The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Friday, April 15, 2022, is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

“Blues in the Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 movie of the same 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” in 1957 for his album The Beat of My Heart, which featured percussionists from all over. Drummer Jo Jones is featured on the recording. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the album.

“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: Lazy Afternoon

The song of the day for Friday, March 4, 2022, is “Lazy Afternoon.”

About This Song

“Lazy Afternoon” was written by Jerome Moss and John LaTouche for the 1954 musical The Golden Apple, which uses mythological Greek characters from Ulysses but is set in the state of Washington (at Mount Olympia, of course) in the United States. This song, as well as the entire score, is quite beautiful.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lazy Afternoon” in 1957 for The Beat Of My Heart. For this album, Bennett invited percussionists to play; “Lazy Afternoon” features Chico Hamilton. Ralph Sharon wrote the arragements.

“Lazy Afternoon,” 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 Saturday, May 22, 2021, is “Blues In The Night.”

About This Song

“Blues In The Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 movie Blues In The Night. 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” in 1957 for his album The Beat Of My Heart. Bennett invited drummers and percussionists from all over to play on this album. Jo Jones is featured in this song.

Blues In The Night

Listen to Blues In The Night on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1957.

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

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Song of the Day: Crazy Rhythm

The song of the day for Sunday, January 17, 2021, is “Crazy Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Crazy Rhythm” was composed by Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn, with lyrics by Irving Caesar. It was written for the 1929 musical 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 second jazz album, The Beat of My Heart. It features Chico Hamilton on drums. Ralph Sharon arranged all of songs on the album.

Crazy Rhythm

Listen to Crazy Rhythm on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1957.

“Crazy Rhythm,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Begin the Beguine

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 21, 2020, is “Begin the Beguine.”

About This Song

“Begin the Beguine” was written by Cole Porter for the 1935 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.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Begin the Beguine” 63 years ago today, on October 21, 1967, for his album The Beat of My Heart. This song was not included on the original album but was added to the first CD release. The recording was arranged by Ralph Sharon. For The Beat of My Heart, Bennett invited drummers and percussionists to participate in the recordings for the album; this song featured drummer Jo Jones.

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

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