The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Thou Swell

The song of the day for Saturday, May 2, 2015 is “Thou Swell.”

About This Song

“Thou Swell” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee, based on the Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. “Thou Swell” is one of more charming songs from the musical, as the lyrics feature a combination of modern and medieval language: “thine eyes are cute too” and “I’d feel so rich in a hut for two.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Thou Swell” in 1973 for Tony Bennett Sings More Rodgers and Hart, released in 1977. It was the second of two albums of Rodgers and Hart standards that Tony Bennett released on his own label, Improv. He was backed by the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on cornet, Barnes on guitar, Wayne Wright on guitar and John Guiffrida on bass. No drums, no piano. The arrangements and the sound are astoundingly good. I absolutely adore both of these albums of Rodgers and Hart songs.

About Today

The lyricist of today’s song, Lorenz Hart, was born 120 years ago today on May 2, 1895 in New York. He met Richard Rodgers when they were both college students at Columbia University, where they wrote songs for various college productions. They continued working together up until Hart’s death in 1943. Together they wrote many of the greatest songs in the American Songbook: “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Falling In Love With Love” and many, many more. He stands today as one of the great American lyricists and his lyrics sound more contemporary today than ever.

Thou Swell

Listen to Thou Swell on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2004


“Thou Swell,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from iTunes.

Since it’s YouTube Saturday here at The Year of Tony Bennett, we leave you a video from Tony and his new touring partner, Lady Gaga … “The Lady Is A Tramp.”

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Song of the Day: The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

The song of the day for Monday, October 14, 2013 is “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World.”

About This Song

“The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1935 for the Broadway spectacular Jumbo. It’s one of the songwriting team’s most popular love songs, with recordings by Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, in addition to Bennett’s very fine recording.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Bennett’s 1976 album Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers and Hart, also released with the songs on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs on Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook.

Tony Bennett recorded these songs with the Ruby Braff / George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar and John Guiffrida on bass. No drums; no piano: just cornet, guitars and bass. The results were extraordinary. I find these recordings superb; it’s an intimate and focused treatment of these wonderful songs by Rodgers and Hart. And Bennett is in perfect voice for this song as well as all the songs on the album.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3XTwokibF9IHDzl7lumC2u
“The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook is available from Amazon.

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Song of the Day: I Could Write a Book

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 27, 2013 is “I Could Write a Book.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote “I Could Write a Book” for the 1940 Broadway musical Pal Joey. Based on the novel by John O’Hara, Pal Joey was one of the first musicals with an anti-hero. Joey is a charming, but is manipulative and ambitious.

About This Version

“I Could Write a Book” is from Tony Bennett’s sublime Improv recordings of the Rodgers and Hart songbook in 1973. Originally released on two separate albums, all 26 songs are available on a combined set: Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook.

For all of these songs, Bennett sings with the Ruby Braff – George Barnes Quartet, with Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, Ruby Braff on cornet and John Guiffrida on bass. The quartet and Bennett’s voice are perfect. A brilliant collection of songs, Bennett in very fine voice and the unusual, but very effective quartet add up to a splendid set.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7MxaMByk7vzys1FjVGGSo7
“I Could Write a Book,” as well as the Tony Bennett Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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Song of the Day: I Could Write A Book

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 30, 2012 is I Could Write A Book.

About I Could Write A Book

Composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, I Could Write A Book is one of the hit songs from the 1940 musical Pal Joey (the other being Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered). Rodgers and Hart had a magnificent career and worked together from 1919 until Hart’s death in 1943. They wrote two more musicals after Pal Joey: By Jupiter and A Connecticut Yankee. After Hart’s death, Rodgers partnered with Oscar Hammerstein II.

The contribution of Rodgers and Hart to the American Songbook cannot be underestimated. Mountain Greenery, Thou Swell, Blue Moon, This Can’t Be Love and many, many more are some of the songs that were popular when written and remain popular today with jazz and cabaret singers.

10RodgersHart

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded two Rodgers and Hart albums for his Improv label: Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs and Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers and Hart, both released in 1973.

Bennett is an excellent interpreter of the songs of Rodgers and Hart. The albums are also remarkable for the musicians he recorded the albums with. Bennett was a big fan of the cornet player Ruby Braff. Together, they created a wonderful sound with Braff’s cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. No drums, no piano: just cornet, two guitars and bass. It’s a warm, inviting and very intimate sound that Bennett’s voice fits beautifully with.

I Could Write A Book originally appeared on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

I Could Write A Book

Listen to I Could Write A Book on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1973

I Could Write A Book, as well as the full Tony Bennett Sings Rodgers and Hart, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: This Can’t Be Love

The Song of the Day for Thursday, November 8, 2012 is This Can’t Be Love.

About This Can’t Be Love

This Can’t Be Love was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1938 musical The Boys of Syracuse.  It’s been recorded by Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra, among others.

About This Version

This version comes from the 1973 Tony Bennett Songs 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

This album was the second album, after Life is Beautiful, that Mr. Bennett recorded on his own Improv label. While the label may not have been a financial success, it was very much an artistic success. The Rodgers and Hart albums are really quite beautiful.

The arrangement of this song (as well as the other songs on the album) are exceptional.  For both albums, Mr. Bennett worked with the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, which featured Ruby Braff on cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Giuffrida on bass. Coming off the Columbia years, I believe that Tony Bennett was brilliant in transitioning to the jazz sound, using jazz musicians, that has been a mainstay of the second half of his career. Ruby Braff’s cornet on these albums is a wonderful change from the larger orchestral arrangements many listeners were used to. These arrangements are timeless: they honor the original time period the songs were written in and yet sound as if they could have been recorded in any decade since. You can read more about Ruby Braff here and here. Note that Tony Bennett’s current guitarist, Gray Sargent, played with Ruby Braff.