The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: All The Things You Are

The song of the day for Monday, July 12, 2021, is “All The Things You Are.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is honoring Oscar Hammerstein II, who was born in New York City on July 12, 1895. Hammerstein is well-known for his collaborations with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers. He is also known for being a mentor to Stephen Sondheim, who was friend to one of Hammerstein’s sons.

About This Song

“All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it to be one of Kern’s finest songs and with good reason. It’s a beautiful tune and Hammerstein’s lyrics are excellent.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All The Things You Are” for his 2015 with Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Previously, Bennett performed the song at his 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall.

All The Things You Are

Tony Bennett, Bill Charlap · The Silver Lining - The Songs of Jerome Kern · Song · 2015

“All The Things You Are,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Won’t Dance

The song of the day for Sunday, January 31, 2021, is “I Won’t Dance.”

About This Song

“I Won’t Dance” was originally written in 1934 by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein, for a London musical called Three Sisters, though the show was a flop and was quickly forgotten. The following year, a film of Roberta was made, and the song was re-purposed, this time with lyrics by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields.

About This Version

With The Bill Charlap Trio, Tony Bennett recorded “I Won’t Dance” for the 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Charlap wrote the arrangement.

I Won"t Dance

Tony Bennett, Bill Charlap · The Silver Lining - The Songs of Jerome Kern · Song · 2015

“I Won’t Dance,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Saturday, January 30, 2021, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film where 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 recorded “Pick Yourself Up” with The Bill Charlap Trio for the 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. It swings quite nicely.

Pick Yourself Up

Tony Bennett, Bill Charlap · The Silver Lining - The Songs of Jerome Kern · Song · 2015

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining, is available from Apple Music.

We’ve got some great videos today:

Here’s Astaire and Rogers from Swing Time

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers - Pick Yourself Up [High Quality]

An iconic dance scene from the 1936 movie "Swing Time". This movie was selected in 2004 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It also ranks #90 in AFI"s (American Film Institute) "100 Years... 100 Movies" list.

Last June, singer Tony DeSare created this fabulous All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund version of “Pick Yourself Up.” It was a fundraiser for the Actors Fund and much needed as actors have not been able to work since the pandemic began. I find myself returning to this video often, as it always makes me feel happy!

Pick Yourself Up - All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund

Go here to donate to Actors Fund: http://actorsfund.org/jazz Pick Yourself Up - By Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields Featuring: Piano: Tedd Firth Bass: Billy Thornton Guitar: Edward Decker Drums and Percussion: Brian Czach Background Vocals: Jarrett Johnson Featured Singers (in order of appearance): Clint Holmes Tierney Sutton @Steve Tyrell @Tony

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Friday, August 7, 2020, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields in 1936 for the movie Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film where 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 recorded “Pick Yourself Up” with the Bill Charlap Trio for the 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. I think it’s one of the best recordings on this very fine album, which won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

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

I have a lot of friends who work in the theater as well as friends who are performing musicians. During this pandemic, these artists are, of course, unable to work, as performances for live audiences are impossible under CDC guidelines and just plain common sense. So I was quite pleased when I learned of a project to raise money for the Actor’s Fund, which is providing emergency financial assistance to performing arts and entertainment professionals. Tony DeSare, a talented jazz singer, put together an All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund of “Pick Yourself Up” to help raise money. The video is just wonderful.

Pick Yourself Up - All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund

Go here to donate to Actors Fund: http://actorsfund.org/jazz Pick Yourself Up - By Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields Featuring: Piano: Tedd Firth Bass: Billy Thornton Guitar: Edward Decker Drums and Percussion: Brian Czach Background Vocals: Jarrett Johnson Featured Singers (in order of appearance): Clint Holmes Tierney Sutton @Steve Tyrell @Tony

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: All The Things You Are

The song of the day for Thursday, August 6, 2020, is “All The Things You Are.”

About This Song

“All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it to be one of Kern’s finest songs and with good reason. It’s a beautiful tune and Hammerstein’s lyrics are excellent.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “All The Things You Are” for his 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, with Bill Charlap. This recording features a very fine piano solo by Charlap.

“All The Things You Are,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available from Apple Music.