The song of the day for Monday, July 28, 2014 is “Crazy Rhythm.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written in 1928 by Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn for a long-forgotten Broadway musical called Here’s Howe. It’s been a popular standard since it was written and has been heavily recorded, not just by jazz and popular artists, but other genres including hillbilly. Significant recordings include those by Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Stan Getz, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke and Whispering Jack Smith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy Rhythm” in 1957 for his third album, The Beat of My Heart. Tony Bennett had, very wisely, hired Ralph Sharon as his pianist and musical director in early 1957. Sharon encourage Bennett to continue to explore his jazz inclinations. Bennett describes their interaction in developing The Beat of My Heart in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Ralph and I wanted to make a jazz statement in a big way, and I came up with the idea of recording an album of standards that put the spotlight on different kinds of rhythm by using all the great jazz drummers I could find. We talked the concept over during our first few months on the road, and gradually it all came together. The first recording date was in June, 1957, with Chico Hamilton. … when the album came out, an army of jazz fans said, Hey this guy knows how to swing. A whole new audience accepted me–in fact, I still get my biggest reactions at jazz festivals all over the world.

Today’s song, “Crazy Rhythm,” features the great Chico Hamilton.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3Km0pzPoVkrr29letO2Z7p
“Crazy Rhythm,” as well as the album The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.