“THE ART OF EXCELLENCE.” Tony Bennett. Columbia...
“THE ART OF EXCELLENCE.” Tony Bennett. Columbia CK 30344 (compact disc) or FC 40344 (LP).
Found: a graphic artist who sings as well as he paints. This will come as no news to those who first became familiar with his vocal talents; in any event, Tony Bennett’s return to Columbia Records after a 10-year absence is doubly welcome in that the market is now ripe for songs of this caliber and Bennett is in superb voice throughout.
Count the blessings in this London-produced set: Bennett caressing a series of handsomely crafted songs, some fairly recent, others older but never antique; the backing by pianist Ralph Sharon’s trio and a large string ensemble billed as the U.K. Orchestra Ltd.; the brilliant recording and intelligent production, credited to Bennett’s son Danny and to Ettore Stratta; the orchestrations by Jorge Calandrelli.
Ray Charles is on hand, playing and singing in the wryly amusing vocal duet “Everybody Has the Blues.” The unidentified alto sax on some tracks is Pete King. The CD version contains two songs not included in the LP, one of which, “So Many Stars” by Sergio Mendes and the Bergmans, is in itself an argument for buying a CD player.
For the art and the excellence, 5 stars.
(Note: “Strike Up the Band,” by Bennett with the 1958 Count Basie band, has been reissued on a CD, Roulette RCD 59021.)
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