There are some veteran singers, I'm sure, whose voices are just a fraction of their prime.
Not Tony Bennett. When he sang to the Television Critics Association recently, everything -- his voice, his phrasing, his back-up quartet -- was precise. At 85, this guy remains a strong talent.
Many people can sample that on Friday, when Bennett has a "Duets" special on PBS' "Great Performances." Here's the story I sent to papers:
By MIKE HUGHES
Back when he was 10, Tony Bennett says,
his path seemed clear.
“I remember very clearly saying,
'This is who I am. My family is telling me that I sing and I paint.'”
What he didn't know was how long he
would keep doing it.
Bennett was 80 when his “Duets”
album came out, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard chart. He was 85 when
“Duets II” reached No. 1; now a PBS special catches its recording
sessions.
“The most interesting thing for me is
to watch him perform with a Lady Gaga or an Amy Winehouse,” said
Danny Bennett, Tony's son and the producer of the album and the
special. They were 24 and 27 at the time, but, he said, “you don't
get a sense there's someone who is 85 working with a (24)-year-old.
It's an absolute respect that he has for other great artists.”
Indeed, Tony Bennett talks passionately
about:
– Winehouse. “She was a big fan of
mine and I was very surprised, because she was so young.”
– Gaga. “All of a sudden, you meet
someone who has a touch of genius. She's highly intelligent, highly
creative. She knows so much about performing. She sings
magnificently.”
She also had something in common with
many of the younger stars, he said. They “came out of art schools,
you know – Berklee … Juilliard, and Lady Gaga is from NYU (New
York University), so they all had teachers who really told them what
to expect and what to do and how to do it right.”
He did, too, although it didn't come
easily.
Like Gaga, Bennett grew up as an
Italian kid in New York City. The difference was that his family was
scraping by on a seamstress' pay.
“My father died when I was 10,” he
said. “My brother and sister and I would entertain my family. (All
the) relatives would come over on a Sunday and make a circle around
us. (We) were trying to make my mom feel good, because she had to
work for a penny a dress to raise three children.”
Bennett dropped out of school at 16 to
make money and was drafted at 18. He sang in the Army, then used the
GI Bill to enter what'snow the Actors Studio.
“They had wonderful teachers,” he
said. “And one thing they taught us is never compromise. Only sing
quality. Stay away from something that's a quick gimmick.”
One teacher taught him how to preserve
his voice. Another spoke of the great jazz singers and
instrumentalists. “She said, 'Don't imitate another singer. Imitate
musicians and find out how they phrase.' (And) she said, 'If you
imitate another singer, you're going to just be one of the chorus.”
That has persisted, said David Horn,
producer of PBS' “Great Performances” series. “He sings just
like a horn player. It's just a beautiful thing to behold.”
The rewards have followed, Horn said –
15 Grammys, the Kennedy Center Honors, three paintings in the
Smithsonian Institution. Bennett did civil rights protests and
founded arts-oriented public schools.
For the PBS special, Horn's crew filmed
the recording sessions for the duets album. Yes, those are the real
sessions, Danny Bennett said; “Tony records live.” And he dresses
up for the occasion.
“My mom … always said to me and my
brother, 'Always have a very clean white shirt and black pants and
you'll be very dressed,” Tony Bennett said.
Back then, he had one suit, which he
wore to church, under the careful eye of his uncle, a tailor. “He
was a wonderful man; he used to say, 'Boy, that's a beautiful suit
you have there.'”
Three-quarters of a century later, he
still shows up with clean shirt, pressed suit and strong voice.
– “Duets II” special, 9 p.m.
Friday on PBS (check local listings), under “Great Performances”
– Also an album on Columbia. It has
Gaga, the late Winehouse, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill,
Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Sheryl Crow, Queen Latifah, Andrea
Bocelli, Josh Groban, more.