95 years young: Celebrating the Art of Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett turns 95 today. Though best known as a vocalist (and occasional actor) he’s also an accomplished painter.

In honor of vocal artist Tony Bennett’s birthday (August 3, 1926) I decided to discuss some of the highlights of his 70 year (!) recording career. Bennett began experiencing Alzheimer’s disease several years ago which has slowed down his career. While it’s unclear when he will record again his existing discography offers plenty to listen to and is virtually unparalleled in quality among most singers of his generation.

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In a recording career that has spanned over eight decades (1951-present) Tony Bennett has resided in the upper echelon of jazz influenced popular singers for most of his recording career. Bennett recorded countless singles during his initial recording career at Columbia Records under the direction of Mitch Miller. While some, like “Because of You” were memorable, Bennett has disavowed many of them for their ephemerality. In the mid-1950s Bennett gained more expressive freedom when the LP era emerged. Though not necessarily associated with “concept” albums he used the format to work with his favorite musicians, often jazz oriented ones, and recorded more substantive material beyond pop singles.

Defying the myth that rock killed pre-rock pop, Bennett co-existed for over a decade with younger, newer artists scoring some of his defining songs from the early to mid-1960s including “I Left My Heart I San Francisco,” “The Good Life,” and “The Shadow of Your Smile” which he made popular standards.

Classically trained and influenced by pop crooners, such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, and jazz musicians, such as Art Tatum, Bennett always favored faithful melodic interpretations and fidelity to lyrics. His approach differs significantly from the more daring bebop-based approach of vocalists like Mark Murphy and Betty Carter. He is more accurately compared to Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Sinatra, and, Nancy Wilson singers who view pop primarily through a swing-based lens.

Curious listeners will want to begin their listening journey with this excellent boxed set which spans from 1951-91.

Though he is most associated with the hits from his first 15 or so years at Columbia his career is multidimensional. After his commercial profile at Columbia declined and he grew frustrated with commercial pressures he walked away from Columbia in 1972. After recording two sets for MGM/Verve he re-emerged in 1975 as co-founder of Improv Records a short lived independent label. Guided by his own artistic instincts he recorded some of his finest albums emphasizing the material he is most passionate about including standards by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hart, among others. He ended the 1970s having recorded two acclaimed albums, for Fantasy and DRG Records, with pianist Bill Evans that garnered him newfound respect in jazz circles. Despite these creative triumphs the label as not a financial success.

Bennett navigated a changing musical landscape and various personal challenges but did not record another album until 1986’s The Art of Excellence for Columbia. His vocal gifts remained intact and with each recording he demonstrated his viability as a contemporary artist. This momentum, combined with the management savvy of his manager and son Danny Bennett rebranded him as a hip cultural figure. 1992’s Perfectly Frank began what is arguably his strongest and most consistent decade of albums. Concentrating on tributes to his musical heroes including Sinatra, Fred Astaire, and Billie Holiday he won eight consecutive Grammy Awards in the Traditional Pop Vocal performance categories for the albums released during the period. From his swinging Astaire set Steppin’ Out to his superb Ellington tribute Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool he remained a formidable interpreter well into the 1990s.

Throughout the 2000s Bennett recorded mostly uneven, somewhat gimmicky duet albums that kept him on the pop charts including the multi-artist sets Playin’ with My Friends, Duets: An American Classic, Duets II, and Viva Duets. More consistent were his duet sets with k.d. lang, Lady Gaga, and Diana Krall. Arguably, his finest albums of the new millennium were the Grammy-winning solo sets The Art of Romance and Look for the Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern (with Bill Charlap) where the luster of his voice and his interpretive intelligence shone.

An evergreen talent, Bennett recorded one of his best albums 64 years into career on The Silver Lining.

Alongside his enduring music Bennett was a gifted visual artist and charming television presence winning two Emmys for live television performances and appearing on The Simpsons. He also authored two books and co-authored three.

Bennett has a remarkably strong discography thus most of his albums are highly listenable. His Columbia sets from 1969-72 are his most inconsistent albums in their strained efforts to blend pop standards with contemporary pop often in bland arrangements. As such they require the most discretion. Similarly, aside from his sets with k.d. lang (A wonderful World) and Diana Krall (Love is Here to Stay) his duet albums are awkward affairs. Most Bennett albums, however, have something worth hearing. Listeners seeking out his best are advised to begin with the following:

·         1991’s Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett: This excellent box set is the best introduction to Bennett beginning with his 1950s-1960s era hit material at Columbia, including radio classics like “Because of You,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “The Best is Yet to Come,” “I Wanna Be Around,” and “Who Can I Turn To,” select album tracks, and highlights from his 1986-91 period.

One legend salutes another: Bennett won his first Traditional Pop Performance Grammy for his sterling 1992 tribute to Frank Sinatra.

·         1992’s Perfectly Frank and 1993’s Steppin’ Out are flawless, loving tributes to Sinatra and Astaire that occupy a perfect sweet spot between jazz musicianship and showbiz panache.

·         For a taste of Bennett’s “songbook” approach check out Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart (combining tracks from 1976 and 1977 sets), 1999’s Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, and 2016’s Look for the Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Each one is a masterful performance showcasing his command of standard material across decades.

·         2004’s The Art of Romance is so charming and effervescent it’s hard to believe Bennett, who was 78 when it was recorded, had been recording for over 50 years when it was released.

·         Though his lovely voice and piano sets with Bill Evans are among his most acclaimed albums I prefer his collaboration with Ralph Sharon on 1961’s Tony Sings for Two.

Fans of voice and piano albums will be enchanted by this duet between Bennett and his longtime pianist Ralph Sharon on 1961’s Tony Sings for Two..

·         Listeners curious about Bennett’s longstanding love of jazz will enjoy the 1987 compilation Jazz which finds him in the company of many of the genre’s luminaries.

One of the finest collections of ballads and swingers Bennett has recorded The Art of Romance is a delightful set of love songs from start to finish.

Hopefully this taste of Bennett’s finest recordings has whetted your appetite. All that’s left is to turn down the lights and turn up the music. Enjoy this customized playlist of some Bennett favorites from 1990-2020:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CJ96fRozWRRssqZn4bV4B?si=9b580f87109e431f

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A few quick facts:

·         Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Queens, New York

·         After serving in World War II he received formal classical vocal training.

·         His first hit was 1951’s “Because of You” recorded on Columbia Records.

·         His 1951 interpretation of Hank Williams’s “Cold, Cold Heart” was one of the first pop covers of a country song to become a hit.

·         Some of his signatures at Columbia include “Rags to Riches,” “Stranger in Paradise,” “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me),” “If I Ruled the World” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

·         1962’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” hit #19 on the pop chart on won Bennett the Grammys for Record of the Year and Male Solo vocal Performance.  He has since won 17 competitive Grammys including the 1994 Album of the Year for MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, 14 awards in the Traditional Pop Vocal Performance/Album category, and a 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award.

·         An avid enthusiast of pre-rock popular music by songwriters such as Duke Ellington, George & Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter Bennett allegedly puked before recording some of the commercial pop songs on 1971’s Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!

·         Bennett founded the independent label Improv Records where he recorded four albums from 1975-77.

·         1975’s The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album and 1977’s Together Again recorded with jazz pianist Bill Evans are some of the most critically vocal albums in vocal jazz and pop.

·         In 1986 he returned to recording and to Columbia where he’s recorded subsequently.

·         Bennett has recorded duet albums with k. d. lang, Lady Gaga, & Diana Krall.

·         In 2011 Bennett’s first album to reach #1 was his Duets II album featuring duets with various contemporary singers.

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