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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 2, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Let’s Face The Music And Dance

The song of the day for Sunday, December 3, 2023, is “Let’s Face The Music And Dance.”

About This Song

“Let’s Face The Music And Dance” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1936 film Follow the Fleet with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The Astaire–Rogers dance to this song is considered one of their best. It has also been recorded by singers including Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “Let’s Face The Music And Dance” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek. It was arranged by Alex Smith.

“Let’s Face The Music And Dance,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available on Apple Music.

And here are Fred and Ginger from the 1936 Follow The Fleet

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Alex Smith, Cheek to Cheek, Follow The Fleet, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Irving Berlin, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett

November 29, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Take The A Train

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 30, 2023, is “Take The A Train.”

About Today

Today we are honoring Billy Strayhorn, who was born on November 29, 1915. Born in Ohio, he grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied classical music at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute and wrote “Lush Life” during that time. In 1938, he met Duke Ellington, who invited Strayhorn to visit him at his home in the Sugar Hill neighborhood in New York. Ellington wrote down instructions on how to get to his home after arriving in New York, starting with “take the A train.” Strayhorn worked with Ellington for 25 years, until Strayhorn’s death from cancer.

About This Song

“Take The A Train” was written by Billy Strayhorn in 1939, with lyrics by Joya Sherrill (which were added in 1944). It became Ellington’s signature tune and was played at virtually every concert he gave.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Take The A Train” on May 20, 1999, and features the Ralph Sharon Quartet, with Paul Langosch (bass), Gray Sargent (guitar) Clayton Cameron (drums) Also featured are Al Grey on trombone and Wynton Marsalis on trumpet. It was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns. This recording was an unreleased outtake from Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool. It was included in Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 2, in the 2011 Complete Collection box set.

“Take The A Train,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.

I’m adding Lady Gaga’s solo recording of “Lush Life, from her album with Tony Cheek to Cheek, released in 2014.

A Note to Readers

I will likely be posting intermittently for a while. I won’t be able to see well for a while (cataract surgery, no big deal) which makes it difficult to post. No fear, The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas will start on December 14, as usual. Thank you all for your support of The Year of Tony Bennett.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Joya Sherrill, Lady Gaga, Ralph Burns, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis

October 16, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 17, 2023, is “But Beautiful.”

About This Song

“But Beautiful” was written in 1947 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for the movie The Road To Rio. The song has been widely recorded, including recordings by Bill Evans, Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “But Beautiful” for their 2014 album Cheek To Cheek. It was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli.

“But Beautiful,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the official video of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recording today’s song.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cheek to Cheek, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, Jorge Calandrelli, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett

September 19, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Cheek to Cheek

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 20, 2023, is “Cheek to Cheek.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Cheek To Cheek” for the 1935 film Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, where it was introduced (beautifully) by Fred Astaire. Though the song was nominated for an Academy Award (it lost to “Lullaby Of Broadway”), it became a hit in 1935 and has remained popular to this day. Significant recordings include those by Harry James, Glenn Miller, Roy Eldridge, Bing Crosby, and many, many more. Fans of the Tom Hanks movie The Green Mile might remember this song, as Top Hat is viewed in the prison. For many, it is one of the very first songs that comes to mind when one thinks of Fred Astaire and the 1930s Hollywood musical.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “Cheek to Cheek” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek. It was arranged by the great Marion Evans.

“Cheek to Cheek,” as well as the album Cheek To Cheek, is available on Apple Music.

And here’s Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from Top Hat:

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cheek to Cheek, Irving Berlin, Lady Gaga, Marion Evans, Tony Bennett, Top Hat

September 3, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Tony, Lady Gaga, and Fly Me To The Moon

Early in the life of this blog (June 2012) I wrote a post about “Fly Me To The Moon” and how much I loved that song. An excerpt from that post:

My favorite version of this song has never been recorded. It was the version that Mr. Bennett sang at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington on September 14, 2007. This was my first Tony Bennett performance. By the time I bought my tickets, there were no orchestra seats left and I could only get tickets in what was (optimistically) called the mezzanine. At that time, I didn’t know that at certain concert halls, Mr. Bennett sometimes sings this song a capella, without a microphone. Towards the end of the concert, he put down his microphone and started to sing Fly Me To The Moon. Even in the back of the house, his voice filled the auditorium. All of us hung on every note, never wanting this beauty to ever end. I’ve since heard him do the song without a microphone, but nothing could have prepared me for that first moment. It was, and remains, a moment of pure magic.

Here’s a recording of Bennett singing “Fly Me To The Moon” a capella in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on September 6, 1991:

Yesterday, I came across a video, which made me cry in a happy-sad kind of way. I’ll quote from an article on ET:

Once the first show since Bennett’s July death got underway, Gaga addressed her late collaborator’s widow, Susan Crow, who was reportedly in the crowd.

“Susan, everybody in this audience loves you so much,” Gaga said, before speaking about Bennett, whom she previously said she will miss “forever.”

“The truth is, I didn’t know exactly what to say about Tony, because this whole show was for Tony. Everything. The opening number, the middle numbers, all the diamonds, all the musical instruments, all the conducting, all the improvisation was in his memory,” she said. “But if I know Tony well, I know that he would be real mad at me for being sad, so I couldn’t come out here and be sad.”

With that in mind, Gaga, who first collaborated with Bennett in 2011, explained that she decided to honor her late pal with a performance of his song, “Fly Me to the Moon.”

“I sung this song while Tony was still alive and I’m going to sing it now, even though he’s gone, ’cause he’ll never be gone,” she said. “Susan, this is for you. I’m going to get through it. I promise. I’ll never do it as well as Tony, but I’ll try.”

Thank you, Lady Gaga, for everything.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Fly Me To The Moon, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett

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