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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 30, 2019 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: That Old Devil Called Love

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 31, 2019, is “That Old Devil Called Love.”

About This Song

“That Ole Devil Called Love” was written in 1945 by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts. Composer Doris Fisher, daughter of songwriter Fred Fisher, was so popular in the 1940s that she was called “Queen of the Jukebox.” She often wrote with Allan Roberts. She was also a talented singer and performer. Other of her songs include “You Always Hurt The One You Love.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “That Ole Devil Called Love” in 1996 for his album dedicated to Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett On Holiday, released in 1997.

“That Old Devil Called Love,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

And here’s Lady Day’s recording of today’s song.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Allan Roberts, Billie Holiday, Doris Fisher, Lady Day, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett On Holiday

June 2, 2018 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Ill Wind

The song of the day for Sunday, June 3, 2018 is “Ill Wind.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Ill Wind,” was written in 1934 by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler for their last show at the Cotton Club, where it was sung by Adelaide Hall. This song has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kenton, Audra McDonald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ill Wind” in 1996 for his album Tony Bennett On Holiday. In this album, Bennett sings songs associated with singer Billie Holiday. A visitor to the site some years ago wrote me that of all the singers that have done tribute albums to Lady Day, this album captures Holiday better than any of the others. I won’t disagree.

Ill Wind (You"re Blowin" Me No Good)

Listen to Ill Wind (You"re Blowin" Me No Good) on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1997.


“Ill Wind,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Harold Arlen, Lady Day, Ted Koehler, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett On Holiday

April 7, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Remembering Lady Day

Today marks the centennial of the birth of America’s greatest jazz singer: Billie Holiday.

photograph by William Gottlieb
photograph by William Gottlieb

Much has been said about the life of Billie Holiday. A life that was much too short and full of pain, for sure.

But I wish to think of her because of her amazing music. She is the inspiration of singers the world over. As we speak, there are tribute concerts being held all over the world by the great singers of jazz: male and female.

For those, like me, who care deeply about her music, I would like to recommend a new book by jazz historian John Szwed — Billie Holiday: The Musician And The Myth. In this book, Szwed explores her voice, her singing, her inestimable contributions to vocal jazz. Here a few links to reviews of this book, which is available, of course, from Amazon.

The Guardian
The Wall Street Journal
The New Yorker
The New York Times

Or better yet, just listen. The new Billie Holiday Centennial Collection is available from Amazon, iTunes and even Spotify.

The Centennial Collection

Listen to The Centennial Collection on Spotify. Billie Holiday · Compilation · 2015 · 20 songs.

Forget the drugs, the alcoholism, the rumors and the exaggerations. Remember the musician. Remember the voice.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Billie Holiday birthday, Lady Day

April 1, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Album of the Month: Tony Bennett on Holiday

The album of the month for April 2015 is Tony Bennett on Holiday.

TonyBennettOnHoliday

Tony Bennett on Holiday was released by Columbia Records on February 4, 1997. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Tony Bennett on Holiday was produced by Tony Bennett and Danny Bennett, his son. The cover art features Bennett’s portrait of Billie Holiday.

2015 marks the centennial year of the birth of Billie Holiday. She was born on April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her birth certificate lists her name as Eleanora Fagan. Her mother, Sadie Fagan, was nineteen years old when Eleanora was born. Her father was Clarence Holiday, who still a high school student when Sadie became pregnant. Clarence was a well-known rhythm guitarist and banjo player who played with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and other bands during the late 1920s and 1930s.

Much has been written about the tragic life of Billie Holiday. However, we will be focusing on her astounding talent as a jazz vocalist.

Last year, a visitor to The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography left the following comment, which I have been thinking about ever since:

I was surprised to discover that Tony Bennett’s tribute to Lady Day rang truer than all of the other attempts to politicize her, racialize her, or use her as a self-promotional “career stepping stone.” Tony captures the Lady of the Gardenias that struck Sinatra to the core when he first heard her in the late ’30s, causing him to list her as chief among all his inspirations and influences.

I’ll be doing something a bit different with this album. In addition to featuring Bennett’s songs on the album, I’ll also be including Billie Holiday’s version as well so that we can examine how true Tony Bennett’s tribute is.

Filed Under: Album of the Month Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Bobby Tucker, Lady Day, Tony Bennett On Holiday

April 7, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: God Bless The Child

Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To celebrate her on the day of her birth, the song of the day for today is God Bless The Child.

Lady Day

About This Song

God Bless The Child was written in 1939 by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. Holiday recorded it on the Okey label in 1942. It’s been recorded by  singers of jazz, blues, rock and popular music, including Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, Frankie Laine, Stevie Wonder, Blood Sweat and Tears, Lou Rawls, Ella Fitzgerald, and DeeDee Bridgewater.

About This Version

Billie Holiday was one of the artists that the young Tony Bennett  admired. In his autobiography, The Good Life, he writes about seeing her in the last part of the 1940s after returning from the war in Europe.  In 1997, Tony Bennett released his tribute album to Billie, Bennett on Holiday.  God Bless The Child is the last song on the album: it’s a well-crafted duet using Holiday’s original (I believe) recording with Bennett. The song was very well produced  (by Phil Ramone) and recorded; the result sounds as natural as if they were in the studio together.

Happy birthday to Lady Day, one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. You’ll never be forgotten.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6v2DbCEOjbO4VrNkFACL4k
God Bless The Child, as well as the Bennett on Holiday album, is available from iTunes.

Here’s Billie singing They Can’t Take That Away From Me by George and Ira Gershwin.

http://open.spotify.com/track/50b0UZfQDQXzm8fgu0aeZB
 

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday, Lady Day

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