The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Christmas In Herald Square

On the second day of the Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Tuesday, December 15, 2015, the song of the day is “Christmas In Herald Square.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Christmas In Herald Square,” was written in 1985 by Tony Bennett’s long-time friend and vocal coach, Tony Tamburello. The lyrics are by Joyce Vintaloro.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Christmas In Herald Square” in 1998 for his album The Playground; it was later collected on The Classic Christmas Album.

Christmas In Herald Square

Listen to Christmas In Herald Square on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Christmas In Herald Square,” as well as The Classic Christmas Album, is available from iTunes.

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On the Second Day of a Tony Bennett Christmas

On the second day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Monday, December 15, 2014, Tony Bennett sings “Christmas in Herald Square.”

“Christmas in Herald Square” was composed in 1985 by Tony Tamburello, with lyrics by Joyce Vintaloro. Mr. Tamburello was a long-time friend of and vocal coach for Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett recorded “Christmas in Herald Square” in 1998; it was first released on The Playground, an album for children. This recording was used on The Classic Christmas Album, released in 2011.

Christmas In Herald Square

Listen to Christmas In Herald Square on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Christmas Time in Herald Square,” as well as The Classic Christmas Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Christmas Song

On the fourth day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Tuesday, December 17, 2013, the song of the day is “The Christmas Song.”

About This Song

“The Christmas Song,” which is also known by “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” was written in 1944 by jazz singer and composer Mel Tormé with Bob Wells. Tormé tells the story that he and Wells were working on a very hot summer day and, in an effort to cool off, composed this song. This classic Christmas song was first recorded by Nat “King” Cole in 1946 and has been widely recorded ever since by many popular singers from all genres.

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About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s extraordinary 1968 Christmas album, Snowfall. All the songs on the album were arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. The music was supervised by Tony Tamburello; the album was produced by Jack Gold.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2IncC8fMEs7tY4pFIrS32u
“The Christmas Song,” as well as the album Snowfall, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: My Favorite Things

The song of the day for Thursday, November 28, 2013, US Thanksgiving Day, is “My Favorite Things.”

About This Song

“My Favorite Things” was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1959 musical The Sound of Music. Sadly, it was the last musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein; Oscar Hammerstein died from cancer nine months after the opening of the musical on Broadway.

US readers might be interested to know that a live production of The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood as Maria, will air on NBC next Thursday, December 5. I watched a “making of” one hour special about this production on TV Wednesday evening, and it looks quite interesting. I was kind of charmed to see that Carrie Underwood has been listening to her mentor, Tony Bennett. Early in the broadcast, she was asked if she was nervous and she replied that of course she had the butterflies, but if you don’t have butterflies, the audience will likely sense that you don’t really care.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s wonderful 1968 album, Snowfall, which was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. Musical supervision was by Tony Tamburello and the album was produced by Jack Gold.

As we near our Christmas celebration with The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, beginning on December 14, we’ll be featuring most of the songs from this wonderful album. An editor at iTunes sums up exactly how I feel about this extraordinary album:

The 1968 set Snowfall is far more than an obligatory holiday release from a legendary singer. Teaming with British arranger/composer Robert Farnon, Tony Bennett brings a warmth and emotional commitment to the familiar tunes, lending them a unique luster. With his customary ability to personalize a song lyric, he makes “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” and other Yuletide standards feel immediate and vital.

I think it’s far and away the best Christmas album ever recorded.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0MoZADdiiC9yzcWpBbNYAC
“My Favorite Things,” as well as the album Snowfall, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: Snowfall

On the Seventh Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Thursday, December 20, 2012, the song of the day is Snowfall.

Holiday in the Sierras by Anthony Dominick Benedetto

About Snowfall

Snowfall was written in 1941 by the band leader Claude Thornhill.  Although he started his orchestra as a dance band, his true jazz roots soon emerged, as evidenced by his association with Gil Evans who wrote many of the orchestrations for Thornhill. In 1942, while his band was doing very well, he enlisted in the Navy and toured the Pacific Theater with Jackie Cooper and Dennis Day.  Upon returning to civilian life after the war, he reformed the band and introduced bebop to his style.

Snowfall has been recorded by many jazz performers, including Glenn Miller, George Shearing and the Manhattan Transfer.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1968 for his first Christmas album, Snowfall. The album was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon, with music supervision by Tony Tamburello.

Snowfall

Tony Bennett · Snowfall - The Tony Bennett Christmas Album · Song · 1968

The song Snowfall, as well as the entire album, is available from iTunes.