An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Sunday, January 22, 2023, is “Firefly”
“Firefly” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1958 as an audition piece for the musical Gypsy (which went on to be written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by a 28-year-old Stephen Sondheim).
Tony Bennett and Kermit the Frog recorded “Firefly” in June 1998 for the album The Playground.
“Firefly” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music. .
The song of the day for Saturday, January 21, 2023, is “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.”
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” was written in 1944 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1944 movie Here Come The Waves, starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton.
This charming song was written in the style of a sermon with the message that being positive is the key to happiness. Mercer is said to have heard a sermon by Father Divine, who said “you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.”
Tony Bennett recorded “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” in June 1998 for his album for children, The Playground.
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Thursday, January 19, 2023, is “Dat Dere.”
The jazz instrumental “Dat Dere” was written in 1960 by Bobby Timmons; it was first played by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1960, with Timmons on piano. Oscar Brown, Jr. wrote lyrics for the tune in 1961 for his album Sin & Soul … and Then Some. The song has been recorded by jazz and popular singers including Mel Tormé and Rickie Lee Jones.
Tony Bennett recorded “Dat Dere” in June 1998 and released that same year on the album The Playground.
“Dat Dere,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Wednesday, January 18, 2023, is “Swinging on a Star.”
“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others.
Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in June 1998 for his album The Playground. The Ralph Sharon Quartet accompanied Mr. Bennett on this album. In addition to Sharon on piano, the quartet featured Paul Langosch on bass; Gray Sargent on guitar; and Clayton Cameron on drums. This album marks the first time Gray Sargent recorded with Tony Bennett.
“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Sunday, December 5, 2021, is “Dat Dere.”
The jazz instrumental “Dat Dere” was written in 1960 by Bobby Timmons; it was first played by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1960, with Timmons on piano. Oscar Brown, Jr. wrote lyrics for the tune in 1961 for his album Sin & Soul … and Then Some. The song has been recorded by jazz and popular singers including Mel Tormé and Rickie Lee Jones.
Tony Bennett recorded “Dat Dere” in 1999 for his album The Playground, consisting of songs for children.
“Dat Dere,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.