The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: What Good Does It Do

The song of the day for Saturday, November 9, 2024, is “What Good Does It Do.”

About This Song

“What Good Does It Do” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica, which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montálban; the principal dancer was Alvin Ailey. Yarburg had been blacklisted during the McCarthy period and was unable to work in film or TV from 1951 to 1962. Fortunately, producer David Merrick and Broadway welcomed Yarburg. Jamaica was nominated for major Tony Awards, including Best Musical, all the acting nominations and both scenic and costume design, though it lost to The Music Man.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “What Good Does It Do” live on June 9, 1962, at his concert at Carnegie Hall. An abbreviated recording on two LPs was released in August 1962 on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall; a more complete version was released on 4 CDs was released in 1997.

“What Good Does It Do,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: My Ship

The song of the day for Saturday, September 6, 2024, is “My Ship.”

About This Song

“My Ship” was written by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark. Miles Davis’ recording in 1957, along with vocal versions by Jeri Southern and Sarah Vaughan, cemented this song as a jazz standard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “My Ship” live on June 8, 1972, at his concert at Carnegie Hall. The concert was released that summer as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall.

“My Ship,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Lazy Afternoon

The song of the day for Saturday, August 24, 2024, is “Lazy Afternoon.”

About Today

Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, the live recording of Bennett’s extraordinary concert at Carnegie Hall, was released sixty-two years ago on August 24, 1962. It’s always a joy for me to feature a song from this album.

About This Song

“Lazy Afternoon” was written by Jerome Moss and John LaTouche for the 1954 musical The Golden Apple, which uses mythological Greek characters from Ulysses but is set in the state of Washington (at Mount Olympia, of course) in the United States. This song, as well as the entire score, is quite beautiful.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lazy Afternoon” at his concert at Carnegie Hall on June 27, 1962. The concert was recorded and released on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, just two months later.

“Lazy Afternoon,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: All The Things You Are

The song of the day for Friday, July 12, 2024, is “All The Things You Are.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Oscar Hammerstein II, who was born on July 12, 1895. He wrote lyrics for both Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers over his career. He was also a mentor to a young Stephen Sondheim, who was a close friend of one of Oscar’s sons. Oscar and Stephen remained close friends until Oscar’s death on August 23, 1960.

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 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” live on June 9, 1962, for his concert at Carnegie Hall. An abridged 2-LP recording of Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall was released on August 23, 1962. The 2-CD version was released in 1997.

“All The Things You Are,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Sunday, June 9, 2024, is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

About Today

On June 9, 1962, Tony Bennett appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall. In preparation for the concert, Bennett called some old Army buddies, Arthur Penn and Gene Saks, who directed the concert. 1962 was the year that Tony Bennett released “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Between that recording and the June 9th concert, Bennett’s career catapulted into the stratosphere.

Bennett wrote about that night in his autobiography, The Good Life:

My whole family was in the audience. I was particularly proud that my mother was there; that made me feel like a million bucks. It was the biggest night of my life. My mom couldn’t believe how far I’d come. She was sitting between Mary and Tom, and as the crowds were cheering for an encore, she kept turning to Mary and asking, “Why don’t they let Anthony go home and rest? He must be exhausted after two and a half hours of singing.” She was so precious, she meant everything to me.

About This Song

“The Best Is Yet To Come” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1959. Some say that the song was written for Bennett. In any case, the song is strongly identified with him and he sang it at most of his concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Best Is Yet To Come” on June 9, 1962, live at Carnegie Hall. The resulting album, Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, was released in August and was a big hit. Ralph Sharon assembled and conducted the orchestra, as well as writing all of the arrangements.

“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.