hamilton, Jo Jones, Candido Camero, Sabu Martinez, Billy Exiner
Tenor Sax	Al Cohn
Trumpet	Nat Adderly
Trombone	Robert Alexander, Jim Dahl, Kai Winding
Flute	Herbie Mann, Spencer Sinatra, William Slapin
Vibes	Eddie Costa
Guitar	John Pisano
Bass	Milt Hinton, Eddie Saranski, James Bond

Listen to The Beat of My Heart

You can also listen to The Beat of My Heart on:

• Apple Music
• Amazon Music player
• Qobuz
• YouTube Music
• Pandora