Maps of Music

Sings a String of Harold Arlen (1960)

Where the lyrics of Sings a String of Harold Arlen take you, and where it was really made.

Twelve Harold Arlen songs were recorded in three sessions in August 1960 at a New York City studio, and the result was a string-arranged album of Arlen's songbook.

Key places

Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City (1960)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Tony Bennett recorded the string arrangements for this album in August 1960 at this New York City studio. The map pin marks the city centre, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Sings a String of Harold Arlen: a 1961 studio album by Tony Bennett
• The album consists of string arrangements of songs composed by Harold Arlen
• Twelve tracks; all music is by Arlen, with lyricists credited per song
• Lyricists include Ted Koehler, Yip Harburg, Truman Capote, Johnny Mercer, Leo Robin and Ira Gershwin
• Includes 'Over the Rainbow', running 4:02
• Shortest track 'When the Sun Comes Out' runs 2:44; longest 'I've Got the World on a String' runs 4:37
• Cover illustration by Bob Peak

Background

• Tony Bennett sings every track; his only credit in the personnel list is vocals
• Glenn Osser is credited as arranger and conductor
• The album is presented as a tribute to Harold Arlen's songbook
• Song titles are kept as the original titles of Arlen's compositions

Recording

• Recorded in August 1960 over three sessions
• 15 August: tracks 2, 3, 4 and 6
• 17 August: tracks 1, 5, 7, 8 and 12
• 18 August: tracks 9, 10 and 11
• Recording location is listed as Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City

Cover

• The cover illustration is by Bob Peak

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Long Island City, Queens, New York City.
• Grew up in poverty after his father, a grocer, became unable to work and died when Tony was ten.
• Sang for money from age 13 as a singing waiter in Italian restaurants in Queens.
• Attended New York's School of Industrial Art but dropped out at 16 to help support his family.

Military service

• Drafted into the U.S. Army in November 1944 and fought as an infantryman in the final stages of World War II.
• Stayed in Germany with the occupying force and sang with an Army Special Services band under the name Joe Bari.

Career

• Studied bel canto at the American Theatre Wing on the GI Bill; Pearl Bailey and Bob Hope helped launch him, and Hope shortened his name to Tony Bennett.
• Signed with Columbia Records in 1950; first number-one hit "Because of You" in 1951.
• Shifted toward jazz singing in the late 1950s; "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (1962) became his signature song.
• Declined commercially during the rock era and struggled with addiction and debt until a comeback in the late 1980s, managed by his son Danny.
• The 1994 MTV Unplugged album won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Later career

• Collaborated with Lady Gaga from Cheek to Cheek (2014) through Love for Sale (2021).
• Won 20 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
• Received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2005 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Co-founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens with Susan Crow.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• A 1961 studio album by Tony Bennett
• Built from string arrangements of songs by Harold Arlen
• All twelve tracks are Arlen compositions, each with its own lyricist
• Glenn Osser handled the arrangements and conducting
• Bennett's vocals are the only performance credit listed
• The songs were recorded in August 1960 over three sessions, on 15, 17 and 18 August
• Four tracks carry Yip Harburg's lyrics, more than any other lyricist on the album
• The album presents Arlen's songs in orchestral settings rather than a band format

Reappraisal

• On 8 November 2011, Sony Music Distribution included the CD in a box set entitled The Complete Collection
• The album reappeared in a box set about fifty years after its 1961 release
• The box set placed the album alongside other material in a single collection

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The twelve tracks were recorded across three August 1960 sessions, not in one day.
• Bob Peak illustrated the cover.
• Glenn Osser served as both arranger and conductor on the album.
• The album was included in the 2011 box set The Complete Collection.
• Ted Koehler wrote lyrics for three tracks on the album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact