The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Snowfall

The song of the day for Sunday, December 14, 2025, the first day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Snowfall.”

About This Song

“Snowfall” was composed in 1941 by Claude and Ruth Thornhill. It has been widely recorded by artists including Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, George Shearing, The Bucky Pizzarelli Trio, Doris Day, and John Pizzarelli.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Snowfall” on October 1, 1968, for Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album. Robert Farnon wrote and arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Snowfall,” as well as Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album, is available on Apple Music.

I’d like to feature this recording of “Snowfall” by John Pizzarelli, a friend of Year of Tony Bennett, from his 1996 album Let’s Share Christmas:

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Radio Deluxe and Tony Bennett

This afternoon I was thinking about the next song of the day and decided to listen to the Radio Deluxe show that John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey recorded on the day that Tony Bennett died, July 21, 2023, called “The Late, Great Tony Bennett,” which aired on July 29, 2023.

John and Jessica were friends with Tony Bennett, and they often play his songs on their Radio Deluxe program, which listen to every week. If you aren’t already a listener, I recommend it highly.

This particular show is a real joy and the selection of songs recorded by Tony Bennett was perfectly chosen. Also, John and Jessica told some wonderful stories about Tony Bennett, which I think you might enjoy. So, in case you haven’t heard of this program, you can download it here. When the page opens, click File to download to your computer. If you need help, reach out to me using the contact form and I’ll help you.

John Pizzarelli posted this on Facebook the day that Tony Bennett died, and I think of it often.

Tony Bennett died on July 21, 2023, but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Monday, January 8, 2024, is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller and Andy Razaf. It’s one of Waller’s better-known songs and for good reason. The tune is very well written and Razaf’s lyrics are delightful. Waller recorded the song in 1934 and that recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been recorded steadily throughout the years, including the one by Lena Horne in 1963.

Tony Bennett and Lena Horne did a show together in 1973 on Broadway. You can read more about here; the article includes a video of the show that they made in England after the Broadway run.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” in July 1995 for Here’s To The Ladies. For this album, Bennett recorded songs associated with some of the best female singers in the 20th century, including Barbra Streisand, Doris Day, Margaret Whiting, and many more. This song was chosen in honor of Lena Horne. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangements and conducted the orchestra.

“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a special treat today! John and Bucky Pizzarelli performing “Honeysuckle Rose” in 2002 at the MAC (Manhatten Association of Cabarets) Awards, followed by “Route 66.” Guitar playing doesn’t get any better than this.

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Song of the Day: I Used To Be Color Blind

The song of the day for Friday, January 15, 2021, is “I Used To Be Color Blind.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “I Used To Be Color Blind” for the 1938 film Carefree, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. Tony Bennett and Lee Musiker have a nice little exchange in the documentary film The Zen of Bennett about this song after Bennett discovers that the shoeshine person mistakenly shined his black shoes with brown polish.

About This Version

As I do every Thursday afternoon, I was listening to John Pizzarelli’s online show It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: A Musical Social From A Distance. One of the songs he played this week was “I Used To Be Color Blind” and he mentioned that he loved Tony’s recording of the song. He also said that his dad, Bucky Pizzarelli, played on the recording.

Tony Bennett recorded “I Used To Be Color Blind” in 1975 for the album Tony Bennett Sings “Life Is Beautiful”, released on Bennett’s Improv label. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

I Used To Be Color Blind

Listen to I Used To Be Color Blind on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2004

“I Used To Be Color Blind,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from Apple Music.”

You can catch It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: A Musical Social From A Distance on Facebook on the John Pizzarelli page or on Instagram- JohnPizzarelliOfficial. It starts every Thursday at 6:00 ET and lasts about an hour. His wife Jessica Molaskey joins every week and she sings several songs each week. Each Monday, John posts about the upcoming show and asks for your request.

You can also catch John and Jessica on Radio Deluxe, which is one of the best shows ever for jazz, cabaret, and show tunes. They almost always feature at least one Tony Bennett recording. You can find more information on radiodeluxe.com with information on how to listen. This show runs for about two hours. Both of these are great fun and you’ll learn a lot about the songs and the people who sang them.

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 22, 2020, is “You Must Believe In Spring.”

Note About Today’s Song

Every weekend I listen to the radio show Radio Deluxe, hosted by John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey. This weekend, they featured several songs from Tony Bennett, including today’s song. I was reminded why I love this song and especially this recording of it.

Radio Deluxe is a swell show: part jazz, part cabaret, and all of it excellent. John and Jessica always have something unique and wonderful to say about each of the songs they feature. It’s one of the highlights of my weekend. You can find out more about Radio Deluxe on its website radiodeluxe.com.

About This Song

“You Must Believe In Spring” was composed by the great Michel Legrand. The original French lyrics were written by Jacques Demy (who also wrote and directed the film); the English lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The song was written for the 1967 French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which starred Catherine Deneuve. “You Must Believe In Spring” has been widely recorded by artists including Sylvia Syms, Barbra Streisand, and Bill Evans, in a posthumous release of an album with the same name, featuring sessions with Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “You Must Believe In Spring” in September 1976 for their second album Together Again, released in 1977 on Bennett’s Improv label.

“You Must Believe In Spring,” as well as , is available from Apple Music and Quboz.