Remembering Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett passed away two weeks ago just shy of his 97th birthday which happens to be today. In his honor here is last year's birthday post. 

Anthony Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett, turns 96 this week. He is the last in a long line of great crooners from the 20th century. For more than seventy years on stage he drew huge audiences to his annual full concert schedule of tunes from jazz, to Broadway, to the Great American Songbook. Early last year it was announced that he would no longer be touring due to the progressive Alzheimer's disease originally diagnosed in 2016. A few months later he had quite a retirement party at Radio City Muusic Hall with Lady Gaga to celebrate his birthday and the upcoming release of their new album. He's been retiredf from the the stage for about a year.

Bennett in 2018

Bennett has been at the business so long he's had two careers, a fifteen-year affair with the Greatest Generation, and a now forty-year reinvention with new artists, music, and audiences following a brief lull during the rock and roll era. Bennett has also been in the forefront of introducing current generations to the Great American Songbook.

He is an interesting blend of vocal talent and showmanship, a well-perfected entertainer with a not so perfect voice. You have to learn how to appreciate the value of a permanent vocal strain and a sound out of vaudeville. For me, it was a long learning process, but I've come to appreciate and enjoy the total Bennett experience. Here he is performing with the sensational jazz/pop vocalist, Diana Krall:

Lately the entertainer has reached deep into the past for material and produced a series of duet albums with vocalist young and old. In addition to Krall, Bennett recorded albums with Paul McCartney, Josh Groban, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, and Marc Anthony. Here is a cut from his first album with Lady Gaga:

Thank you for the music, Tony. Here's wishing you a happy 96th birthday and many more to come.

If you like what you hear, buy the music and help keep jazz, swing, and the Great American Songbook alive and well.







Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
public domain photo, Bob Elyea

Text:
Tony Bennett, Wikipedia.org
Tony Bennett, tonybennett.com