It’s the evening, I’m done with work, and nobody’s around to read this, so I’ll just post what I want. What I want tonight is to hear two of Tony Bennett’s best songs. I heard his stuff repeatedly as a kid, as my parents had several of his albums:
“Love Look Away,” my favorite of all Bennett songs. It’s from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song” (the original Broadway version, by Arabella Hong, is here):
And “The Good Life” (note that the last minute is silence: a feature of the only embeddable YouTube video of his version):
Well a few of us are still around! Bennett is classic.
Tony Bennett has it all. Great voice, the epitome of good taste in tunes, great groups from trios to orchestras, good sound, and phenomenal timing. And he has always been a nice guy. Even today with his range as limited as it is and voice a bit stressed from so many years of wear and tear he can totally captivate (and charm).
After a couple of cherry brandies and multiple mosquitos I am perhaps in about the same frame of mind. My taste runs more to Bach.
Mosquitos?! You’re a drunk spider aren’t you? You can’t hide on the internet!
Perhaps a Drunk Octopus
Im in CT, but if you’re nearby you may feel free to stop over to our house. We will gladly play those songs for you as many times as you’d like.
Tony Bennett is one of those rare musicians from the past fifty years or so who is liked and respected by EVERYone. It’s amazing how he has pulled this off, but pulled it off he has.
O, I for one wish to be within your coterie of crack, classy readers hereof and among such the listening appreciators of same !
Blue
Go immediately to Youtube and listen to a Bennett track entitled “Country Girl.” It will break your heart.
Another Bennett favorite of mine is “When Joanna Loved Me.” Frankly, they’re all good!
Bennett and a nightcap of single malt. Exquisite. Life could hardly be more transparent.
Interesting. James Shigeta died last week, and I was thinking and humming a lot of tunes from Flower Drum Song. Lovely tune
I don’t like the first song particularly but the second is very good (though I am not a fan of the romantic strings arrangement).
I haven’t listened to a lot of Tony Bennett solo but have the “A Wonderful World” album by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang, which is one that I replay on a regular basis.
Living near San Francisco, it’s nearly impossible for me to go three months without hearing I Left My Heart in San Francisco being played somewhere, but I still like to hear it. Tony Bennett is a classy singer and a classy human being.
Sorry, I can’t stand Tony Bennett, never could. Music is so personal, isn’t it?
Listen to “Hold my hand I’m a stranger in paradise.
A chacun son gout. I prefer his more upbeat songs, like his side with the Count Basie band. Swings its tail off.