Tony Bennett, 1926-2023

[Dmitry]

https://apnews.com/article/tony-bennett-dies-c3b3a7e2360449fb936a38794c7c3266

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Dmitry

[sonnymax]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tony-bennett-iconic-standards-singer-dies-96-rcna42450

[Teasing the Korean]

A life well lived and an incredible discography.

RIP.

[jazzbo]

What a musical mind, what a singer, what a painter. You'll be missed Mr. Bennett.

[soulpope]

R.I.P ....

[ghost of miles]

New York Times obit

A beloved, inspiring and iconic artist. He gave us a lot with those 96 years.

[sonnymax]

[Teasing the Korean]

A favorite track:

 

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP, Mr. Bennett. Thanks for all the great music you filled the world with. 

[sidewinder]

What a life and career - RIP. Strange coincidence last night to be playing the video of that TV show with Bill Evans posted on Marc Myers’ site, thinking what a survivor he was.

[optatio]

R.I.P.

 

[mikeweil]

R.I.P. 

[Teasing the Korean]

Given his long career, resurgence in popularity, singular devotion to the Great American Songbook, and preference for jazz backings, I have often wondered whether Tony Bennett may have been a gateway into jazz for some listeners, especially younger listeners.  I would certainly think so.

[JSngry]

Reverse for me.

Tony Bennett was "square"  to me up until somewhere in the early 80s. He was never my favorite, but I did come to like a lot of his records. Spotify has been a blessing in this regard! 

He also got better with age, I think, as he ditched the Vegas-y elements of his singing, which never sounded comfortable to/for me anyway. 

So a long life, more than a little adventure, and a sustained win at the end.

RIP

[Rabshakeh]

I agree.

I remember having two ideas about jazz as a kid (both stupid in retrospect): the Fast show 'Jazz Club' guy (not sure whether he got to the US but this was a major blocker for younger jazz fans in the UK in the 1990s); and the image of Sinatra / Bennett and Co singing to their aging audiences. Both were strong turn offs.

[GA Russell]

RIP Tony Bennett!

I was very fortunate.  He came to Atlanta when he was promoting his Perfectly Frank album (1991?).  That is my favorite period of his.  His performance that night (and also that of his piano trio) was A+.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Reverse for me.

Tony Bennett was "square"  to me up until somewhere in the early 80s. He was never my favorite, but I did come to like a lot of his records. Spotify has been a blessing in this regard! 

He also got better with age, I think, as he ditched the Vegas-y elements of his singing, which never sounded comfortable to/for me anyway. 

So a long life, more than a little adventure, and a sustained win at the end.

RIP

I dunno, I love many of those Columbia recordings from the 1950s and 60s.  Many of the singles were schlock, and he sometimes included schlock on his albums.  But some of those albums are very solid for me.  

I missed hearing the Columbia reverb on his voice during the post-comeback period.

[medjuck]

I'm old enough to remember when his version of Cold, Cold Heart was on the hit parade and that sort of turned me off him.  And  I got tired of I Left My Heart very fast.  Then I didn't like it when he curled his hair.   But after  I heard him sing Lost in the Stars with the Count Basie band I realized how shallow I'd been.  Saw him at Disney Hall shortly  after it opened. A great concert. 

Heard an interview with him aimed at a general audience where he mainly talked about jazz bands and jazz musicians.  He was very knowledgeable. 

Columbia did a nice box set which included some of his work with Bill Evans. 

[jazzbo]

38 minutes ago, medjuck said:

 

Columbia did a nice box set which included some of his work with Bill Evans. 

Concord perhaps? There was an album on Fantasy and one on Bennett's Improv label. Concord put out a complete version of the Fantasy and there is a box set of all the Improv material.

[JSngry]

No, Columbia!!!!!!!!

They did a superduperdeluxe boxset that included ALL of his records up to that time, including Improv, Fantasy and Verve.

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

I'm old enough to remember when his version of Cold, Cold Heart was on the hit parade and that sort of turned me off him.  And  I got tired of I Left My Heart very fast.  Then I didn't like it when he curled his hair.   But after  I heard him sing Lost in the Stars with the Count Basie band I realized how shallow I'd been.  Saw him at Disney Hall shortly  after it opened. A great concert. 

Heard an interview with him aimed at a general audience where he mainly talked about jazz bands and jazz musicians.  He was very knowledgeable.

What got me to thinking was when I saw a TV commercial in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Jazz Society with Bennett singing live with his band - which included Harold Land!

So, you know, Harold Land, right? That opened me up to the possibility that, ok, Tony Bennett, maybe? Sure, it was a gig, but still...Harold Land!!!!

But it was really once I started listening to arrangers that my ears opened up. Bennett had some really good ones when he wasn't belting them out for the cheap seats, and he sang inside them just dandily. My favorite writers are Marion Evans and Torrie Zito. Oddly, as much as I like Robert Farnon, not much of his work with Bennett really hits the spot, although that live in London date is in the professional pocket.

It was just within the last year or so that I really was able to sort it all out. I'm not enough of a fan to go all gimmegimmegimme with the records, but Spotify has almost all of them, s it was real easy to play them one at a time, do the online research, and figure out what was what.

And a gem is a gem, period:

A James Moody tune!

[clifford_thornton]

Listening to him with Bill Evans is what got me to appreciate him. I'm a fan. RIP, and thanks.

[jazzbo]

Huh, I thought that complete box was just Columbia, which would be the bulk of his releases anyway. Well, Concord put out a 2 cd set of their material, and also the complete Improv recordings in another set.

[JSngry]

Nope!

https://www.discogs.com/release/10164486-Tony-Bennett-The-Complete-Collection

[Milestones]

A legend for sure.

Not into Tony Bennett when I was young.  I was into rock and then jazz fusion and bebop and hard bop.  I eventually came to appreciate him greatly.  Like many, I felt he was at his best in his later years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Justin V]

I saw Tony Bennett maybe 10 years ago on a lark and really enjoyed it.  If I remember correctly, he performed 'Fly Me to the Moon' without a microphone and I could hear him clear as a bell from the cheap seats.  Thank you for the music, Mr. Bennett, and rest in peace.