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| 1926-2023 |
My goal as a creative person is to express truth and beauty in whatever I do.
For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He's the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.
--Frank Sinatra
I realized that young people had never heard those songs. Cole Porter, Gershwin—they were like, 'Who wrote that?' To them, it was different. If you're different, you stand out.
--Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap, he has demolished it. He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises.
--The New York Times
I walked in and said, ''Well, Tony, here we are,'' and I dropped my robe, and I got into position. I felt shy and thought, ''It’s Tony Bennett. Why am I naked?''
--Lady Gaga. Done in conjunction with an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot for Vanity Fair (in which Gaga also appeared nude,) the charcoal drawing by "Benedetto" (Tony's birth name), eventually netted $30K at an auction, the proceeds going to two different charities, Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and Bennett's Exploring the Arts Foundation.
Of course, the drawing was hardly Bennett's and Gaga's only, or, for that matter, most well-known, collaboration....
She's America's answer to Picasso.
--Tony Bennett
I don’t know if I’m the new Picasso but I’m certainly twisted like his paintings.
--Lady Gaga
Tony called me Lady, but he talked to Stefani. The little girl in me that loved jazz sang with Tony Bennett. I know he called me Lady, but I know who his singing partner was: It was that little girl who loved jazz.
--Stefani Germanotta, aka, Lady Gaga
What a fab tribute! Great post! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLoved him with Amy Winehouse, and KD.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, neither Winehouse nor Lange sounded like they were in over their heads singing Bennett's type of music. Talent transcends genre.
DeleteSpeaking of Winehouse, Tony Bennett had a surprising reaction to her and Whitney Houston substance-abuse deaths within a year of each other: he came out IN FAVOR of the legalizing drugs. While I can make the intellectual connection, I wouldn't have expected it of a man who was in his late 80s in 2012. Then again, Bennett reportedly nearly OD'd himself to an early grave in 1979. Substance abuse. Another thing jazz and rock have in common.
"I get no kick from cocaine..."
I think Lady Gaga is going to miss him more than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteMike, I wanted to end this post with a Lady Gaga tribute to Bennett, but she has yet to make a public comment regarding his passing, though I'm sure she soon will. I think the quote I found from when he was STILL ALIVE sums up their musical relationship pretty well. I think their duets made it easier--at least easier for me--to evaluate Gaga's vocal abilities, which isn't always the case with the hardcore dance pop she's known for. Could it be that "Cheek to Cheek" is the missing link between "Born This Way" and the National Anthem?
DeleteJust thinking of his interpretations and what he gifted the next generations gives me the chills.
ReplyDeleteCool comment, Mitchell.
DeleteRest in Peace. My parents are fans of his. And his collab with Lady Gaga made me one.
ReplyDeleteI think both Bennett and Gaga benefited enormously from that pairing, JM.
DeleteI love people who use their art to express truth and beauty.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any better way to produce art, Lux.
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