The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Bennett and Brubeck Concert Album

Mark May 28 on your calendar, as the Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 album will be released.

On August 28, 1962, at the invitation of President Kennedy, Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck performed at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument in a concert to thank the many college students who had served as interns that summer.

This concert featured two sets: one by Tony Bennett and another by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. An unplanned finale had Bennett come out and sing several songs with the Brubeck quartet, including a bossa nova version of That Old Black Magic.

The recording of this concert had thought to be lost, but was discovered in the Sony vaults in December of last year, not long after Mr. Brubeck passed away.

The recording will be released by RPM/Columbia/Legacy. This story from the New York Times was released today.

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The Best $5.99 You’ll Ever Spend

If you are a fan of Mr. Bennett’s live performances, I recommend that you download the iTunes Festival: London 2010 EP set of six songs, performed live in London. These recordings do not (as yet) exist on any released album. They are, without a doubt, on the top of my favorite cuts of his. Included on the set is:

  • The Best Is Yet To Come
  • Maybe This Time
  • Sing You Sinners
  • Smile
  • Who Care (So Long As You Care For Me)
  • For Once In My Life

If you’re not already a fan of his live performances, well, you’re missing something wonderful. Again, try this set for $5.99.
Mr. Bennett is accompanied by Lee Musiker (piano), Gray Sargent (guitar), Marshall Wood (bass) and Harold Jones (drums). The quartet is wonderful–on this EP set as well as in the live performances I’ve seen.

This link will take to you the proper location in ITunes. If you already have this, consider gifting it to a friend.

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Tony Bennett: The Complete Collection

As soon as this collection was announced, I knew I had to have it. As a latecomer to the music of Tony Bennett, so many of his earlier albums had gone out print. And so I bought myself this wonderful collection for myself.

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The set contains music from Columbia, Verve, Improv (Tony’s label) and back again to Columbia. There are two CDs of “Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights” which include a recording of Tony singing “St.  James Infirmary Blues” when he was a member of the 314th Army Special Services Band as World War II wound down. There are six CDs of the singles that he recorded for Columbia, including his first hit “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. The set contains 74(!) CDs and 3 DVDs.

As of this past weekend, I have added all 74 CDs to my iPod, where they join other CDs that I’d previously purchased, including the Complete Improv recordings, Jazz, and numerous others. Now the CDs are back to being safe and sound in that beautiful box. Just for kicks: iTunes shows 6.38 GB for Tony Bennett — 1289 items — 2.7 days of listening without repeats.

Album reviews to follow.