The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Monday, November 15, 2021, 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

Tony Bennett has recorded “Speak Low” six times: 4 studio recordings and 2 live recordings, the first of live recordings in 1962 at his concert at Carnegie Hall. Today, we have his second live recording, from his 1994 appearance on MTV Unplugged.

“Speak Low,” as well as MTV Unplugged is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the recording from the MTV concert:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Sunday, November 14, 2021, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

“Old Devil Moon” was the first song Tony Bennett performed for his now-legendary live performance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. Singing with The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums), Tony Bennett was ecstatically received. The resulting album, MTV Unplugged, won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year.

The performance on television and the resulting album was key to introducing Tony Bennett to a completely new audience.

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged is available on Apple Music.

We are delighted to include a video of “Old Devil Moon” from the performance.

By Leave a Comment

Tony Live! All Of You

The song of the day for Sunday, September 20, 2020, is “All Of You.”

About This Song

“All Of You” was written by Cole Porter for the 1954 Broadway musical Silk Stockings, where it was introduced by Don Ameche. Bill Evans played it at his legendary album Sunday at the Village Vanguard, recorded live.

About This Version

Tony Bennett performed “All Of You” at his 1994 live performance on MTV Unplugged.

“All Of You,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Tony Live! A Foggy Day

The song of the day for Saturday, September 19, 2020, is “A Foggy Day.”

About This Song

“A Foggy Day” was written by George and Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 movie A Damsel in Distress. The song has been quite popular with many great recordings, including those by Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “A Foggy Day” with The Ralph Sharon Trio on his live performance on MTV Unplugged. In addition to Sharon on piano, the trio consisted of Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

“A Foggy Day,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Tony Live! They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Sunday, September 13, 2020, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and guest Elvis Costello sang “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” on Bennett’s live performance on MTV Unplugged.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.