The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Sunday, January 5, 2025, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. It was used in the early part of the film when Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he could dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, accompanied by The Bill Charlap Trio, recorded “Pick Yourself Up” in 2015 for his album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. In addition to leading the trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums), Bill Charlap also wrote the arrangements and co-produced the album with Dae Bennett.

The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 58th Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Album.

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a couple of videos today. First up, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from Swing Time:

This video is a favorite of mine. It was project of the Actors Fund to support entertainers during the COVID pandemic. Huge collection of incredibly talented people, led by Tony DeSare.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 16, 2024, is ” Pick Yourself Up.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is very happy to wish Bill Charlap a fond Happy Birthday. He was born on October 15, 1966, in New York. He is one of the great jazz pianists of this generation. His father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer who wrote Peter Pan, among other musicals. His mother is Sandy Stewart, a noted cabaret artist; she and Bill did several albums together: Love Is Here To Stay (2004) and Something To Remember (2011). His wife, Renee Rosnes, is a world-class jazz pianist and is a founding member of ARTEMIS, an all-women jazz ensemble.

Bill Charlap worked with Tony Bennett for many years, starting with his 2006 studio recording of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” the second studio recording of that song and was released on Duets: An American Classic. He was the musical director, pianist, and arranger for the 2011The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Renee Rosnes also played dual piano wth Bill in this album. He served in the same role for the 2015 Love Is Here to Stay, the duet album with Bennett and Diana Krall.

Happy Birthday to the Bill Charlap!

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (see videos later in this post). It was used in the early part of the film when Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he can dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” in 2015 for his album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, with an arrangement by Bill Charlap. The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums accompanies Bennett on this recording.

” Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got some great videos for you today. First up is the dance numbers from Swing Time:

Swing Time, part 1

Swing Time, part 2

“Pick Yourself Up” – All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund
This video was released on June 25, 2020, to help raise donations for The Actors Fund, helping actors and musicians who could not work due to the Covid-19 shutdowns. I love this video and I love the cause.

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Song of the Day: They Didn’t Believe Me

The song of the day for Sunday, August 11, 2024, is “They Didn’t Believe Me.”

About This Song

“They Didn’t Believe Me” was written by Jerome Kern and Herber Reynolds for the 1914 musical The Girl From Utah. The song became a standard, including it being reused in the 1949 movie The Midnight Kiss, in a duet with Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson. It has been widely recorded by singers, including Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Bing Crosby. Instrumental recordings include those by Marian McPartland, Charlie Parker, and Stan Kenton.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They Didn’t Believe Me” with The Bill Charlap Trio for his 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlp wrote the arrangement.

“They Didn’t Believe Me,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I’m Old Fashioned

The song of the day for Monday, May 6. 2024, is “I’m Old Fashioned.”

About This Song

“I’m Old Fashioned” was written by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film You Were Never Lovelier, starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Astaire recorded the song first, in 1942 with John Scott Trotter and his orchestra. Other significant recordings include those by Blossom Dearie, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, John Coltrane, and Susannah McCorkle.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’m Old Fashioned” with The Bill Charlap Trio in 2015 for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Charlap wrote the arrangement as well as leading the trio on piano. The trio also featured Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums.

“I’m Old Fashioned,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Last Time I Saw Paris

The song of the day for Thursday, April 18, 2024, is “The Last Time I Saw Paris.”

About This Song

“The Last Time I Saw Paris” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein in 1940. Unlike many songs by Jerome Kern, it wasn’t written specifically for a film or Broadway musical. However, it was used in the 1941 film Lady Be Good, where it was sung by Ann Sothern; the song won the Academy Award for Best Song that year. It also inspired the 1954 film of the same name, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson. Significant recordings include those by Kate Smith, Bud Powell, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, and Connie Francis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Last Time I Saw Paris” in 2015 for the album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement and led The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano; Peter Washington on bass; Kenny Washington on drums) which accompanied Bennett for this recording.

“The Last Time I Saw Paris,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.