RIP Tony Bennett

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Surprised I don't see a thread already on here... the man had one of the true great voices, and a great attitude.

[Staun]

Last of the great bow tie night club singers. Those black and white Smokey club days put out some great singers. RIP.

[soundsweird]

An incredible life and legacy. MTV Classic was actually playing his videos all day, and not just the Lady Gaga duets.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Read it this afternoon.

Newsbulletin in Norway's biggest daily (Aftenposten) said "jazz legend dead" - seeing as they demonstratively abstain from any preconception that Tony Bennett the "name" must or should somehow warrant token of expected acknowledgement as such. Whereas certain others sincerely have to, when their politically implicated criteria for recognition necessitate other representations of focal axiom nexus. On the instances when Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Tina Turner passed (the first two of which I love), their very names were ripe onto front pages as cemented due. But not Tony Bennett. He's somehow just tentatively a "jazz legend" of faint distinction. No need to make him out as anything special for the mere sake of fixtured domains or immanence. I.e. there's no shame in not knowing who he was, what he did, the era to which he belonged and enriched, the cultural license of acclaim as a trajectory etc.

I liked him, but not as I did Dean or Frank or Andy Williams. Still, that generation and heritage is expected to not only die but to disappear as empirical epistoma. Better not to pay too much attention to some middle-of-the-road "jazz legend".

[Vic2012]

I'm a Rock And Roll Boomer....Beatles, Stones, Kinks.....but I was born and raised in San Francisco so that song means lot to me. I heard the song before I heard I Want To Hold Your Hand.

[Vic2012]

RIP Mr. Bennedetto.

[spellbound]

Rest in peace, Tony.

[rich]

Surprised I don't see a thread already on here... the man had one of the true great voices, and a great attitude.

He was superb, one of my folks favorites. Sinatra said he was the greatest singer of their generation. I had the pleasure of seeing him once. Worth checking out his last major interview on 60 minutes I beleive. RIP, last of his generation for sure!

[SunRunner2]

He had an amazing body of work, however one my favorite songs by Tony was "Stranger In Paradise". His vocal on that track sounds to me like it is in a world of its own, transcending time and space. Plus, it exudes romanticism like no other song does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzA8gwfJr9I

[arturs]

My mother observed "back when I was a teenager [early 1950s...] he already seemed like an old man to me. And he has ever since." RIP...

[Lopez]

My maternal grandmother used to claim that Tony was her cousin. His last name was Benedetto, but her's was DiBenedetto. Didn't matter that she was mistaken about the names; to her, Tony was family.

[proggy_jazzer]

The most amazing thing about his career was the quality he continued to bring to the stage even into his 90s. We were fortunate to see him live 6 years ago, and, while the voice was obviously not that of a 30-year-old any longer, his range and strength were still estimable. Last night's martini was accompanied by his recordings with Bill Evans - required listening for any fan of quality songcraft. RIP and thanks for all your music, sir.

[JJ88]

I'm a Rock And Roll Boomer....Beatles, Stones, Kinks.....but I was born and raised in San Francisco so that song means lot to me.

Really his most consistent hit-making days were even before Elvis, under the aegis of Mitch Miller, but that kind of material wasn't really Bennett's thing. I get the impression he was happy shifting to become a more album-focussed act*, doing more jazz-leaning material, but now and again he'd still hit big with songs like that one and 'The Good Life'. (It irritates me when people only use the opening bars of the latter, as the song is about said 'good life' being a charade!)

*Those early jazz albums like Cloud 7 and The Beat Of My Heart are worth a go. I like the double Carnegie Hall album he did too.

[ronmac]

A class act who held onto his dignity and humility until the final days. You could tell just by watching him how thankful he was for the life he had and how much he enjoyed entertaining others. Even during his later days, when he suffered from dementia, once the music began, he became a whole person again. It was actually quite remarkable.

He was also a hell of a painter.

RIP, indeed.

[Digital_Man]

Sad news. RIP to a legend.

[Vic2012]

Just played I Left My Heart.., and Rags To Riches on YT. I almost cried....

[3LockBox]

Read it this afternoon.

Newsbulletin in Norway's biggest daily (Aftenposten) said "jazz legend dead" - seeing as they demonstratively abstain from any preconception that Tony Bennett the "name" must or should somehow warrant token of expected acknowledgement as such. Whereas certain others sincerely have to, when their politically implicated criteria for recognition necessitate other representations of focal axiom nexus. On the instances when Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Tina Turner passed (the first two of which I love), their very names were ripe onto front pages as cemented due. But not Tony Bennett. He's somehow just tentatively a "jazz legend" of faint distinction. No need to make him out as anything special for the mere sake of fixtured domains or immanence. I.e. there's no shame in not knowing who he was, what he did, the era to which he belonged and enriched, the cultural license of acclaim as a trajectory etc.

I liked him, but not as I did Dean or Frank or Andy Williams. Still, that generation and heritage is expected to not only die but to disappear as empirical epistoma. Better not to pay too much attention to some middle-of-the-road "jazz legend".

I agree with this article's sentiment but color me unsurprised. It is what it is.

RIP to a truly great artist of multiple mediums.