Between 1988-2005, I must have seen Tony Bennett perform at least two dozen times, including one incredibly memorable performance from about five feet away, celebrating the Blue Note's anniversary in 1991. Frank was always my guy growing up. I didn't have much of a choice. It came with the territory. But once I was no longer in that territory, Tony became the man.
By the 80's, I hadn't given Tony Bennett a thought since I was playing my grandfather's records 20 years earlier. But I was working on and off with a musician friend who'd often include some of Tony Bennett's hipper tracks on his mixed tapes along side Echo & The Bunnymen and The Smiths. At that point, I couldn't care less about "Rags To Riches" or "Because Of You," but hearing "Crazy Rhythm" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" brought me around. Then, he and I would drive to wherever Tony was playing, Atlantic City, Syracuse, Hartford. Every show was a show and a half.
I also worked with another friend who was a fan and for his 40th birthday, a few of us chipped in for a stripper who did her thing to my friend's favorite song of all time, Tony's version of "If I Ruled The World." This dance took place privately, in my friend's office. He was left speechless and we still don't know if it had to do with the stripper or just hearing Tony belt out that beauty.
Once his second act was in full swing, Tony Bennett was playing everywhere often, from Radio City Music Hall to Carnegie Hall and back, and I'd go to every show. There was something about the way he stood on that stage. He wasn't arrogant, like Frank. It was more like disbelief and I fell for it every time.
I was so into all things Tony by the early 90's that my grandmother, who loved to write letters, wrote one to Tony, asking if he would come to my wedding. Thankfully, he did not, as we ran out of oysters very early into the evening.
I knew this was coming, but the news still touched me as if it was a shock.
8 comments:
Thanks for sharing your memories. I was moved.
VR
All of that rang so true, like Tony's charisma.
I never saw him in concert, more's the pity. But I'll always remember Tony Bennett on the Grammys in 1991, his first nomination in 25 years. It was a medley of jazz performers, so no one got to do the full version of their song. It was Bennett singing "When Do The Bells Ring For Me?" a great new standard from his Astoria album. He absolutely killed it, a triumphant moment...followed by Harry Connick Jr falling flat in the worst live performance by him I've ever seen. Just dreadful. Maybe his ear monitor piece was out or something or he was just flattened by Bennett? Connick naturally won the Grammy, but Tony Bennett won the night.
Tony and his voice were national musical treasures. Thanks for this.
paulinca
Best dedication I've read yet. And a bit unexpected (based on the music we talk most about here) which makes it all the more resonant.
First time I saw him live was in the very early '80s, at The Blue Room in NO. This was a couple of years before his MTV Live renaissance. Blue Room was sold out, but it maybe held 100 people. Typical supper club type place, so normally a performer deals with the clinking of silverware and drinks throughout the show. This particular night, not a soul made a sound other than to clap enthusiastically at the end of each song. He grabbed the audience from the second his foot hit the stage until long after the show ended. One of the top performances I've ever witnessed. I saw him perform probably 5 more times, but it was that intimate performance in 1981 that still absorbs my memory.
This one hurt. But was happy to discover that my Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall CD still has an NYCD price sticker on it.
Bruce H
That voice, that hair, that nose - all will be missed. I'm happy for you that you made the effort to see him whenever you could. I, sadly, never did and I'm really aggravated with myself for ever thinking "next time".
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