The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Party’s Over

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 12, 2014 is “The Party’s Over.”

About This Song

“The Party’s Over” is from the 1956 Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing, which featured a brilliant score with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The song was introduced by the great star of the show, Judy Holliday.

I must confess that I just heard the news about the death of Robin Williams and am feeling so sad. So, I hope you don’t mind a somewhat sad song on a beautiful summer day.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Party’s Over” for his wonderful (and sometimes overlooked) 1959 album Hometown, My Town. The album was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns, bringing a muscular jazz motif to the orchestral score. All of the songs on this album are brilliantly arranged by Burns.

The Party"s Over

Listen to The Party"s Over on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959

“The Party’s Over,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Penthouse Serenade

The song of the day for Sunday, May 25, 2014 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. It is one the classic Depression-era songs with the yearning for the glamorous Manhattan apartment by the poor, yet romantic, couple. The first known use of “Penthouse Serenade” was for the 1933 animated short Betty Boop’s Penthouse, where it was sung by Mae Questel. On a more serious note, “Penthouse Serenade” has had exceptional recordings, including Nat King Cole recording in 1952 as a piano solo for an album of the same name and Tony Bennett’s recording for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town.

About This Version

“Penthouse Serenade” is one of the two long-form arrangements on Hometown, My Town (the other being “Skyscraper Blues”). As with the rest of the album, it was arranged by Ralph Burns. Though it has a relatively short playing time, this album stands as one of the earliest and most cohesive concept albums ever created.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4fqH8vY5L35o48z2H5RAHm
“Penthouse Serenade,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Cover The Waterfront

The song of the day for Monday, April 28, 2014 is “I Cover The Waterfront.”

About This Song

“I Cover The Waterfront” was written in 1933 by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman (both of whom also wrote “Body and Soul”). The song was inspired by the 1932 novel of the same name by Max Miller, which was also made into a film and re-scored just prior to release to include the Johnny Green song. It has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and even John Lee Hooker.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s wonderful autobiographical album about New York City: Hometown, My Town. The song, as well as the entire album, was arranged by Ralph Burns. The big band for the album included Ralph Sharon, Al Cohn, Urbie Green, Al Caiola and Eddie Costa, among others.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1hRgHX7uk5EsS9voflbyfg
“I Cover The Waterfront,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, 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: The Skyscraper Blues

The song of the day for Sunday, November 3, 2013 is “The Skyscraper Blues.”

About This Song

“The Skyscraper Blues” was written by Gordon Jenkins and Tom Adair for the 1949 Broadway musical Along Fifth Avenue, which featured Nancy Walker and Jackie Gleason.

About This Version

On this day in 1958, Tony Bennett recorded two songs for an upcoming album to be called Hometown, My Town. These songs were today’s song, “The Skyscraper Blues” and “By Myself.” Click the link to read more about the session held November 3, 1958.

Like the rest of the songs on the album, “The Skyscraper Blues” was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns. Ralph Sharon, who had joined up with Tony Bennett in 1957 played piano. Many of the musicians on this album recorded regularly with Bennett for years to come, such as Al Caiola (guitar), Urbie Green (trombone) and Al De Risi (trumpet).

This is a great jazzy song with a terrific arrangement. It’s the first song on the album and is a dynamite way to start it off.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3MTlQdavGudt8PCqornYQu
“The Skyscraper Blues,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.