The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Where Do You Start?

The song of the day for Thursday, October 14, 2020, is “Where Do You Start.”

About This Song

“Where Do You Start?” was written in 1987 by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. This song has had many beautiful recordings: Nancy Lamott, Shirley Horn, Rosemary Clooney, Barbra Streisand, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Annie Ross, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Where Do You Start?” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. Johnny Mandel, the composer, arranged and conducted the orchestra. The album won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Where Do You Start?”, as well as The Art of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Don’t Like Goodbyes

The song of the day for Thursday, September 24, 2020, is “Don’t Like Goodbyes.”

About This Song

“Don’t Like Goodbyes” was written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Arlen and Truman Capote, for the 1954 Broadway musical House of Flowers, based on Capote’s novella of the same name. The song was introduced by Pearl Bailey. While the musical was not well-reviewed, the Arlen-Capote score is quite wonderful, including not only today’s song but the exquisite “A Sleepin’ Bee,” which Tony Bennett has recorded twice (in 1959 for Tony Sings For Two and at the 1962 Carnegie Hall concert). “Don’t Like Goodbyes” has been recorded by Pearl Bailey, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Don’t Like Goodbyes” for his 2004 album The Art of Romance. Jorge Calendrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Don’t Like Goodbyes,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Being Alive

The song of the day for Friday, July 31, 2020, is “Being Alive.”

About This Song

“Being Alive” is the closing song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which ran on Broadway for 705 performances. Company was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince), Best Book of a Musical (George Furth), Best Original Music, and Best Original Lyrics as well as Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). Company is the first Broadway musical your author saw and she has a special place in her heart for this musical.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Being Alive” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement. The Art of Romance won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Being Alive,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Close Enough For Love

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 1, 2020, is “Close Enough For Love.”

About Today

We were saddened to learn this morning that the composer and arranger Johnny Mandel had died at the age of 94. Mr. Mandel worked with Tony Bennett several times over the years, perhaps most famously for Bennett’s recording of “The Shadow of Your Smile,” from The Movie Song Album, released in 1966. Johnny Mandel had a very successful career, starting out as an arranger for big bands before composing for films and television programs.

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If Johnny Mandel had just composed “The Shadow of Your Smile” – one of the most beautiful songs I have been honored to record – it would have been enough to earn his standing as one of the finest composers of our time. https://t.co/20TCwAJ7oU

Obituaries:

About This Song

Johnny Mandel and Paul Williams wrote “Close Enough For Love” in 1979. It was first recorded by Peggy Lee on her album of the same name. Although Mandel and Williams are well-known for their work as film composers, this song was not composed for film. It is a favorite of jazz vocalists; in addition to the Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett recordings, it has also been recorded by Shirley Horn and Andy Williams.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Close Enough For Love” in 2004 for his album The Art Of Romance. Mr. Mandel arranged and conducted the orchestra.

“Close Enough For Love,” as well as The Art Of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Remember You

The song of the day for Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2020, is “I Remember You.”

About This Song

“I Remember You” was written in 1941 by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer. It was first used in the 1942 movie The Fleet’s In (directed by the composer Schertzinger), where it was introduced by Dorothy Lamour. It is said that Mercer wrote the lyric for Judy Garland, with whom he was said to be in love. The song has been widely recorded over the decades and remains popular today. Notable recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Remember You” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. It was arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel.

Your author loves this album so much. It’s the album that turned me from a fan of Tony’s to the blogger I am today, full of love and admiration for Tony Bennett. Whenever I want to “convert” someone to Tony, I give them this album. If you haven’t listened to it lately, I suggest that Valentine’s Day is a great day to give it a listen.

“I Remember You,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from iTunes.

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