The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I’m Just a Lucky So and So

The song of the day for Thursday, January 9, 2014 is “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So,” was written in 1945 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Mack David. A favorite song of Tony Bennett, “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So” has also been recorded by Billy Eckstine, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

About The Versions

Tony Bennett first recorded “I’m Just a Lucky So and So” for his 1957 album Tony and again in 1999 for his Ellington album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool. The 1957 version was arranged and conducted by Ray Conniff; the 1999 version was arranged by the Ralph Burns, with some great guitar work from Gray Sargent.

http://open.spotify.com/track/57JyE854v6NJ4oR4yUslCb
“I’m Just a Lucky So and So,” as well as the album Tony, is available from iTunes.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1wn8QJ1lMmoR29w5w7qtZb
“I’m Just a Lucky So and So,” as well as the album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, is available from iTunes.

And, we might as well complete this cycle by including his performance from the 1962 Carnegie Hall Concert, arranged and conducted by Ralph Sharon:

http://open.spotify.com/track/2FyC6XufAfvbSsTZm9h2by
“I’m Just a Lucky So and So,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: All The Things You Are

The song of the day for Sunday, December 29, 2013 is “All The Things You Are.”

About This Song

“All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II 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.

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About This Version

Tony Bennett has only recorded this song once: in 1962 at his legendary concert at Carnegie Hall. Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall is widely considered to be one of the greatest live albums ever made. “All The Things You Are” is just one example of the superb songs from this concert.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4XohhDSDnbIMP8kIbESsuv
“All The Things You Are,” as well as the entire Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Friday, October 11, 2013 is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

About This Song

“The Best Is Yet To Come” was written in 1959 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While this team is well-known for their Broadway scores, they also wrote popular songs, including this one and “The Rules of the Road.” Even though the song is often associated with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett was the first singer to record the song in 1960. It was released as a single and was also included on his Grammy-winning 1962 album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Cy Coleman did the arrangement for the recording.

The song has been a jazz standard since Bennett’s recording, with recordings by Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie and Nancy Wilson.

About This Version

Today’s recording is from Bennett’s extraordinary 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. As Mr. Bennett is performing at Radio City Music Hall this evening, we think it’s only fitting to feature this live recording.

http://open.spotify.com/track/36TDSM8QA8e1HiDydSeyjw
“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as the Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall album, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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