Althouse: Goodbye to Tony Bennett.

July 21, 2023

Goodbye to Tony Bennett.

Link to WaPo obituary.

24 comments:

Iman said...: RIP… a silky voice from a classier time.; 7/21/23, 7:59 AM
Iman said...: …and the man never wore a dress!; 7/21/23, 8:01 AM
Iman said...: Take dat, hairy styles!; 7/21/23, 8:01 AM
MadisonMan said...: Well ain't that a kick in the head.
What a long and great career. Something to admire!; 7/21/23, 8:02 AM
Aggie said...: Not my cup o' tea, but saddened at his passing. Sometimes I think our society has stopped being a favorable, supportive place for people to develop their own strong sense of character. Hopefully it's either just a passing phase or my own misperception. Bennett certainly cut his own path.; 7/21/23, 8:03 AM
Caroline said...: Cheers and farewell to a class act.; 7/21/23, 8:03 AM
planetgeo said...: I left my heart in his version of San Francisco. I'm one of the lucky ones who got to experience it when it really was the way he sang it. Always comes back to me like a beautiful fog.; 7/21/23, 8:05 AM
Enigma said...: My deepest respect for his stunning series of professional eras (at least 3 eras):

- Young and experimental (1950s-1960s)
- Mature voice, mainstream, and mellow (1970s-1990s)
- "Duets" and rediscovery by later generations (2000s-2023); 7/21/23, 8:08 AM
Temujin said...: What everyone else said. The word that comes to me is 'class'. It was something you once saw all over the landscape. No longer.

His type of class will be missed.; 7/21/23, 8:09 AM
rehajm said...: His second act was indeed remarkable. Sorry to hear…; 7/21/23, 8:25 AM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: Used to be a fan, then he soiled himself over Obama and came out a raging lib idiot. Turns out he was simply a male Bette Midler.; 7/21/23, 8:38 AM
who-knew said...: Growing up on Rock and Roll, I was never a fan. I thought he was just something for my parents, "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" and all that. Then in college, I discovered jazz, and in particular Bill Evans. I saw there was the Bill Evans/Tony Bennett LP and I thought there has to be more to Mr. Bennett than I think if Bill Evans wanted to work with him. It was a few years before I started listening to Bennett but I was well rewarded. R.I.P; 7/21/23, 8:46 AM
Rory said...: Saw him close up, c. 1990. The rug was incredible. RIP.; 7/21/23, 8:54 AM
Another old lawyer said...: Rest in Peace, Uncle Tony. My late mother-in-law was a huge fan. Not sure if she liked Frank more, but Bennett was known as 'Uncle Tony' around the house. She and my wife and I saw him in concert in the Meyerson concert hall in Dallas in late 1994 or early 1995. He was in wonderful voice, at one point even singing a cappella with the microphones and speakers off to show that his voice could still fill the hall. Great evening for us all; definitely made my retro bucket list after.; 7/21/23, 8:58 AM
Leland said...: Even the second act comes to an end.

Good man and performer.; 7/21/23, 8:58 AM
Michael K said...: Fond memories. I saw him in Vegas about 15 years ago.; 7/21/23, 9:12 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: Enjoyed his music and his long life. Wished he kept his mouth shut about politics.; 7/21/23, 9:20 AM
Anthony said...: Never liked his voice for some reason. That's not really my era, but when I want to hear some I turn on Sinatra-Martin-Davis-Darin.; 7/21/23, 10:08 AM
hombre said...: RIP, Tony Bennett. Thank you for your entertaining.; 7/21/23, 11:23 AM
GRW3 said...: Too bad San Francisco died first.; 7/21/23, 11:29 AM
YoungHegelian said...: An unusual Tony Bennett historical link: Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane wrote the song Today hoping to get Tony Bennett to perform it.

It remains one of my favorite Jefferson Airplane tunes.; 7/21/23, 11:56 AM
guitar joe said...: Wonderful singer. Sinatra held him in high regard. That era is now gone, and we'll start to see more and more of that with our own music heroes.; 7/21/23, 2:41 PM
rcocean said...: I always get Mel Torme mixed up with Tony Bennett.

In the late 70s, we had a music teacher in Junior high, she'd come from SF to our slightly less than medium sized town. The first song she taught us was "I left my heart in SF".

And in those days you could get 2 bees for a dollar..

Wait, don't go. I'll finish my old man's story fast. Anyway, that song led me to Tony Bennett songs and Tony songs led to me sampling Jazz and becoming a Jazz fan.

And so I'm glad Tony lived a good long life. And now you know..
the rest of the story; 7/21/23, 5:41 PM
Tina Trent said...: Sorry, grandma. But he's with you now.; 7/22/23, 2:06 PM