Tony Bennett, 1926-2023

[JSngry]

The My Way album was weak, imo. Retirement made sense. The comeback stuff was just silly until She Shot Me Down. 

I very much, though, like the fact that he aged openly and defiantly. The raw cuts of him singing live in front of the band that were used to create the Duets albums are pretty scary. Yeah, the voice is old and ragged, but the spirit is burning. 

[Chuck Nessa]

All this Sinatra talk reminded me of a purchase I made in 1965. I was at the University of Iowa, working at a Rexall Drug store. There was a Woolworths across the street and I happened to spot this "gem" in a wire rack near the check out - there is a card on the back signed by Sinatra, numbered 1598.

[Teasing the Korean]

11 hours ago, GA Russell said:

TTK, my thought is that from 1960 to 1965, he went from sounding 39 to sounding 55.

If you closely listen to any singer with a career as long as Sinatra's, you will pick up subtle and not-so-subtle signs of age and degradation along the way.  Sometimes they go through a rough patch and bounce back to a certain degree.  I'm not sure that I hear anything as dramatic as you do between those years.  I certainly hear subtle changes over the course of his Capitol and early Reprise era.  I still think Frank sounds great on the Jobim, Ellington, and the overrated September of My Years, heck, even Watertown.  He sounds older, though in control technically. The big jump with Frank that I hear occurs after Wee Small Hours.

You know that the later Capitol and early Reprise albums overlap by a couple of years, right?

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

That first Jobim album is gem. 

[Teasing the Korean]

5 minutes ago, JSngry said:

That first Jobim album is gem. 

Yup.

And I consider the Ellington album to be the last in what I feel is the classic run of Sinatra albums.  I should add that I do love Watertown, but that brings him into different territory.  After his 1970s comeback, he became essentially a legacy act for me.

[GA Russell]

9 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

You know that the later Capitol and early Reprise albums overlap by a couple of years, right?

No I didn't!  The last Capitol was Nice 'N' Easy from 1960, right?  When were his first Reprise albums recorded?

[JSngry]

Where does Point Of No Return fit? I thought it was the last Capitol? That one is totally gem, imo. Axel Stordahl in the zone! 

A few of those last Capitols are pretty jive, imo. Swingin'  Session comes readily to mind. Exhibit A for the prosecution. 

[Teasing the Korean]

@GA Russell:

• Nice & Easy - Capitol - July 1960
• Sinatra's Swingin' Session - Capitol - January 1961
• Ring a Ding - Reprise - March 1961
• Come Swing with Me - Capitol - July 1961
• Swing Along with Me AKA Sinatra Swings - Reprise - July 1961
• I Remember Tommy - Reprise - October 1961
• Sinatra and Strings - Reprise - January 1962
• Point of No Return - Capitol - March 1962
• Sinatra & Swinin' Brass - Reprise - July 1962

I agree with @JSngry, Frank often sounds like he is phoning it on the later Capitol albums, but he's pulling out all the stops on the early Reprise.

Agree about Stordahl's charts on Point of No Return.  Unfortunately, Frank had checked out.  Stordahl was dying of cancer.  Supposedly, he was coughing up blood between takes, and Sinatra would drolly say "next." He just wanted out at that point.

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[GA Russell]

3 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

@GA Russell:

• Nice & Easy - Capitol - July 1960
• Sinatra's Swingin' Session - Capitol - January 1961
• Ring a Ding - Reprise - March 1961
• Come Swing with Me - Capitol - July 1961
• Swing Along with Me AKA Sinatra Swings - Reprise - July 1961

 

Thanks TTK!  Now I wonder where I read that Sinatra's last work for Capitol was Nice & Easy.

[Teasing the Korean]

1 minute ago, GA Russell said:

Thanks TTK!  Now I wonder where I read that Sinatra's last work for Capitol was Nice & Easy.

It was probably the last Capitol album that he cared about.  The last three were contractual obligation records.  Supposedly, Frank kicked off the tunes at faster tempos than Riddle had in mind.  Still, there is at least one gem on that album, "I Concentrate on You," with one of Frank's great pregnant pauses on the last stanza.

[JSngry]

I thought that the selection of Stordahl was a gesture of thanks (or whatever) by Sinatra.

I think he sings nicely (if drily) on that record. Certainly nowhere as grotesquely as the previous two Capitol sessions.

I have surprised myself with how often I reach for it. Maybe it's because of the charts. 

[Teasing the Korean]

3 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I thought that the selection of Stordahl was a gesture of thanks (or whatever) by Sinatra.

I think he sings nicely (if drily) on that record. Certainly nowhere as grotesquely as the previous two Capitol sessions.

I have surprised myself with how often I reach for it. Maybe it's because of the charts. 

I too thought that it was meant as an acknowledgment of sorts.  I don't remember where I read what I did.  Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

I think Frank sounds engaged on maybe about half of the tracks.  The others as you say sound dry to my ears. 

[JSngry]

Dry but respectful. 

[Teasing the Korean]

According to Wiki, for what it's worth: Sinatra rushed through the (Point of No Return) sessions to fulfill his obligation to Capitol, something which Stordahl said upset him. 

[JSngry]

All's well that ends well.

And that record seems a bit underappreciated, imo. Those arrangements...translucent! 

Funny, the classic Sinatra/Stordahl run...generally doesn't do too much for me. Technically on-point, but... I'm not the target audience for that type of thing, ever. 

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Funny, the classic Sinatra/Stordahl run...generally doesn't do too much for me. Technically on-point, but... I'm not the target audience for that type of thing, ever. 

Sinatra's Columbia era overall doesn't do much for me.  Then he signs with Capitol, sings "I've Got the World on a String," and there's Frank.

[Dmitry]

My only concert of his was in March of 2018, here at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC). He was accompanied by his usual quartet, Gray Sargent, guitar, Tom Ranier, piano, Marshall Wood, bass and Harold Jones, drums. His daughter Antonia Benedetto opened with a few show tunes (I'll just say nothing about that). 91 year old Tony was tremendous. He did sing the same tune twice, an hour apart, I now forget which one, may have been Rags to Riches. Sold out the whole house, all 3000 seats. 

 

[Teasing the Korean]

Kind of amazing that this survived. COLOR footage from a 1960 Plymouth variety special, hosted by Steve Allen.  Tony is in very good voice here.  He was at the top of his game, and the Beatles hadn't come along to ruin everything the way they would in another four or five years. 

 

[gmonahan]

Sinatra loved Bennett. I recently read a story that I can't find now where Sinatra was in an Italian restaurant late at night where Bennett's music was playing and said something like "It doesn't get any better than this. A glass of wine, a good pasta, and my man Tony Bennett singing."

I saw him live in late career when he appeared here in Portland at Edgefield. He was in good voice and gave a great show. As so many have said, it was obvious how much he enjoyed being before a live audience. He drew energy from us even as we reflected our affection and admiration to him. I feel privileged to have had that opportunity.

 

[Big Al]

On 7/31/2023 at 10:33 AM, gmonahan said:

I saw him live in late career when he appeared here in Portland at Edgefield. He was in good voice and gave a great show. As so many have said, it was obvious how much he enjoyed being before a live audience. He drew energy from us even as we reflected our affection and admiration to him. I feel privileged to have had that opportunity.

 

My wife & I saw Bennett in 1994 with the Ralph Sharon Trio at the Casa Manana in Ft Worth. At the time, this was a theater in the round and Tony worked every inch of that room like a grand master. As others have said, he clearly enjoyed himself most in front of an audience and this night was no exception. I had always admired Bennett from my mom's Christmas albums. That night made me a fan for life!