The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Friday, February 24, 2023, is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written in 1943 by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash for the 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 and Norah Jones recorded “Speak Low” in 2011 for Duets II. The arrangement was written by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Speak Low,” as well as Duets II is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 4, 2023, 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 and his trio recorded “Speak Low” live on April 12, 1994, for MTV Unplugged. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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

Here’s video from the television presentation.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Friday, December 2, 2022, 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 recorded “Speak Low” in May 1989 and was released the following year on Astoria: Portrait of the Artist. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Speak Low,” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 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 recorded “Speak Low” on June 9, 1962, at Tony Bennett’s concert at Carnegie Hall. This song wasn’t released on the original 1962 release of the album Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall but was included in the full CD release in 1997.

“Speak Low,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall is available on Apple Music.

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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:

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