An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
Still needing a bit of Christmas cheer? We’re happy to pass on the news that Tony Bennett’s Christmas special for Univision is now available to view online!
I saw it and enjoyed it very much. If you missed it in the weekend before Christmas, you can watch it here.
Feliz Año Nuevo, everybody!
There are two upcoming television appearances by Mr. Bennett. The Year of Tony Bennett wants to make sure you set your DVR.
Mr. Bennett will be appearing on Christmas in Rockefeller Center, along with many other performers including including Mariah Carey and Rod Stewart.
Tony Bennett will be a guest star on NBC’s 30 Rock! Story from USA Today.
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Legendary entertainer and 17-time Grammy Winner Tony Bennett will become the first non-Hispanic celebrity personality to star in a primetime broadcast special on Univision – the country’s leading Hispanic television network. Set to air on Sunday, December 9th at 10:00pm ET, “Feliz Navidad Con Los Nuestros…Tony Bennett y Sus Amigos” is a unique mix of live performances and filmed vignettes related to Bennett’s newly released CD, VIVA DUETS – which features the singer performing his greatest hits with today’s top Latin music artists.
Hosted by Univision’s Giselle Blondet, the hour-long special will share exclusive behind-the scenes footage from the recording of VIVA DUETS – including studio performances and Segments with Marc Anthony, Romeo Santos, Gloria Estefan, Vicente Fernandez, Thalia, Juan Luis Guerra, Chayanne & more of today’s leading Latin music figures. Tony Bennett will also treat audiences to solo performances of his classic hits “I Wanna Be Around” and “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” and unveil new duet performances with Latin stars Shaila Durcal and Armando Manzanero. Bennett will join Manzanero on a special rendition of the famed composer’s “Yesterday I Heard The Rain,” and collaborate with Durcal on “Steppin’ Out (With My Baby),” and a heartfelt performance of “Silent Night” to usher in the holiday season.
VIVA DUETS recently debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, giving Bennett his third consecutive top five album during his ’80’s (including the multi-platinum DUETS and DUETS II releases). Hailed by press as “a sublime & jovial meeting of cultures… a bilingual beauty and musical masterpiece,” VIVA DUETS also hit #1 on iTunes charts in the U.S. and several Latin-American countries – including Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and El Salvador.
Tony Bennett commented, “It has been a heartwarming journey to meet and record with all the artists from the Latin music world and I have been overwhelmed by their generous spirit and musicality. I am truly honored to have been welcomed into this community of artists.”
“We are honored to have a musical legend like Tony Bennett on our air,” ” said Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming & Content, Univision Networks. “His music transcends cultures and speaks to our commitment to celebrate our culture and connect America, which is why we are proud to bring this event alongside an A-list line up of guests to our viewers.”
Univision.com will present the worldwide online premiere of the video trailer for Tony Bennett’s forthcoming album release VIVA DUETS. The trailer will offer a sneak peak at the legendary singer’s latest project — including footage of Tony and Chayanne performing his classic hit “The Best Is Yet To Come” as well as an audio clip of his duet with Dani Martin. Univision.com will premiere the trailer at 2 pm EST on Tuesday, August 21 and the broadcast premiere will follow on Univision’s top-rated “Primer Impacto” TV Show at 5:20 pm EST.
VIVA DUETS is the singer’s third duets-themed project, following the platinum selling and critically praised DUETS and DUETS II albums. Featuring many top names in the Latin recording industry, VIVA DUETS finds Tony performing his greatest hits with a celebrated roster of artists including Marc Anthony, Miguel Bosé, Roberto Carlos, Ana Carolina, Chayanne, Franco De Vita, Gloria Estefan, Vicente Fernández, Maria Gadú, Juan Luis Guerra, Dani Martín, Romeo Santos, Thalía and Vicentico, with additional duet guests to be announced. A truly international endeavor, VIVA DUETS, features performances in English, Spanish and Portuguese with artists representing eight countries and three continents.
Earlier this month, two snippets from the album were premiered exclusively via Tony’s official website. If you haven’t heard them yet, take a listen now:
Audio Snippet of “Blue Velvet” with Maria Gadu
https://tonybennett.com/news.php?tb=70
Audio Snippet of “The Best Is Yet to Come” with Chayanne
https://tonybennett.com/news.php?tb=69
VIVA DUETS will be released worldwide on October 23, 2012 via Columbia Records and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon: http://amzn.to/OptuTc
CONNECT WITH TONY BENNETT
http://www.tonybennett.net/
http://www.facebook.com/tonybennett
http://twitter.com/itstonybennett
CURRENT TRACKLISTING FOR VIVA DUETS
“For Once In My Life” with Marc Anthony
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” with Miguel Bose
“The Very Thought of You” with Ana Carolina
“The Best Is Yet to Come” with Chayanne
“The Good Life” with Franco DeVita
“Who Can I Turn To?” with Gloria Estefan
“Return to Me (Regresa A Mi)” with Vicente Fernandez
“Blue Velvet” with Maria Gadu
“Just in Time” with Juan Luis Guerra
“Are You Havin’ Any Fun?” with Dani Martin
“The Way You Look Tonight” with Thalia
“Cold, Cold Heart” with Vicentico
**Song selections for Roberto Carlos and Romeo Santos TBD
TONY BENNETT BIO (ABRIDGED)
With millions of records sold world-wide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett has received seventeen Grammy Awards — including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his “MTV Unplugged” CD which introduced this American master to a whole new generation — and the Grammy Lifetime Award. His 2007 prime-time special, “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” won seven Emmy Awards. His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950’s, including such chart-toppers as “Because of You,” “Rags to Riches,” and a remake of Hank Williams “Cold, Cold Heart.” He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” and his signature song,” I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” recorded 50 years ago this coming January 2012. This song garnered him two Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now in the first two decades of the 21st century. He has introduced a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since become standards for pop music. He has toured the world to sold out audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs.