The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Christmas Time Is Here

The song of the day for December 17, 2021, the fourth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Christmas Time Is Here.”

About This Song

“Christmas Time Is Here” was written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is still played each Christmas. This song has also been recorded by artists including Diana Krall, Anita Baker, Mel Tormé, and Mariah Carey.

The program will be aired on December 19, 2021, on PBS (check your local listings). It will also be streaming on Apple TV+.

About This Version

Tony Bennet recorded “Christmas Time Is Here” for his 2008 album with The Count Basie Big Band, A Swingin’ Christmas. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“Christmas Time Is Here,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Friday, February 25, 2021, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written in 1929 by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu. The song was written for the Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns.

More Than You Know

Listen to More Than You Know on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Christmas Time Is Here

On the tenth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, the song of the day for Wednesday, December 23, 2020, is “Christmas Time Is Here.”

About This Song

“Christmas Time Is Here” was written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is a perennial holiday favorite. This song has also been recorded by artists including Diana Krall, Anita Baker, Mel Tormé, and Mariah Carey.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Christmas Time Is Here” with The Count Basie Big Band for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas.

Christmas Time Is Here

Listen to Christmas Time Is Here on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2008.

“Christmas Time Is Here,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Christmas Time Is Here

On the tenth day of the Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Saturday, December 23, 2017, the song of the day is “Christmas Time Is Here.”

About This Song

“Christmas Time Is Here” was written in 1965 by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the beloved television holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is still played each Christmas. This song has also been recorded by artists including Diana Krall, Anita Baker, Mel Tormé and Mariah Carey.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Christmas Time Is Here” for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas. It was arranged by Torrie Zito.

Christmas Time Is Here

Listen to Christmas Time Is Here on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2008.


“Christmas Time Is Here,” as well as A Swingin’ Time, is available from iTunes.

About Today

I happy to share the animated video of a new duet of today’s song with Tony and Josh Groban.

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On the First Day of a Tony Bennett Christmas

On the First Day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Sunday, December 14, 2014, Tony Bennett sings “Christmas Time is Here.”

Fans of A Charlie Brown Christmas will recognize this song. Written in 1965 by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson, this television program has been a part of Christmas for families for nearly 50 years.

Tony Bennett recorded “Christmas Time Is Here” in 2004 for A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008. This album features The Count Basie Big Band, including Harold Jones, who is now Tony Bennett’s drummer.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1NbkW4qACyJ4MDpqP1kAC5
“Christmas Time Is Here,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.

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