[Dixielandjazz] Tony Bennett interviewedPossibly Slightly OT, but Interesting

[Robert Ringwald]

Tony Bennett interviewed

Still Going Strong at 83, Tony Bennett Is Coming to the Meyerson
by Mario Tarradell
Dallas Morning News, April 25, 2010

Tony Bennett is a soft-spoken gentleman always happy to talk about the great American
songbook, not to mention his long career, his painting, his love of Dallas' Meyerson
Symphony Center and even his respect for Michael Buble.
Bennett, calling from his home in New York City, is the last of a breed. He comes
from the school of traditional song stylists adept at interpreting pop, jazz and
swing. That's the same school that bred the late Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy
Davis Jr. He's influenced countless singers, from Barbra Streisand to Barry Manilow,
Neil Diamond to Matt Dusk.
At 83, Bennett has no desire to retire.
"I've never sounded better," he says. "I'm in good shape. I'm very healthy and still
ready to sing music. I could have retired 14 years ago. But I love the audience,
and they love me back."
He paints every day, from still life to skyscapes, and enjoys performing the pop
standards from his beloved great American songbook. That includes tunes by Gershwin,
Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern and Dorothy
Fields.
"They wrote for Broadway and for movies," Bennett says. "Fred Astaire introduced
almost all of those songs from the great American songbook. They were written for
him. They would never have anybody introduce the songs except for Fred Astaire. I
call it the American songbook and the Fred Astaire songbook."
For him, these songs are treasures.
"I'm convinced that 35 years from now, it will be considered America's classical
music. Brahms and Beethoven centuries ago were very popular in their time. Now they
are classical artists," he says.
"The music will last. It's not dated. It's not old-fashioned. It's never going to
die. There's not a new song written in the last 30 years that's as good as the songs
that Porter, Gershwin, Berlin wrote. It was a period that has never been topped."
Bennett is elated that a young, multimillion-CD-selling singer like Buble is bringing
these classic compositions to new generations.
"I'm a big fan of Michael Buble, and he knows it. He's a fan of mine. He's a little
Dean Martin, a little Sinatra. He does some things that are very inspired. I put
the microphone down and sing without any amplification. He does that, too. He was
influenced by me, and that is so nice."
The New Yorker born Anthony Dominick Benedetto also has high praise for the Meyerson,
where he will perform Monday and Tuesday. He calls the stunning venue one of the
two best concert halls in the world; the other being Symphony Hall in Birmingham,
England. Both, as it happens, were designed in conjunction with the same acousticians,
Artec Consultants of New York.
"They look alike," he says. "They are the finest concert halls in the world. We play
quite a few halls in the world, great halls around the world. The acoustics in your
concert hall are perfect. They are the best I've ever heard."


--Bob Ringwald
Amateur (ham) Radio call sign K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
916/806-9551

Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?