The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: My Funny Valentine

The song of the day for Thursday, February 13, 2014 is “My Funny Valentine.”

About This Song

“My Funny Valentine” is one of the great songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. It was written for the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Mitzi Green. This ballad is one of the most-loved songs in the American songbook and has been sung by most jazz and cabaret artists. In addition to Tony Bennett’s excellent recordings of this song, others include those by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, and Miles Davis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded several versions of “My Funny Valentine.” Today’s version from the 1961 album Tony Sings For Two is my favorite of them all. This was a remarkable album for Mr. Bennett. Unlike the popular music of the time, this wonderful album is just Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon and no other musicians. Not only that, they just went into the studio with a lot of sheet music and chose, arranged and recorded sixteen songs in a single recording session, twelve of which appeared on the album. It’s a remarkably beautiful and sophisticated album and is one my favorites of his albums.

I would like to dedicate this song to my co-blogger Lesley, whose surname is Valentine. You are my funny Valentine.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1QTXexM8oX5Q6vZoV1d28G
“My Funny Valentine,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Where Or When

The song of the day for Thursday, January 23, 2014 is “Where Or When.”

About This Song

“Where or When”, by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was written for the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. Benny Goodman recorded “Where or When” in 1941 with a very young Peggy Lee. It is a favorite song of many vocalists and has had many fine recordings.

About This Version

Today’s song is from one of Tony Bennett’s finest albums: Tony Sings For Two. On October 28, 1959, Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon went into the CBS 30th Street Studio and, in one day, recorded sixteen songs in a single day.. Sharon and Bennett would choose a song and, on the fly, settle on an arrangement and record it in one or two takes. As a result, Tony Sings For Two is fresh and intimate and holds up beautifully years later. It’s one of my most favorite of Tony Bennett’s albums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1jKAs45clerby224GYvA7H
“Where Or When,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 14, 2014 is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Blues in the Night,” was written by Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film of the same name. I actually managed to catch this movie on Turner Classic Movies a few months ago; it’s not the world’s greatest film by any means, but the score was incredible, thanks mainly to this wonderful song. Harold Arlen wrote a perfect blues song and Mercer’s lyrics are legendary. The famous first lines of the lyric “My mama done tole me, when I was in knee pants” was just a scribble in a margin on one of the pages of Mercer’s notes while he was working on the lyric. Arlen saw this scribble and suggested that Mercer start with those lines. He said it was the few times he ever suggested any words to Mercer.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s third album The Beat of My Heart, released in 1957. In that same year, Tony Bennett auditioned an English jazz pianist named Ralph Sharon and hired him immediately. Sharon encouraged Bennett to continue to explore his interest and love of performing jazz. Tony Bennett came up with the idea of spotlighting rhythm songs and inviting the world’s great percussionists to join him. Sharon and Bennett worked out the songs and arc of the album while they were on the road. Upon returning to New York, the recordings began, with percussionists including Jo Jones, Chico Hamilton, Art Blakey, Candido, Sabu and Bennett’s regular drummer, Billy Exiner. With great arrangements by Sharon and great performances from all the artists, The Beat of My Heart, along with his first album Cloud 7, secured Tony Bennett’s reputation as a jazz singer. The album was not only a success with the listening public, but was all very well received by the jazz critics.

“Blues in the Night” features the great Jo Jones on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/06tHPbvXdBqsVLRKnDb7Sj
“Blues in the Night,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of day for Friday, November 22, 2013 is “Skylark.”

About This Song

“Skylark” was written in 1941 by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics). It is in honor of Hoagy Carmichael that choose this song today; he was born on this day in 1899 in Bloomington, Indiana. He was well-known as a pianist, singer, actor and bandleader. Other memorable songs of his include “Stardust.” “Georgia on My Mind” and “The Nearness of You.” He famously appeared in the great Humphrey Bogart / Lauren Bacall film To Have and Have Not. “You know how to whistle, don’t you? Just put your lips together and blow.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Skylark” with Ralph Sharon on piano for their remarkable 1961 album Tony Sings for Two. When you listen to this album, just remember that Bennett and Sharon recorded all of the songs on the album, plus four more that weren’t used, in a single day-long session.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7eTuu6v2Fu0BX0wRur4wmS
“Skylark,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: Mam’selle

The song of the day for Monday, October 28, 2013 is “Mam’selle.”

About This Song

The song “Mam’selle” was written in 1947 by Edmung Goulding, with lyrics by Mack Gordon. It is a somewhat bittersweet love song; it first appeared in the 1947 movie The Razor’s Edge.

About This Version

On this day in 1959, Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon went into the CBS 30th Street Studio with a stack of sheet music and proceeded to choose, arrange and record sixteen songs in a single session, twelve of which would be released on the 1961 album Tony Sings For Two. We are always happy to feature any song from this wonderful album as song of the day, but “Mam’selle” is a favorite of ours, even though it isn’t heard as often as the other fine songs on this album.

http://open.spotify.com/track/25RurDuYwQlN78ijOoCG4N
“Mam’selle,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and Amazon.