An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The Wall Street Journal published a very lovely article, “Before the Music, Tony Bennett Painted,” about our favorite artist: Anthony Benedetto. This really is a must-read.
Click here for the article. There are also some wonderful photographs, including Bendetto’s just completed bust of Harry Belafonte.
I came across a wonderful interview with Tony Bennett conducted by Bruce Klauber for ICON magazine, an arts magazine for the Philadelphia area. The interview was also included on the WRTI website. Click here to read this very good interview.
Bruce and Tony talk about the art of singing, jazz, Count Basie, Lady Gaga, Duke Ellington and much, much more. It’s thoughtful and very interesting.
You can read the same interview from the July 2013 edition of ICON on the ICON magazine website with a nice photograph of Mr. Bennett.
Be determined to stay the course and stand on your own two feet.
– Tony Bennett
I have never strived for a hit song, some novelty tune that would hit it big but be forgotten in two weeks; I wanted a hit catalog. If I do something, I want it to be top quality.
– Tony Bennett
It’s just the art of giving; when you give you get and you don’t take. You just get from giving.
– Tony Bennett
The more you paint, the more you realize how beautiful life is. To be alive. How wonderful life is, what a gift we have. That helps you get past the bad times.
– Tony Bennett
When everybody zigs, I want to zag.
-Tony Bennett
If you create good music, no matter what year it came out, it will always sound completely modern.
– Tony Bennett
Fame comes and goes, but longevity is the thing to aim for.
-Tony Bennett
For years, I have heard about the special issue of Billboard Magazine featuring Tony Bennett’s twentieth year in show business. Today, quite by accident, I located a scanned copy of this November 30, 1968 issue of Billboard (thanks to the Google Books project). The special tribute section starts on page 55.
Included in this section is a wonderful and lengthy essay, 20 Years With Tony, by Willis Conover; an article by Tony, When The Feeling’s Right; a wonderful selection of quotes about Tony Bennett from notable musicians; and many tribute advertisements by fellow performers and composers. Included are many wonderful photographs, including some charming childhood photographs of Tony, his brother John and sister Mary.
This section is a real treasure and I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did.
I also found that reading this old issue of Billboard Magazine to be a really fascinating excursion; I spent several hours reading this issue. Google Books appears to have decades of Billboards dating back to the 1940s.
Attention iPhone and iPad Users … Get your free Tony Bennett app from iTunes.
I downloaded the app yesterday and recommend to all. Here’s a screen shot:
The app is a lot of fun and has much great content: tour dates, photographs and news clippings, a gallery of Tony’s paintings, news, and much more.
The Year of Tony Bennett gives it an A+.