The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Just In Time

The song of the day for Saturday, July 11, 2015 is “Just In Time.”

About This Song

“Just In Time” was composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden in 1956 for the hit musical Bells Are Ringing, where it was introduced by Judy Holliday and Sidney Chaplin. Holliday and Dean Martin sang it in the 1960 film version of Bells Are Ringing.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just In Time” in 1956; he introduced many Broadway songs in the 1950s, including this song, “Strangers in Paradise” and many more. But today I chose his version from his 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. As much as I love Bennett’s studio recordings, I love his live performances even more.

Just In Time (From "Bells Are Ringing") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962

Listen to Just In Time (From "Bells Are Ringing") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon & His Orchestra · 1962


“Just In Time,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

About Today

It’s video Saturday and today we present Tony Bennett and Micheal Bublé recording “Just In Time” in 2006 for Duets: An American Classic.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Just In Time

The song of the day for Tuesday , March 24, 2015 is “Just In Time.”

About This Song

Written by Jule Styne (music) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics), “Just In Time” is just one the great hits from the 1956 Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing. The stars of the show, Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin introduced the song. Tony Bennett recorded it that same year, and it was a big hit for Mr. Bennett. “The Party’s Over,” another song recorded by Mr Bennett (Hometown, My Town in 1959) was the other major hit song from this wonderful score.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “Just In Time” several times in his career. Today’s version comes from his legendary 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon, who also conducted the orchestra for the concert.

Just In Time (From "Bells Are Ringing") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962

Listen to Just In Time (From "Bells Are Ringing") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon & His Orchestra · 1962

“Just In Time,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Mr. Bennett has recorded “Just In Time” many times. However, his most important performance of this song was never recorded.

march

Starting on March 21, 1965, Tony Bennett marched with Martin Luther King, now-Congressman John Lewis, Ralph Bunche, Billy Eckstine, Leonard Bernstein and many, many others on the Third March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. On the evening of March 24, 1965, 50 years ago today, on a makeshift stage (created with coffins loaned by a local mortuary), a Stars for Freedom rally and concert was held. In addition to Mr. Bennett, the performers included Harry Belafonte, Frankie Laine, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Peter, Paul and Mary. He “Just In Time” and for the American Civil Rights movement, it was indeed just in time. As a result of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, President Johnson introduced and Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, major battle in the Civil Rights movement.

The Year of Tony Bennett honors Mr. Bennett for his life-long battle again racism and for freedom and equality for all. Thank you.

CNN did a nice interview with Tony Bennett and Harry Belafonte a few years ago about the march, which you may enjoy.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Fall In Love Too Easily

The song of the day for Friday, January 2, 2015 is “I Fall In Love Too Easily.”

About This Song

Today’s song was the runner-up for our tribute to Jule Styne the day before yesterday. “I Fall In Love Too Easily” was written in 1955 by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was written for the Frank Sinatra – Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, concerning two sailors on leave. The song was introduced by Frank Sinatra. It was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to “It Might As Well Be Spring” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is a well-respected jazz standard, with recordings by Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Anita O’Day and Johnny Hartman.

About This Recording

“I Fall In Love Too Easily” is the first song on our album of the month, Cloud 7. It sets the tone perfectly for the album. The guitar introduction by Chuck Wayne, who arranged this song, provides the other-worldly, ethereal feeling that marks the album.

This song was recorded on August 6, 1954, which was the first recording session for Cloud 7. Other songs recorded at that session are “Give Me The Simple Life” and “Old Devil Moon.”

In addition to Chuck Wayne on guitar, the session also featured Gene DiNovi on piano, Clyde Lombardi on bass, Sonny Igoe on drums, Dave Schildkraut on alto sax, Al Cohn on tenor sax and Charles Panely on trumpet.

http://open.spotify.com/track/29aUaRNUBTWkjk0YQpApba
“I Fall In Love Too Easily,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Party’s Over

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 31, 2014 is “The Party’s Over.”

About This Song

With music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, “The Party’s Over” is one of the hit songs from the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing. The song was introduced by Judy Holliday, who won the Tony award for her performance.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Party’s Over” for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town. It was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns. Hometown, My Town tells the story of a young man starting out in Manhattan, falling in love and losing that love in the end, with this song as the final song on the album.

About Today

The composer of “The Party’s Over,” Jule Styne, was born December 31, 1905 in London, UK. The son of immigrants from The Ukraine, his family moved to Chicago when Jule was eight years old. He started piano lessons and proved to be a prodigy, appearing with the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit Symphonies before he was ten years old. While in his teens, Mike Todd (who later became a producer in Hollywood), commissioned Styne to write a song for an act he putting on and Styne found his career as a songwriter. He went to Hollywood and wrote for films Three Coins in a Fountain and My Sister Eileen. In 1947, he began work on a series of highly successful musical comedies produced in New York: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, Do Re Mi and Funny Girl, among others. Gypsy is widely considered to be one of the greatest musicals ever written. Styne died in 1994 at the age of 88.

The Party"s Over

Listen to The Party"s Over on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“The Party’s Over,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

On the Seventh Day of a Tony Bennett Christmas

On the seventh day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Tony sings “The Christmas Waltz.”

“The Christmas Waltz” was written in 1954 by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn at the specific request of Frank Sinatra, who included it on the B-side with his recording of “White Christmas.” Like “White Christmas,” this song was written on a hot summer day. While the song has been widely recorded and is popular, it never charted until 2003, with a recording by Harry Connick Jr.

Tony Bennett recorded “The Christmas Waltz” for A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008.

http://open.spotify.com/track/08BhfyKUXxZrnyHrDavNHP
“The Christmas Waltz,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available from iTunes.

We’re also happy to feature this kind of sweet and funny video of Tony singing this song.