The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: It Amazes Me

The song of the day for Saturday, April 13, 2019, is “It Amazes Me.”

About This Song

“It Amazes Me” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1958. Liza Minnelli recorded this song when she was only eighteen years old on her first album. It has also been recorded by Bill Evans, George Shearing, and Cleo Laine.

About This Version

Today, we’re featuring Tony Bennett’s version of “It Amazes Me” from his legendary 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall, captured on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall.

It Amazes Me – Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY – June 1962

It Amazes Me – Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY – June 1962, a song by Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon & His Orchestra on Spotify

“It Amazes Me,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

About Today

It’s Video Saturday and today I’ve got two videos today.

First up is Tony Bennett singing today’s song from his MTV Unplugged appearance in 1994.

Tony Bennett – It Amazes Me (from MTV Unplugged)

Music video by Tony Bennett performing It Amazes Me. (C) 1994 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

Next up is a performance at a tribute to Cy Coleman, who passed away in 2004, sung by the great Elaine Stritch. In her introduction to singing this song, she offers one of the funniest quotes I’ve ever heard: “I don’t think people who drink martinis watch The Sound of Music.”

Elaine Stritch, It Amazes Me

It Started With a Dream, Tribute to Cy Coleman

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Saturday, July 7, 2018 is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written in 1936 by George and Ira Gershwin. The song was written 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 first recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 1967 for the album For Once In My Life. Our selection for today is, however, from his 1993 album Steppin’ Out, a collection of songs introduced by Fred Astaire.

They Can"t Take That Away from Me

Listen to They Can"t Take That Away from Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1993


“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Our video for today is the duet of today’s song with Elvis Costello and Tony Bennett at the 1994 MTV Unplugged concert.

I read today that Elvis Costello has had to cancel the remainder of his European tour this summer to recover from cancer surgery. Apparently the surgery was successful and I was so happy to read that. My very best wishes go out to Mr. Costello and his family as we hope for his complete recovery.

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Song of the Day: It Amazes Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 14, 2018 is “It Amazes Me.”

About This Song

Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh wrote “It Amazes Me” in 1958. Liza Minnelli recorded this song when she was only eighteen years old on her first album. It has also been recorded by Bill Evans, George Shearing and Cleo Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang this version of “It Amazes Me” on April 12, 1994 on his MTV Unplugged performance. The album MTV Unplugged not only won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also for Album Of The Year. And it is a hell of an album. Bennett was backed by The Ralph Sharon Trio, which featured Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994

Listen to It Amazes Me - Live at Sony Studios, New York City, NY - April 1994 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


“It Amazes Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Tony Bennett sang “It Amazes Me” at his concert last week in Portland, but it’s not for that reason alone that I chose this song.

Cy Coleman, who composed this song as well as other hits for Tony Bennett, was born on June 14, 1929 in New York. He was a child prodigy who gave recitals at Steinway and Carnegie hall starting at the age of six. He formed a jazz trio as a young man, but soon found his way to popular music and Broadway scores. He wrote many songs with lyricist Carolyn Leigh, although their relationship was rocky for as long as it lasted. He later partnered with Dorothy Fields, with who he wrote Sweet Charity and Seesaw. Coleman later wrote On The Twentieth Century, Barnum and City of Angels, among others. Coleman died of a heart attack on November 18, 2004.

We honor Cy Coleman on the anniversary of his birth. Thanks for the great songs.

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Song of the Day: Body and Soul

The song of the day for Saturday, April 21, 2018 is “Body and Soul.”

About This Song

“Body and Soul” was written in 1930 by Johnny Green, with lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton.

Ted Gioia, in his book The Jazz Standards, says that Body and Soul “is the granddaddy of jazz ballads, the quintessential torch song, and the ultimate measuring rod for tenor sax players of all generations. Even in the new millennium, this 1930 composition continues to serve as the cornerstone of the repertoire.” Louis Armstrong recorded the song first, followed in the 1930s by recordings from primarily white society bands, such as those led by Paul Whiteman. That said, some early recordings by jazz artists including Benny Goodman and especially Art Tatum started to cement this song as a serious jazz standard (in fact, it’s rated #1 on the jazzstandards.com website). However, the Coleman Hawkins recording from 1939 is widely acknowledged to have made the song a true jazz standard. The Hawkins recording was followed by great jazz recordings by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Art Pepper, Dave Brubeck and many more. Fine vocal recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Billy Eckstine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Body and Soul” on his remarkable live performance in 1994 on the series MTV Unplugged. The album of the performance, MTV Unplugged, not only won 1995 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also the coveted Album of the Year.

Body and Soul - Live Version

Listen to Body and Soul - Live Version on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


“Body and Soul,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Our video today features the recording of Tony and Amy Winehouse recording “Body and Soul” in 2014 for Duets II, which was the last recording Amy Winehouse made.

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Saturday, November 4, 2017 is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933, with music by Will Hudson and Irving Mills and lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It’s been a popular song since it was written. The first recordings were by Joe Venuti and His Orchestra, Ethel Waters, and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. Later recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” in 1994 live for Bennett’s MTV Unplugged show. The album won two Grammy awards: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and the coveted Album of the Year.

Moonglow - Live

Listen to Moonglow - Live on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994


“Moonglow,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

About Today

As today is Saturday, we are pleased to present this video of Tony and k.d. from the MTV Unplugged telecast.