Happy Birthday, Tony Bennett

The bloggers at the Year of Tony Bennett would like to wish Mr. Tony Bennett a wonderful 88th birthday.

There is so much to be said about Tony Bennett and his contributions to art and music that it could fill books. This is just a brief list of things that I love and admire about him.

• At an age where many performers, younger and less renowned than him, only perform a few times a year, with a huge orchestra in front of many thousands of people, Tony Bennett travels all over the world with his quartet singing in all kinds of places, from beautifully restored theaters to casinos to local performing arts centers to outdoor music festivals. In big cities and smaller towns. It’s the ethos of a working musician, not a pampered superstar. Like his heroes Duke Ellington and Count Basie, it’s about the music. Always about the music.
• He has consistently followed his dreams since boyhood, knowing from early on that he wanted to sing and to paint. We are all lucky that he chooses to share those talents with us.
• His recording history is astounding. What a gift to his fans.
• He just keeps getting better and better, as a singer and a painter.
• He is a jazz singer of the highest calibre. His son Dae (I believe it was Dae) jokes that he never sings a song the same way once. The nuances, the give and take with the quartet, make for outstanding concerts.

So happy birthday, Tony! Have a wonderful time!

I’m celebrating by watching again his 85th Birthday concert at the  London Palladium.