The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I Could Write A Book

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 30, 2012 is I Could Write A Book.

About I Could Write A Book

Composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, I Could Write A Book is one of the hit songs from the 1940 musical Pal Joey (the other being Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered). Rodgers and Hart had a magnificent career and worked together from 1919 until Hart’s death in 1943. They wrote two more musicals after Pal Joey: By Jupiter and A Connecticut Yankee. After Hart’s death, Rodgers partnered with Oscar Hammerstein II.

The contribution of Rodgers and Hart to the American Songbook cannot be underestimated. Mountain Greenery, Thou Swell, Blue Moon, This Can’t Be Love and many, many more are some of the songs that were popular when written and remain popular today with jazz and cabaret singers.

10RodgersHart

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded two Rodgers and Hart albums for his Improv label: Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs and Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers and Hart, both released in 1973.

Bennett is an excellent interpreter of the songs of Rodgers and Hart. The albums are also remarkable for the musicians he recorded the albums with. Bennett was a big fan of the cornet player Ruby Braff. Together, they created a wonderful sound with Braff’s cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. No drums, no piano: just cornet, two guitars and bass. It’s a warm, inviting and very intimate sound that Bennett’s voice fits beautifully with.

I Could Write A Book originally appeared on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

I Could Write A Book

Listen to I Could Write A Book on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1973

I Could Write A Book, as well as the full Tony Bennett Sings Rodgers and Hart, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Falling In Love With Love

The Song of the Day for Sunday, November 11, 2012 is Falling In Love With Love.

About Falling In Love With Love

This song was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1938 Broadway musical The Boys From Syracuse and was also included the 1940 film version. It’s been sung by artists ranging from Sergio Franchi to Helen Merrill to Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

This version is from one my favorite Tony Bennett albums, If I Ruled The World: Tony Bennett Songs For The Jet Set, though this song wasn’t included on the original release, it was added to the rerelease for the Complete Collection. It was recorded in February, 1965 with the Ralph Sharon Trio: Ralph Sharon (p), Hal Gaylor (b) and Billy Exiner (d). Also featured on the album was Al Cohn on tenor saxophone. The producer was Ernie Altschuler.

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Song of the Day: This Can’t Be Love

The Song of the Day for Thursday, November 8, 2012 is This Can’t Be Love.

About This Can’t Be Love

This Can’t Be Love was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1938 musical The Boys of Syracuse.  It’s been recorded by Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra, among others.

About This Version

This version comes from the 1973 Tony Bennett Songs 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

This album was the second album, after Life is Beautiful, that Mr. Bennett recorded on his own Improv label. While the label may not have been a financial success, it was very much an artistic success. The Rodgers and Hart albums are really quite beautiful.

The arrangement of this song (as well as the other songs on the album) are exceptional.  For both albums, Mr. Bennett worked with the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, which featured Ruby Braff on cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Giuffrida on bass. Coming off the Columbia years, I believe that Tony Bennett was brilliant in transitioning to the jazz sound, using jazz musicians, that has been a mainstay of the second half of his career. Ruby Braff’s cornet on these albums is a wonderful change from the larger orchestral arrangements many listeners were used to. These arrangements are timeless: they honor the original time period the songs were written in and yet sound as if they could have been recorded in any decade since. You can read more about Ruby Braff here and here. Note that Tony Bennett’s current guitarist, Gray Sargent, played with Ruby Braff.

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Song of the Day: There’s A Small Hotel

The Song of the Day for October 21, 2012 is There’s A Small Hotel.

About There’s A Small Hotel

Originally written for the 1935 musical  Billy Rose’s Jumbo, by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, There’s A Small Hotel was released in 1936 in On Your Toes. It was later included in the film of Pal Joey, and was sung by Frank Sinatra. The song has also been recorded by Chet Baker, Josephine Baker, Della Reese, and the Benny Goodman Quartet.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded There’s A Small Hotel for his 1973 Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart for his Improv label.

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The Song of the Day for September 17, 2012 is Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.

About Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

This song was written for the 1942 Broadway musical By Jupiter, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 427 performances. The musical is set in ancient Greece and features a plot of Amazon warrior women and Greek warriors and starred Constance Moore and Ray Bolger. Also well-known from By Jupiter is Wait Til You See Her.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon included this song on Tony Sings For Two, on which Bennett was accompanied only by Sharon.  It’s really wonderful to hear Tony Bennett sing with just piano and this album is a favorite of mine. And, on this favorite album, this song never fails to move me deeply.

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