The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Stella by Starlight

The song of the day for Thursday, August 18, 2022, is “Stella by Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella by Starlight” was written in 1944 by Victor Young for the 1944 film The Uninvited; the lyrics by Ned Washington were added in 1946. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and Frank Sinatra; it has been frequently recorded ever since. It became a jazz standard in the early 1950s, with recordings by Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Stan Kenton. It ranks as the 10th most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella by Starlight” on April 6, 1961, for his album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement.

“Stella by Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Thursday, March 24, 2022, is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella By Starlight” was written by Victor Young for the 1944 film The Uninvited; the lyrics by Ned Washington were added in 1946. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and Frank Sinatra and it has been frequently recorded ever since. It found its way as a jazz standard in the early 1950s, with recordings by Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Stan Kenton. It ranks as the 10th most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” in 1961 for his album My Heart Sings, which was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns.

“Stella By Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

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Album of the Week: My Heart Sings

The album of the week starting on February 27, 2022, is My Heart Sings.

My Heart Sings

Tony Bennett remembers My Heart Sings in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Ralph Burns and I got together again to do some singles, including “Smile,” and for our next album we changed gears again. Instead of the lush, ballad-style arrangements we had used on Hometown, My Town, we switched to a cookin’ jazz sound. The album is called My Heart Sings, and I simply love Ralph’s writing on this one. It’s really beautiful music.

This album is a preview of 1962, which was an outstanding year for Tony Bennett, including his concert at Carnegie Hall and winning his first Grammy Award for “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

My Heart Sings was recorded in 3 sessions on 3 consecutive days: April 4, April 5, and April 6, 1961.

Album Facts

Release Date August 7, 1961
Label Columbia
Producer Ernie Altschuler
Vocals Tony Bennett
Arrangements, Conductor Ralph Burns
Piano Bernie Leighton
Bass Milt Hinton
Drums Herb Lovelle
Guitar Barry Galbraith, Chuck Wayne, Mundell Lowe
Saxophone Danny Bank, Al Klink, Toots Mondello, Romeo Penque, Jerry Sanfino
Trumpet Bernie Glow, Irving Markowitz, Jimmy Maxwell, Carl Sereinsen
Trombone Robert Alexander, Urbie Green, Dick Hixson, Frank Rehak
Vibes Eddie Costa

Songs on My Heart Sings

Song Composers
Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler
Dancing in the Dark Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
I’m Comin’ Virginia Donald Heywood, Will Marion Cook
My Heart Sings Jean Blanvillain (Jamblin), Harold Rome, Henri Laurent Herpin
It Never Was You Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson
You Took Advantage of Me Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
Close Your Eyes Bernice Petkere
Stella By Starlight Victor Young, Ned Washington
More Than You Know Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu
My Ship Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin
Lover Man Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, James Sherman
Toot, Toot, Tootsie Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Ted Fiorito, Dan Russo

Listen to My Heart Sings

You can also listen to My Heart Sings on

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 22, 2022, is “My Funny Valentine.”

About This Song

“My Foolish Heart” was written in 1949 by Victor Young and Ned Washington for a widely-panned film of the same name, based on a J.D. Salinger short story. Time magazine excoriated the score: “nothing offsets the blight of such tear-splashed excesses as the bloop-bleep-bloop of a sentimental ballad on the soundtrack.” I guess it wasn’t the first, or last, time that Time missed the mark, as this song ranks #6 on the jazzstandards.com website. Significant recordings include those by Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, The Bill Evans Trio, Ann Hampton Calloway, Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Chet Baker, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “My Foolish Heart” in 1975 for their first album The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“My Funny Valentine,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the Bill Evans Trio recording of “My Foolish Heart” from 1961, with Paul Motian on drums and Scott LaFaro on bass.

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Song of the Day: Street of Dreams

The song of the day for Monday, February 21, 2022, is “Street of Dreams.”

About This Song

“Street of Dreams” was written in 1932 by Victor Young and Sam M. Lewis. It has a classic depression-era sense, where love is one of the few things that may be impossible for those with money, but “no one is poor as long as love is sure.” Bing Crosby was the first singer to record “Street of Dreams”, though the Russ Columbo recording was also popular.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Street of Dreams” for their 1961 album Tony Sings For Two, our album of the week.

“Street of Dreams,” as well as Tony Sings For Two is available on Apple Music.

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