The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Begin the Beguine

The song of the day for Monday, December 9, 2024, is “Begin the Beguine.”

About Today

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 2nd jazz album and third album: The Beat of My Heart. The album was released on December 9, 1957.

About This Song

“Begin the Beguine” was written by Cole Porter for the 1925 musical Jubilee. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108-measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938. The Middle Eastern style of the song is well-served by Shaw’s clarinet solo. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108-measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938. The Middle Eastern style of the song is well-served by Shaw’s clarinet solo.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Begin the Beguine” on October 21, 1957, for his album The Beat of My Heart. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement. For this album, Bennett invited guest percussionists to play. Drummer Jo Jones was the guest drummer for “Begin the Beguine.”

The recording was not released on the original 1957 LP, but was added to the 1997 CD re-release.

“Begin the Beguine,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

And because I once played the clarinet and loved Artie Shaw, here’s his brilliant 1938 recording:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Blues In The Night

The song of the day for Monday, September 2. 2024, is “Blues In The Night.”

About This Song

“Blues In The Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film of the name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his Southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blues In The Night” on October 21, 1957, for the album The Beat Of My Heart. Jo Jones played drums for this recording.

“Blues In The Night,” as well as The Beat Of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Sunday, July 31, 2022, is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

“Blues in the Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1941 for the film of the same name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blues in the Night” on October 21, 1957, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon; drummer Jo Jones was the featured percussionist. The recording was released in 1957 on the album The Beat of My Heart.

“Blues in the Night,” as well as is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Friday, April 15, 2022, is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

“Blues in the Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 movie of the same name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blues in the Night” in 1957 for his album The Beat of My Heart, which featured percussionists from all over. Drummer Jo Jones is featured on the recording. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the album.

“Blues in the Night,” as well as The Beat of My Heart is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Album of the Week: The Beat of My Heart

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

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: