The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Crazy She Calls Me

The song of the day for Thursday, December 31, 2015 is “Crazy She Calls Me.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written in 1949 by Carl Sigman and Bob Russell. Originally called “Crazy He Calls Me,” he is changed to she when sung by a man. In addition to Billie Holiday’s recording of this song, it has also been recorded by Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy She Calls Me” in 1996 for the album Tony Bennett On Holiday, released in 1997. The arrangement is by Jorge Calandrelli.

Crazy She Calls Me

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Crazy She Calls Me,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 18, 2015 is “Trav’lin’ Light .”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Trav’lin’ Light,” was written by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This wonderful song was first recorded by Paul Whiteman with Billie Holiday on vocals. It’s a wonderful, classic Mercer lyric and the tune is lovely. In addition to this recording, this song has been recorded by Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” 1996 for his tribute album to Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett on Holiday, released in 1997. This song features Ralph Sharon on piano.

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for this song; I actually have a “Trav’lin’ Light” playlist on my iPod. It’s a beautiful melody with deep and meaningful lyrics. I never tire of listening to this song.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light ,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today we pay homage to the great John Herndon Mercer, who was born on November 18, 1909 in Savannah, Georgia. Mercer is, at least for this writer, the greatest lyricist of American popular song. From “Skylark” to “That Old Black Magic” to “Come Rain or Come Shine” to “Satin Doll” and dozens more are imprinted on fans of jazz and popular music. In addition to his gifts as a lyricist, he was also a composer, as we saw with yesterday’s “I Wanna Be Around,” as well as a gifted performer.

Mercer worked with great songwriters, including Harold Arlen, Henry Mancini, David Raskin, Jimmy Van Heusen and many more. In addition to his distinguished songwriting career, he also founded Capital Records.

The lyrics of Johnny Mercer have never lost their immediacy–they are as good now as they were when they were written some 60 or 70 years ago.

And so, today, we honor Johnny Mercer.

If you’re wanting some more Mercer, here’s a wonderful story from NPR in 2012:

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Friday, October 23, 2015 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Trav’lin’ Light,” was composed by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This wonderful song was first recorded by Paul Whiteman with Billie Holiday on vocals. It’s a terrific, classic Mercer lyric and the tune is lovely. In addition to this recording, this song has been recorded by Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” in June 1996 for the album Tony Bennett On Holiday, his tribute album to Billie Holiday, which was released in 1997.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

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Thinking About Billie Holiday

Today ends our examination of Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett’s album of her music, Tony Bennett On Holiday. I had two goals at the beginning of this month: first, to examine the musical career of Billie Holiday without dwelling on any sensational details and second, to see if this statement, left by a visitor to The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography, was really true.

I was surprised to discover that Tony Bennett’s tribute to Lady Day rang truer than all of the other attempts to politicize her, racialize her, or use her as a self-promotional ‘career stepping stone.’ Tony captures the Lady of the Gardenias that struck Sinatra to the core when he first heard her in the late ’30s, causing him to list her as chief among all his inspirations and influences.

I’ve read many books about Holiday and most of them wind up writing extensively about her addictions and little about her music. One shining exception is Billie Holiday: The Musician and The Myth by John Szwed, released last month. It’s a wonderfully written book with a detailed analysis of Holiday as a musician. I recommend it highly.

As for the second goal, I’m more convinced than ever that Tony Bennett’s tribute to Billie Holiday is indeed one of his finest albums. What he did in this album is extraordinary in his understanding, not only of the songs, but of Holiday’s intention in her singing of them. His Grammy Award for this album is well-deserved.

And, as for me, I loved this album when I started the month and have only grown in my respect for his accomplishment and the artistry of both Bennett and Billie Holiday.

I thank you all for accompanying me on this journey — we’ll be starting a new journey with a new album of the month tomorrow. But for tonight, I leave you with “God Bless The Child,” sung by both artists and wonderfully produced by Phil Ramone.

God Bless The Child (with Billie Holiday)

Listen to God Bless The Child (with Billie Holiday) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday · 1997

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Thursday, April 30, 2015 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Trav’lin’ Light,” was written by two musicians: Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy. Young was a trombonist who played with many of the great swing bands, including Earl Hines, Jimmie Lunceford and Benny Goodman. He also played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the mid-1940s and then joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars in 1952, where he stayed until 1964. Jimmy Mundy played tenor saxophone in the same era and was also a noted arranger. Together, they wrote the melody for “Trav’lin’ Light” in 1942 with lyrics from Johnny Mercer. Billie Holiday made the first recording of this song, but it has been relatively widely recorded, by artists including Chet Baker, Carmen McRae, Queen Latifah, Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O’Day.

About This Version

I have to start out by saying that I absolutely adore this song. The first time I listened to Tony Bennett sing this song, I listened to it constantly for days. I may be one of the few people in the world who not only have a “Trav’lin’ Light” playlist on their iPod, but listen to it regularly. Tony Bennett’s recording of this song is one of the most beautiful songs he’s ever recorded. I hope you like it too.

Trav"lin" Light

Tony Bennett · Tony Bennett On Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday · Song · 1997


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

About Billie Holiday’s Version

Billie Holiday recorded “” several times, beginning with the first recording of the song June 12, 1942 with the Paul Whitman Orchestra. I’m not always a huge fan on Whitman, but this recording is astounding. It was released as single and also as a V-disc. Mundy did the arrangement and Trummy Young played trombone on this recording. Lester Young also played on this recording.

Trav"lin" Light

Listen to Trav"lin" Light on Spotify. Song · Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday · 1988


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Billie’s Blues, is available from iTunes.

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