• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

September 29, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Tony Bennett Tour – September 2012

September 2012 is The Month Of Tony Bennett for The Year of Tony Bennett. We’ll be attending three of his performances, in what looks like a busy month for Tony and the Quartet.

September 29 – Borgata Casino – Atlantic City, New Jersey

Review and article about this performance from The Examiner.
https://twitter.com/Jenracee/status/252235143480217600
https://twitter.com/BorgataAC/status/252199780774711296
https://twitter.com/theMICKtator/status/252188407613255680
https://twitter.com/BorgataAC/status/251715508834033664
https://twitter.com/thewhiskydog/status/252164607836307457
https://twitter.com/theMICKtator/status/252161612851597312

September 23 – Humphrey’s By The Bay – San Diego, California

We were there on the third row and loved the concert. And we loved that Mr. Bennett brought Happy out on stage. She is adorable.

September 22 – Monterey Jazz Festival: Jimmy Lyons Stage – Monterey, California;

https://twitter.com/homescribe/status/251450356557557761
https://twitter.com/puxxled/status/250992538717126656

Richard Scheinin’s story about Day 2 for the San Jose Mercury News.

From the Monterey Jazz Festival website on Mr. Bennett.

September 13 – Majestic Theater -San Antonio, Texas

Tweets from the performance:
https://twitter.com/jimbealjr/status/246449114970193920
https://twitter.com/JohnnyHalpenny/status/246456296533020672
Great article from the My San Antonio website about the upcoming concert.

September 12 – Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater – Austin, Texas

Tweets from the performance:
https://twitter.com/merissie/status/246078988181700608
https://twitter.com/danireich/status/246091593273192450
https://twitter.com/AusTXLarry/status/246090295966572545
https://twitter.com/carimcdonnell/status/246050853759365120
https://twitter.com/sarawingfield/status/246076950857252864

I think this concert will be a special night for this young lady and her father:
https://twitter.com/NHutchenson/status/246007085618302977

September 10- Bass Performance Hall – Fort Worth, Texas

Tweets after the performance:
https://twitter.com/CandiceElaineL/status/245325429685231616
https://twitter.com/CourtneyLDRey/status/245343266323718144
https://twitter.com/maryohdonovan/status/245353881918390272
https://twitter.com/Mombeaman/status/245349434890780672

Nice interview with Mr. Bennett from DFW.com.

https://twitter.com/mrlouisjackson/status/244814871408037888

;September 8 – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Catoosa, Oklahoma

Interview with Mr. Bennett in Tulsa World.

Tweets from the performance:
https://twitter.com/kate3456/status/244584510946168832
https://twitter.com/HeatherMSalazar/status/244631944812429313
https://twitter.com/seesayusa/status/244652308137390080
https://twitter.com/maddy5415/status/244648613467271168

September 7 – Hard Rock Casino – Biloxi, Mississippi

Tweets from the performance:
https://twitter.com/brittehlouise/status/244265222389518338
https://twitter.com/vcreel/status/244278543729717248
https://twitter.com/Adriano426/status/244283606489501696
https://twitter.com/brittehlouise/status/244265707167162369

September 2- Bumbershoot Festival – Seattle, Washington

The Year of Tony Bennett will be there! We’ll be in one of the gold pass sections at Key Arena by 12:30. Feel free to come and say hello.
Tweets from the concert:
https://twitter.com/itstonybennett/status/242414242744115201
https://twitter.com/mwardtweeting/status/243041175014080512
https://twitter.com/PhillipLomax/status/242666699252461568
https://twitter.com/lineout/status/242760088845164544
https://twitter.com/dlemoncomedy/status/242395046912065536
https://twitter.com/homescribe/status/242647973639639040
https://twitter.com/nicholesny/status/242435350574800896

September 1 – Caesar’s Palace Colosseum – Las Vegas, Nev

Tweets from the concert:
https://twitter.com/DavidCruiseSF/status/242059069337268225
https://twitter.com/notrightbutwong/status/242112951098675200
https://twitter.com/DavidCruiseSF/status/242158310084714498

Filed Under: Tour News Tagged With: Atlantic City, Austin, Austin City Limits, Bass Performance Hall, Biloxi, Borgata Casino, Bumbershoot, Caesar's Palace, Catoosa, Fort Worth, Hard Rock Casino, Humphrey's By The Bay, Majestic Theater, Monterey Jazz Festival, San Antonio, Tony Bennett Tour

September 10, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

The Song of the Day for September 10, 2012 is The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

About The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

This song was written by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics) in 1933.  It appears in the 1934 film Moulin Rouge and was sung by Constance Bennett.

About This Version

I think it can be said, in all fairness, that The Boulevard of Broken Dreams was the song that propelled Tony Bennett to stardom. In 1950, he made a demo recording of Crazy Rhythm and The Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The great Hugh Martin (yes, I’m biased about Mr. Martin; he and I are from the same town and attended the same college) heard it and was very enthusiastic about the young Mr. Bennett.  A bit later, Mitch Miller at Columbia heard the recording and that demo song landed Tony Bennett his contract at Columbia.  He re-recorded The Boulevard of Broken Dreams with Columbia and that version was released as a single and was a great hit.

Today’s version was recorded for the masterful Astoria: Portrait Of The Artist, released in 1990. Arranged by Jorge Calandrelli, and accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio (with Paul Langosch (bass) and Joe LaBarbera (drums), this version is, for me, more haunting, being sung from the mature man’s point of view.

Mr. Bennett’s rendition of The Boulevard of Broken Dreams was one of the highlights from his Bumbershoot concert last week. This  version from Astoria has a similar emotional punch for me.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Al Dubin, Bumbershoot, Harry Warren

September 5, 2012 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Our Visit to Bumbershoot and the Tony Bennett Concert

Photograph by Suzi Pratt, courtesy of Getty Images

My fellow blogger Lesley, her ten year-old son Sam and I had the great pleasure of attending the Tony Bennett concert at the Bumbershoot Festival on Sunday, September 2, 2012 in Seattle, Washington.

The Preparation

We wanted to make sure to get the very best seats we could, and so arrived early and did get wonderful seats. We not only had time to meet interesting people (and tell them about this blog), but got to see the amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who went played from 1:45 until 2:45. Tony Bennett and the Quartet started at 3:15.

The Quartet on stage during the setup and final piano tuning

The crew at Bumbershoot did a great job switching over from Sharon Jones to Tony Bennett. In addition to the stage crew, the piano tuner was making final checks and each member of the quartet came to check their instruments.

Lee Musiker takes a few quiet moments to review his notes while the crew works and the piano is tuned.

The Concert

When Tony Bennett walked onto the stage, 12,000 people stood and cheered. Bumbershoot is primarily a rock indie music scene. This audience did a have a decent representation of those of us over 45, but the vast majority of those 12,000 people were well under 25 and they were cheering as much as the rest of us. It was long and loud and absolutely wonderful. I lost count of the standing ovations during this concert. But I will say that each and every one was deserved.

My Own Take

This concert was the fifth time that I had seen Mr. Bennett sing in concert and I believe that it was the best of all five of the concerts. He was in magnificent voice, but more than that he seemed to be having a wonderful time out on the stage.

Mr. Bennett has played with the same four musicians each time I have attended a concert: Lee Musiker (piano), Gray Sargent (guitar), Harold Jones (drums) and Marshall Wood (bass). The Quartet has been excellent in each of the those performances, but something extraordinary was happening last Sunday afternoon.  It wasn’t so much the Quartet playing for Mr. Bennett  but the five musicians playing together as a single force, completely and totally in sync and aware of each nuance from every other musician. It was one of those great jazz performances where the music happens so incredibly.

Tony Bennett often talks about how great the Quartet is and that being jazz musicians, it gives them all the opportunity to keep working on numbers and changing the tempos. This was completely in play in this concert. I can tell you from my own personal experience that every concert of Mr. Bennett’s I’ve ever attended is completely different from the others. It’s not just the choice of songs for the set; a song that he’s been singing for decades becomes completely new, with a unique and completely present emotional encounter.

Tony Bennett gives incredibly brave performances, because he is not afraid to show us all how deeply he feels about not just a song, but the deep emotions in himself that happen when he sings those songs. Many of us have trouble expressing emotion even to partners and spouses, much less to an entire audience. When he sang For Once In My Life, it was as powerful a statement of complete love for the person in his life than just words could say.  His willingness to open his heart to the audience is why we love him so much; he gives us so much of himself and we reflect that love right back to him.

Favorite Moments

  • Marshall Wood, laughing. Marshall had a great day last Sunday. I can’t ever remember him smiling that much and it was a joy.
  • Boulevard of Broken Dreams sounding as though it was written yesterday. And yes, it made me cry.
  • Maybe This Time. This song has become my own personal anthem and Tony Bennett’s performance of it just keeps getting better.
  • Gray Sargent’s guitar work on The Shadow of Your Smile. His guitar and Tony’s voice match so beautifully.
  • I’m Old Fashioned.  I’ve enjoyed this song in previous performances, but it was one of the best numbers in this performance. They’ve been working on the arrangement a lot; hard to imagine this sweet song turning into a showstopper, but that’s what it was.  Loved Marshall’s solo.
  • Harold Jones’ drumming in Stepping Out. Superb.
  • But Beautiful.  What can I say? I love songs that make me cry.
  • Smile.  Mr. Bennett’s performance of that song is always perfection.
  • Lee Musiker never taking his eyes off Tony Bennett and directing the quartet, while playing the piano and levitating off the piano bench at the same time. What an incredible musician.
  • Tony Bennett applauding the audience.
  • Tony Bennett telling the audience “We will remember this day for the rest of our lives.”
So will we, Mr. Bennett. So will we.

Afterwards

Every where we went in Bumbershoot after the show, people were talking about this performance.  We would be talking about it, and complete strangers would join in our conversation to talk about a favorite song or a special moment. We went to the food court at the Seattle Center for a quick bite before the drive back to Portland and wound up talking to the young couple at the next table for nearly an hour about the concert. Everyone who went wanted to share the experience.  People, young and old, had been deeply touched by what they had heard and felt compelled to talk about what it all meant to them.

I know that feeling well.  It’s why I started writing this blog.

Tony Bennett is indeed a legend. He is a great singer and a great performer. But in singing to us, he communicates to each of us about life: the good and the bad. But mostly the truth and beauty that is there for us all and, if we allow it for ourselves, he gladly takes us along on that amazing path with him.

The Set List

Watch What Happens
They All Laughed
Maybe This Time
I Got Rhythm
Cold Cold Heart
Sing You Sinners
Stepping Out
But Beautiful
The Way You Look Tonight
Because Of You
Just In Time
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The Good Life
Once Upon a Time
The Shadow of Your Smile
One For My Baby
For Once in My Life
The Best Is Yet To Come
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
I’m Old Fashioned
Who Cares
Smile
When You’re Smiling

Filed Under: Performances Tagged With: Bumbershoot, setlist

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites

  • Duke Ellington and the Harlem Renaissance
  • Song of the Day: The Good Life
  • Embrace Me
  • Song of the Day: Yesterday I Heard The Rain
  • Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring
  • Song of the Day: I Left My Heart In San Francisco
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress