The song of the day for Friday, April 22, 2022, is “Fascinating Rhythm.”
About This Song
“Fascinating Rhythm” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 for the Broadway musical Lady Be Good. It was introduced by Cliff Edwards and Fred and Adele Astaire. The Astaires also recorded the song in 1926 with Gershwin on piano. “Fascinating Rhythm” was and still is, a jazz number. For that reason, it has never been out of favor with jazz artists, both vocal and instrumental.
About This Version
Tony Bennett, singing as Joe Bari, recorded “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with “Vieni Qui,” on a 2-sided 78 rpm record on the Leslie Records label. While the record “went absolutely nowhere” (Tony’s description) it was a big deal for Bennett to have made the record at all and served as a great demo disk for the young singer. The record did go somewhere: Mitch Miller, producer for Columbia Records, heard “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with a recording made later that year “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and decided to sign Bennett to Columbia in 1950. This song, as well as many of Bennett’s very early recordings, is collected on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1.
“Fascinating Rhythm,” as well as the rest of the songs on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1 is available on Apple Music.