The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Ain’t Misbehavin’

The song of the day for Sunday, September 218, 2022, is “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

About This Song

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” was written in 1929 by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller introduced “Ain’t Misbehaving” in the 1929 musical revue Hot Chocolates, staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Andy Razaf, the lyricist, says that Waller wrote the entire song in just 45 minutes. It has become one of Waller’s most well-known songs, perhaps due to the wildly successful Broadway musical revue Ain’t Misbehaving, which opened in 1978.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ain’t Misbehavin'” on March 26, 1964, with an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. It was released that year on the album When Lights Are Low.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got Just About Everything

The song of the day for Saturday, September 17, 2022, is “I’ve Got Just About Everything.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett’s pianist and musical director starting in 1957 and worked with Tony (with one hiatus) until 2001. Ralph was born in London on September 17, 1923, and died in Boulder, Colorado on March 31, 2015, at the age of 91. Sharon was instrumental in Bennett’s career. In addition to his work with Bennett, he worked with artists including Rosemary Clooney, Nancy Wilson, Robert Goulet, and Johnny Hartman, in addition to a solo career as a pianist and arranger.

Bennett remembers Sharon in his book Just Getting Started:

Ralph was a great piano player, who would record dozens of albums on his own. But I especially treasured that he was a superb—even the perfect—accompanist. He didn’t play a melody and just expect a singer to follow. We always performed a subtle, unspoken duet, in which Ralph knew when to pull back, when to go ahead, and how to strike a note just right alongside my voice. We got better and more practiced at that over fifty years of working together, sometimes three hundred shows a year. But to be sure, we felt a lot of closeness from the first. And of course, Ralph had the wisdom and talent to find the sheet music to “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” one night in a shirt drawer in the dresser of his hotel room in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a story told earlier in this book. That song took us around the world, in so many ways. But he always said, “If I hadn’t looked for that shirt in that drawer, it would never have happened.”

About This Song

“I’ve Got Just About Everything” was written by composer and jazz pianist Bob Dorough. In his liner notes for Forty/Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett, Bennett says that “this one explains how a singer feels when he sings a song everyone likes.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’ve Got Just About Everything” on March 27, 1964, with the Ralph Sharon Trio, for the album When Lights Are Low. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

This has always been a favorite song and recording of mine. Not only is an effective arrangement, but Sharon’s piano is a joy to listen to.

“I’ve Got Just About Everything,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: On Green Dolphin Street

The song of the day for Thursday, September 15, 2022, is “On Green Dolphin Street.”

About This Song

“On Green Dolphin Street” was written by Bronislaw Kaper and Ned Washington in 1947 for the film of the same name. While the song was not widely hailed at the time, it soon became popular with jazz musicians and has become a jazz standard (ranking #25 on jazz standards.com), especially after Miles Davis’ 1958 recording.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “On Green Dolphin Street” on March 26, 1964, with the Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano; Hal Gaylord on bass; and Billy Exiner on drums for the album When Lights Are Low. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“On Green Dolphin Street,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Thursday, May 5, 2022, is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

“The Rules of the Road” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, this song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole, and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded “The Rules of the Road” in 1961, with a fine Ralph Burns arrangement. Today, though, I’m choosing his second studio recording from 1964 on the album When Lights Are Low, arranged by Ralph Sharon. This is version is more low-key and introspective than the original. I love both, but felt in the mood for this version today.

“The Rules of the Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Ain’t Misbehaving

The song of the day for Saturday, April 16, 2022, is “Ain’t Misbehaving.”

About This Song

“Ain’t Misbehaving” was written in 1929 by Fats Waller, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller introduced “Ain’t Misbehaving” in the 1929 musical revue Hot Chocolates, staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Andy Razaf, the lyricist, says that Waller wrote the entire song in just 45 minutes. It has become one of Waller’s most well-known songs, perhaps due to the wildly successful Broadway musical revue Ain’t Misbehaving, which opened in 1978.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ain’t Misbehaving” in 1964 for his album with The Ralph Sharon Trio, When Lights Are Low. Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Ain’t Misbehaving,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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