The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Friday, August 25, 2017 is “That Old Black Magic.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “That Old Black Magic,” was written in 1942 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. It was first recorded that same year by Glenn Miller. It was also used in the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett made three recordings of the song, all in 1962. The first was for On The Glory Road, which was held back from release at the last minute. The other two are live recordings: one and Carnegie Hall in June and the other at the White House Seminar American Jazz Concert on August 28, 1962, at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy.

Jazz Times magazine announced:

One of the great lost treasures of American musical history, the Tony Bennett-Dave Brubeck White House Seminar performance came about when the artists-each already on the bill with his own ensemble-agreed to seize the moment with an impromptu set. While the Bennett-Brubeck recording of ‘That Old Black Magic’ had surfaced on the occasional compilation (Brubeck’s 1971’s out-of-print LP, Summit Sessions, and 2001’s Vocal Encounters), the rest of the Bennett and Brubeck performances-an hour’s worth of music-were a mythical lost object in the Sony Music Entertainment vaults until finally surfacing through a fortuitous discovery last December, just weeks after Brubeck’s passing on December 5, 2012 (one day shy of his 92nd birthday).

Bennett/Brubeck-The White House Sessions, Live 1962 was released in May 2013. This recording from that impromptu improv session with Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, , Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums.

That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013


“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: There Will Never Be Another You

The song of the day for Saturday, December 31, 2016 is “There Will Never Be Another You.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “There Will Never Be Another You,” was written in 1942 by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon. It’s ironic that one of Harry Warren’s most beautiful songs was written for a Sonja Henie vehicle called Iceland, starring Miss Henie and John Payne as a U.S. Marine stationed in Iceland during World War II. The song was introduced in the movie by Joan Merrill.

Amazingly, this beautiful song was not nominated for an Academy Award. No matter. The song has become a serious jazz standard and has had many fine recordings, including Bennett’s 1959 recording with Count Basie and his 1962 improvisation with Dave Brubeck at the White House Sessions. Other significant recordings include those by Lionel Hampton, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, Sonny Rollins, and Lester Young and Oscar Peterson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded today’s version of “There Will Never Be Another You” in 1962 at a concert set up by the Kennedy White House for the year’s interns. Bennett and the Dave Brubeck Quartet both performed at the concert. After their two individual sets, Bennett, Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright did a jazz improv session, which included today’s song. The tapes for this concert were located in the Columbia vaults not long after Brubeck’s death in 2012 and released in 2013 as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962.

One of my plans for 2017 is to start to learn how to play jazz upright string bass. If you listen closely to Eugene Wright’s bass in the last half of this recording, you’ll hear the kind of thing that I aspire to be able to do. I’m getting wonderful support from many friends for this endeavor. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

There Will Never Be Another You (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to There Will Never Be Another You (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013


“There Will Never Be Another You,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Our Saturday video today is from the movie Iceland and features Joan Merrill introducing “There Will Never Be Another You.” Sorry about the slight out-of-sync with the music.

I also want to share an instrumental of today’s song that really blew me away. Lester Young and Oscar Peterson from 1954:

There Will Never Be Another You

Listen to There Will Never Be Another You on Spotify. Song · Lester Young, Oscar Peterson Trio · 1997

To Our Readers

I want to sincerely thank every reader of this site for a wonderful 2016 at The Year of Tony Bennett. I’ll never lose my enthusiasm for doing this blog because of the energy and passion we all share for the music of the great Tony Bennett.

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Thursday, February 25, 2016 is “That Old Black Magic.”

About This Song

One of the great songs by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, “That Old Black Magic” was written in 1942 and first recorded by Glenn Miller. It was also used in the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “That Old Black Magic” three times in 1962. The first was a studio recording for the unreleased (until recently, that is) On The Glory Road. The other two were live performances: the first from his legendary June 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall and the second from August 1962 at the invitation of President Kennedy to honor the year’s interns. This concert featured Tony Bennett with the Ralph Sharon Trio and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Today’s recording comes from the third part of the concert: an unrehearsed improv session with Bennett, Dave Brubeck with two members of his quartet–Joe Morello on drums on Eugene Wright on bass.

To my never-ending joy, the tape of this concert was located in the Columbia vaults and was released in May 2013 as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, released just six months after Dave Brubeck’s death in December 2012.

The entire album is magical, but especially that handful of unrehearsed songs in that improv section and none more wonderful than this version of “That Old Black Magic.”

That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013


“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Chicago

The song of the day for Sunday, December 6, 2015 is “Chicago.”

About This Song

“Chicago” was written in 1922 by Fred Fischer. If there is any song associated with the great city of Chicago, it is this song. It’s been widely recorded by singers including Count Basie and Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and many, many more.

About This Version

Today’s version of “Chicago” is from his 1962 appearance in Washington DC at the request of the White House, along with his own trio as well as the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The tapes for the concert were just located a few years ago and were released in 2013 on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962. The album features a set by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a set with Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio, and ends with a short improv session with Bennett, Brubeck, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums. “Chicago” is from that improv session.

Chicago (That Toddlin" Town) (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to Chicago (That Toddlin" Town) (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013


“Chicago,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Sunday, November 22, 2015 is “That Old Black Magic.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “That Old Black Magic,”was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1942. It was first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1942; it was also used in the 1942 movie Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Today’s version of “That Old Black Magic” is from the recently released Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, the original tapes of which were only located soon after Brubeck’s death in 2012. Tony Bennett and The Dave Brubeck Trio were invited to perform at a summer concert honoring that year’s White House interns. The first part of the album is Dave Brubeck, followed by a set from Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio. Finally, is a sweet improv session with Bennett and the Dave Brubeck Trio, with Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums. “That Old Black Magic” is from that improv set.

That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio) - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck Trio · 2013


“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available from iTunes.