The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: East of the Sun

The song of the day for Monday, December 12, 2016 is “East of the Sun (West of the Moon).”

About This Song

“East of the Sun (West of the Moon)” was written in 1934 by Princeton University student Bruce Bowman for a student musical, Stags At Bay, produced by the Princeton Triangle Club.

The song had great reception and was noted by Princeton alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald. After his graduation from college in 1936, Bowman worked briefly in Hollywood for the film industry, but decided to return to the East Coast. He was about to start a contract with a New York music publisher when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1937.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “East of the Sun (West of the Moon)” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. He is accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

East of the Sun (West of the Moon)

Listen to East of the Sun (West of the Moon) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1992


“East of the Sun (West of the Moon),” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When Do The Bells Ring For Me?

The song of the day for Thursday, October 15, 2015 is “When Do The Bells Ring For Me?”

About This Song

This song was written by New York cabaret artist Charles DeForest in 1989 especially for Tony Bennett to sing on Astoria: Portrait of the Artist. DeForest got his professional start as a singer for the Benny Goodman Orchestra, but soon set out on his own as a performer in piano bars and cabarets in Manhattan. He won several awards for his cabaret work, including those from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets in 1994 and 1996 and the Mabel Mercer Foundation in 1992. Mr. DeForest died in 1992. “When Do The Bells Ring For Me?” became his signature song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded ” When Do The Bells Ring For Me?” on May 16, 1989 for his autobiographical album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, released in 1990. The very effective arrangement is by Jorge Calandrelli, who also conducted the album. The album features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. Ralph Sharon’s piano is especially fine on this recording. The orchestra is The U.K. Orchestra Limited.

When Do The Bells Ring For Me

Listen to When Do The Bells Ring For Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1990


” When Do The Bells Ring For Me?” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Saturday, September 19, 2015 is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time; it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” several times, first in 1958 for the album Long Ago and Far Away and for Duets II (with Faith Hill) and Viva Duets (with Thalia).

But my absolute favorite recording, so far, of this song is from ca. 1997 and is a special version he and the Ralph Sharon Trio recorded for the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding, which was, to my great pleasure, included on one of the Rarities CDs included in the 2011 Complete Collection. It’s absolutely beautiful.

The Way You Look Tonight

Listen to The Way You Look Tonight on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2012


“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as the other songs collected on Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today is YouTube Saturday and this week it’s very special! This is recording of today’s song with Tony and Bill Charlap, as recorded in 2008 for an Elvis Costello television special. I like to think of it as a bit of a preview of their album of Jerome Kern songs, The Silver Lining, which will be released on Friday, September 25, 2015. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive from Amazon, where the album has held the #1 ranking for vocal jazz since it became available for preorder.