The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: My Ship

The song of the day for Sunday, November 16, 2014 is “My Ship.”

About This Song

“My Ship” was written by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark. Miles Davis’ recording in 1957, along with vocal versions by Jeri Southern and Sarah Vaughan, cemented this song as a jazz standard.

About This Version

Today’s version is Bennett’s first recording from his 1961 album My Heart Sings. This song, like the rest of the album, was orchestrated by Ralph Burns and produced by Ernie Altschuler. Bennett sang this song the following year in his legendary Carnegie Hall concert.

My Ship

Listen to My Ship on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1961


“My Ship,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Close Your Eyes

The song of the day for Friday, October 17, 2014 is “Close Your Eyes.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written by Bernice Petkere in 1933. Petkere was named by Irving Berlin as the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Close Your Eyes” in April, 1961 for the album My Heart Sings. The song was arranged by and the orchestra conducted by Ralph Burns, who arranged this past Wednesday’s version of “Rules of the Road” and Bennett’s 1959 masterpiece album Hometown, My Town.

Close Your Eyes

Listen to Close Your Eyes on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1961


“Close Your Eyes,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Thursday, December 26, 2013 is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella by Starlight” was composed by Victor Young in 1944 for the film The Uninvited. The lyrics by Ned Washington were added in 1946. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and also by Frank Sinatra. Charlie Parker recorded the first jazz recording in 1952 and the song has become a jazz standard as a result, with great jazz recordings by Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Joe Pass and Dexter Gordon. The song ranks #10 on the jazzstandards.org list.

About This Version

This version of “Stella by Starlight” was recorded by Tony Bennett in 1961 for his album My Heart Sings. This song, as well the entire album, was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns, with a big band including talents like Bernie Leighton, Milt Hinton and Eddie Costa.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4L9AQ9NAAS8eq82ZIc24p8
“Stella By Starlight,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Thursday, September 12, 2013 is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written in 1931 by the songwriting team of Arthur Schwartz (music) and Howard Dietz (lyrics) for the Broadway musical revue The Band Wagon, which featured Fred and Adele Astaire and Frank Morgan. The song was introduced by John Barker and featured dancing on a raked, lighted mirror stage. A recording was made of the show with the Leo Reisman Orchestra in a two-sided 33 1/3 recording. It was the very first commercially released recorded at this speed. Unfortunately, this new speed required new record players and as the Depression was well under way, the expense proved too much for most people and so the new format didn’t really take off for another 20+ years.

“Dancing in the Dark” is one of Schwartz’ and Dietz’ most enduring songs, with recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bill Evans and, of course, Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1961 album My Heart Sings, which featured big band arrangements by Ralph Burns.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4up57sk978q1DVJ4NYZuxE
“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.