The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Thursday, December 3, 2015 is ” Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash. It was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Speak Low” in 1964 for one of my favorite of his albums: When Lights Are Low. It is also my favorite version of “Speak Low,” which Bennett has recorded, by my count, seven times. This album features just Bennett with the Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. This arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


” Speak Low,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 21, 2015 is is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus by Kurt Weill with lyrics from poet Ogden Nash, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Today’s version of “Speak Low” is from Bennett’s appearance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. The resulting album won the coveted Grammy Award for Album of the Year and another Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. Mr. Bennett was backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

Speak Low - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994

Listen to Speak Low - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


“Speak Low,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Lost In The Stars

The song of the day for Friday, September 11, 2015 is “Lost In The Stars.”

About This Song

“Lost in the Stars” was composed in 1949 by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. The song is from the 1949 musical of the same name, based on the 1948 novel by Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country. Set in South Africa in an era when apartheid seemed as if it would never end, the plot concerns a black priest whose son, in a robbery attempt, kills a white man who is a friend of his father. The priest sings this song at the end of the first act, in a complete crisis of faith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded this song many times and all of the versions are wonderful. Today’s version is his first recording of “Lost In the Stars” and was recorded on June 6, 1956. This song was conducted by Ray Conniff. The arrangement is, I believe, from the uncredited Marion Evans. Other songs on the album were arranged by Neal Hefti, Gil Evans and Don Costa. “Lost In The Stars” was released in January 1957 on Bennett’s second full-length album, Tony.

Lost In the Stars

Listen to Lost In the Stars on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“Lost In The Stars,” as well as Tony, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Thursday, May 7, 2015 is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Mr. Bennett has recorded this song several times. Today’s recording is from his unreleased (until quite recently) 1962 album On The Glory Road. The arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

About Today

Earlier today, I was listening to Billie Holiday’s album All Or Nothing At All, where she sings “Speak Low” and I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head, which is always a good reason to choose a song as the song of the day.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1962


“Speak Low,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Monday, March 30, 2015 is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill (music) and Ogden Nash (lyrics) for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Today’s version is the 2011 version from Duets II, recorded with Norah Jones. This version was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett would like to wish Norah Jones a very happy birthday. She was born on March 30, 1979 in Brooklyn, the daughter of American Sue Jones and the international sitar player Ravi Shankar. She grew up in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) and attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas (where your intrepid blogger taught part-time for a year). During her high school career, she won three DownBeat Student Music Awards: two for Best Jazz Vocalist (1996 and 1997) and one for Best Original Composition (1996). After high school, she attended the University of North Texas, which is well-known for its jazz curriculum. She left university in 1999 and moved to New York. Her first album, Come Away With Me, was released in 2002 and a major hit. In 2003, she won five Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Don’t Know Why” at the 45th Grammy Awards. She’s been singing and recording jazz ever since.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Norah Jones · 2011


“Speak Low,” as well as Duets II, is available from iTunes.

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