The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Thou Swell

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 3, 2024, is “Thou Swell.”

About This Song

“Thou Swell” was written in 1927 by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the musical A Connecticut Yankee, based on the Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. “Thou Swell” is one of the more charming songs from the musical, as the lyrics feature a combination of modern and medieval language: “thine eyes are cute too” and “I’d feel so rich in a hut for two.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Thou Swell” in July 1973 for the album Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart, released in 1977. Bennett was accompanied by the The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass.

“Thou Swell,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Manhattan

The song of the day for Monday, September 11, 2023, is “Manhattan.”

About This Song

“Manhattan” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1925 for the Garrick Gaieties, where it was introduced by Sterling Holloway. The song made its first film appearance the following year in a short entitled Makers of Melody. The song has remained popular up to today and is frequently recorded by jazz and popular singers. In addition to Bennett’s recording, “Manhattan” has been recorded by Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Dinah Washington. It is often used in films, including Silent Movie, Mighty Aphrodite, and The English Patient.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Manhattan” in July 1973. The recording was released in 1976 on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

Playing with Bennett on this album was the Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, consisting of Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. In his autobiography The Good Life, Bennett fills us in this quartet:

My main focus in late 1973 became the brilliant trumpet playing of Ruby Braff. I’d known Ruby since 1951 when I first played Chicago. Ruby heard George Barnes and Bucky Pizzarelli playing at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, and he sat in with the two guitarists. He loved the way that combination sounded and suggested to George that they start a group. When I heard about this group, I had to check them out. I thought they were great, and Ruby said to me, “Why don’t you come and sing a couple of tunes with us, and relax for a while, you know?”

I liked the groove I got into with this intimate group so much that I did two special concerts at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Ruby and George played the first half instrumentally, and then I came out and sang with them–two entire evenings of Rodgers and Hart. Two weeks later I recorded twenty-four Rodgers and Hart with Ruby and George, with Frank Laico as engineer.

“Manhattan,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Thou Swell

The song of the day for Tuesday, May 2, 2023, is “Thou Swell.”

About Today

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Lorenz Hart who, with Richard Rodgers, wrote some of greatest songs in American Songbook. Hart was born in New York City on May 2, 1895. He met Rodgers in 1919 while attending Columbia University. In their 20 year partnership, they wrote the scores for 26 Broadway musicals, including Babes In Arms, The Boys From Syracuse, Pal Joey, and On Your Toes. Hart died from alcholism on November 22, 1943.

About This Song

“Thou Swell” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart in 1927 for the Broadway musical A Connecticut Yankee, based on the Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. “Thou Swell” is one of more charming songs from the musical, as the lyrics feature a combination of modern and medieval language: “thine eyes are cute too” and “I’d feel so rich in a hut for two.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Thou Swell” in July 1973 with The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. “Thou Swell” was released in 1977 on Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart on Bennett’s Improv label.

Bennett wrote in The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett:

My main focus in late 1973 became the brilliant trumpet playing of Ruby Braff. I’d known Ruby since 1951 when I first played Chicago. Ruby heard George Barnes and Bucky Pizzarelli playing at the St. Regis Hotel in New york, and he sat in with the two guitarists. He loved the way that combination sounded, and suggested to George that they start a group. They gradually worked out a lineup of two guitars, a trumpet, and a bass.

When I first heard about this group, I had to check them out. I thought they were great, and Ruby said to me, “Why don’t come and sing a couple of tunes with us, and relax for a while.” I did two special concerts at Alice Tully Hall in New york. Ruby and George played the first half instrumentally, and then I came out in the second half and sing with them–two entire evenings of Rodgers and Hart. Two weeks later I recorded twenty-four Rodgers and Hart songs with Ruby and George, with Frank Laico as engineer. It was later released as Tony Bennett: The Rodgers & Hart Songbook.

“Thou Swell,” as well as Tony Bennett: The Rodgers & Hart Songbook is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: This Can’t Be Love

The song of the day for Saturday, October 22, 2022, is “This Can’t Be Love.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote “This Can’t Be Love” in 1938 for the Broadway musical The Boys From Syracuse. It is one of their most joyous and least ironic love songs. Both Benny Goodman and Eddy Duchin recorded the song in the late 1930s. In addition to Tony Bennett’s fine recording here, “This Can’t Be Love” has also been recorded by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “This Can’t Be Love” in July 1973 for the album Tony Bennet Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs, released in 1976.

For the Rodgers and Hart recordings, Bennett worked with The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, featuring Graff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass.

“This Can’t Be Love,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Could Write a Book

The song of the day for Monday, April 25, 2022, is “I Could Write a Book.”

About This Song

“I Could Write a Book” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the Broadway musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. This has always been an interesting song. Today it’s considered a lovely romantic number, but in the context of the musical, it’s sung as a phony love song in order to woo the innocent ingenue. It’s been widely recorded by artists including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Carter, Anita O’Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Could Write a Book” in 1973 with the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, which feature Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. The recording was released in 1976 on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

“I Could Write a Book,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings is available on Apple Music.