The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Monday, January 27, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Jerome Kern, who was born on January 27, 1885, in New York City.

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 movie Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” with The Ralph Sharon Trio in 1977 for the soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding.

“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Autumn in New York

The song of the day for Monday, September 23, 2024, is “Autumn in New York.”

About This Song

“Autumn in New York” was written in 1934 by Vernon Duke as a stand-alone song, but was used for the 1934 Broadway musical Thumbs Up! The song has proved quite popular over the years, with recordings by Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Autumn in New York” on June 24, 1992. It was an unreleased outtake from Perfectly Frank, but was released on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2 in the 2011 Complete Collection box set.

“Autumn in New York,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Autumn In New York

The song of the day for Saturday, September 23, 2023, is “Autumn In New York.”

About This Song

Vernon Duke wrote “Autumn In New York” for the 1934 Broadway musical Thumbs Up! The song has proved quite popular over the years, with recordings by Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan and many, many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Autumn In New York” in June 1992. This recording was a previously unreleased outtake from Perfectly Frank. It was released in 2011 on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2 in the Complete Collection box set.

“Autumn In New York,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Thursday, Mary 12, 2022, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written in 1936 by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time; the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” in 1997 with the Ralph Sharon Trio for My Best Friend’s Wedding soundtrack.

“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2 is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Autumn In New York

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 23, 2020, the first full day of the Autumn season is “Autumn In New York.”

About This Song

“Autumn In New York” was written by Vernon Duke for the 1934 Broadway musical Thumbs Up! The song has proved quite popular over the years, with recordings by Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, and many, many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Autumn In New York” in 1992; the recording is an outtake from Perfectly Frank. Thankfully, the recording was released in 2011 with the Complete Collection box set on the Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 2 disk.

“Autumn In New York,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 2 is available from Apple Music.