A Christmas tribute to Tony Bennett
Michael Feinsteinsinger and referee of the Great American Songbook, is launching the next leg of the his concert tour Because of you: My tribute to Tony Bennett. Here he dedicates a holiday hymn to his friend Tony Bennett, who left us last year at the age of 96. As you read, you might want to get in the mood with a little reminder of Bennett or Feinstein.
Longevity is a rarity in the entertainment business, and singer Tony Bennett is an extraordinary example of someone who enjoyed a free-flowing 70-year career that included (or ended with) the final act bittersweet but full of victory. How did he do it? The simple answer is talent, but there is more to consider than natural ability and good filial management.
Tony is a man of principle with strange and sometimes eccentric interests, one who refuses to compromise those interests despite the obstacles they may cause to his career.
Perhaps such stubbornness harkens back to his early days. The son of Italian immigrants, he was raised with a strong moral foundation and a necessary education in the essentials. But he was equally educated in the arts, which grew even larger in his life and was supported by his family, especially when he began to pursue a real career in business. perform. It was an unusual type of support, but he had an uncle who worked in the entertainment industry and always encouraged him.
After Tony joined the army in 1944, at the age of 18, his life changed dramatically. His singing career stagnated. He was sent to the front to fight in World War II, experiencing firsthand the horrors and madness of combat. Witnessing the liberation of concentration camps helped him become a lifelong pacifist. And the racism of a commanding officer—who demoted him for having Thanksgiving dinner with a Black comrade—ignited another fire within, the instinct to always stand up for equality. equality and inclusion. But when the war ended, the Army also gave him the opportunity to make music; After retiring from the military, he worked with many diverse musicians, as jazz was his passion and his music was always colorblind.
Tony ascended quite quickly. He signed with Columbia Records in 1950. And aside from some hiccups in the intervening years, he remained with the label for most of his recording career. From the beginning, he released contemporary songs alongside older standards, thanks to his swing style and his ability to reinvent them. The record-buying public had no idea that some of those songs were 20 or more years old at the time, because he made them fresh and vibrant. He considers himself a jazz singer and takes interpretive liberties that are often exciting and surprising on a pop record.
His repertoire was very diverse and different from other singers of his time because Tony always tried to perform more complex songs, sometimes having to fight with music executives who only wanted to sell hot records. . His sometimes unusual song choices resulted in some of his biggest hits (“I left my heart in San Francisco,” “I want to be around,” “Good life,” And “Because of you” comes to mind) and other characteristic melodies (“If I Ruled the World,” “The best is yet to come”), even as record producers increasingly turned to gimmicky pop sounds, often with novel effects to irritate the ear. Production became more important than lyrics or melody, but Tony wanted to tell a story when he sang and stood his ground.
