The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Begin the Beguine

The song of the day for Monday, December 9, 2024, is “Begin the Beguine.”

About Today

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 2nd jazz album and third album: The Beat of My Heart. The album was released on December 9, 1957.

About This Song

“Begin the Beguine” was written by Cole Porter for the 1925 musical Jubilee. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108-measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938. The Middle Eastern style of the song is well-served by Shaw’s clarinet solo. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108-measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938. The Middle Eastern style of the song is well-served by Shaw’s clarinet solo.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Begin the Beguine” on October 21, 1957, for his album The Beat of My Heart. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement. For this album, Bennett invited guest percussionists to play. Drummer Jo Jones was the guest drummer for “Begin the Beguine.”

The recording was not released on the original 1957 LP, but was added to the 1997 CD re-release.

“Begin the Beguine,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

And because I once played the clarinet and loved Artie Shaw, here’s his brilliant 1938 recording:

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Song of the Day: So Beats My Heart For You

The song of the day for Friday, October 25, 2024, is “So Beats My Heart For You.”

About This Song

“So Beats My Heart For You” was written in 1930 by Fat Ballard, Charles Henderson, and Tom Waring. As one of the songwriters, Tom Waring, was the brother of Fred Waring, “So Beats My Heart For You,” was featured by Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “So Beats My Heart For You” 67 years ago on October 25, 1957, for his third LP album, The Beat of My Heart. For this album, Bennett invited several guest percussionists to play on the album; “So Beats My Heart For You” featured Chico Hamilton. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“So Beats My Heart For You,” as well as The Beat Of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Blues In The Night

The song of the day for Monday, September 2. 2024, is “Blues In The Night.”

About This Song

“Blues In The Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film of the name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his Southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blues In The Night” on October 21, 1957, for the album The Beat Of My Heart. Jo Jones played drums for this recording.

“Blues In The Night,” as well as The Beat Of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Love For Sale

The song of the day for Wednesday, August 28, 2024, is “Love For Sale.”

About This Song

“Love For Sale” was written by Cole Porter for the 1930 Broadway musical The New Yorkers. The song was sung by a prostitute advertising her services. The song was considered rather scandalous at the time. In fact, for the production of The New Yorkers, it was supposed to be sung by the white star Kathryn Crawford, but the song was assigned to an African-American singer instead. In spite of being banned from play on the radio, “Love For Sale” has had many fine recordings, including those by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Miles Davis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love For Sale” on October 24, 1957, for The Beat of My Heart. For The Beat of My Heart, Bennett invited guest percussionists to play on the album; “Love For Sale” featured Sabu and Candido. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“Love For Sale,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Let’s Begin

The song of the day for Monday, July 7, 2024, is “Let’s Begin.”

About This Song

“Let’s Begin” was written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical Roberta, which also included many other fine Kern songs, including “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Let’s Begin” on October 14, 1957, for his third album The Beat of My Heart. For this album, Bennett invited percussionists as guest artists; Art Blakely was the guest artist for “Let’s Being.” Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Let’s Begin,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.