Very short show, but Tony sounded great!!!

 

Saw him in the 80s with Count Basie. Great show. Amazing big band.

It comes on at 7:00 pm on the left coast. I’m gonna watch it in about a half hour.

 

I enjoyed the album. Very impressed too with Gaga's ability to channel a traditional jazz vocalist vibe, while adding her own flair. She's very expressive, and has a really remarkable tonal range.

 

The sad thing is that Tony has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I really want to go back and watch this but I’m sure it will be a very sad affair for me. The same thing happened with Glenn Campbell and he went on a final tour. Like I said, it’s so sad to watch someone fade away like this. But I am happy that they can wrap up their careers on their own terms.

 

Tony sounded fantastic. This will not be sad for you at all. It’s not like he came out and sounded awful and was way past his prime and was disappointing.
NOT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His timing, phrasing, and voice, were all impeccable.

 

Tony sounded fantastic. This will not be sad for you at all. It’s not like he came out and sounded awful and was way past his prime and was disappointing.
NOT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His timing, phrasing, and voice, were all impeccable.

It’s not that I expected him to sound diminished, but the whole time I’m listening I’ll be thinking about his ultimate decline. I’m probably over sensitive to this because of my own fears but that’s just me. I will eventually see this if I can.

 

Anybody care to mention what network it is or was on?

 

CBS

Just watched it. If Tony is suffering from dementia it didn’t show tonight. He was in fine form. Best I’ve seen or heard from him in several years. Gaga was as schmaltzy as an act on the Lawrence Welk show but when Tony came out he was magic. Ninety-five and he still sounds great. Just a fun show and that’s enough.

 

CBS. Here is "Anything Goes" as a taster from it that they aired on the Colbert show as a promo:

 

60 minutes documented the preparations for this show. Quite a sad story but Gaga did an incredible job helping this event happen.

 

Amazing show.

Thanks for the head’s up, Mark. Much appreciated.

 

So I just watched this. In the ‘80s I was privileged to play in the orchestra behind Tony many times. There’s a thing in his voice, a kind of an iron or steel core, but it’s alive. It’s like every fiber of his being is producing that sound. Even in the grip of Alzheimer’s, at 95, it’s still there.

I had trouble watching the show, it was hard to see him and see he didn’t always know where he was. But once the music starts, he is in the flow. And what a flow it is. Alzheimer’s sucks.

What a treasure Tony Bennett is.

 

Thanks for the heads up man . . . such an amazing set up and performance.

Really amazing of Lady Gaga for helping put this on. She has a sort-of Linda Ronstadt thing where her range can cover pretty much any kind of genre she wants to do.

For a little Tony and Dexter to brighten up your holiday season:

White Christmas - Tony Bennett & Dexter Gordon

Side Note Addendum: My wife works with folks with Alzheimer and Dementia and programs stimulating activity for them to do throughout the day to keep them as active as possible. When she has music therapists come and see these folks and play tunes from their eras (and even music generally), amazing things happen. Just a testament to the power of music and the effect it has on all of us. Thanks again @10mfan for looping us all in to this very special moment.

 

I think there's a consensus that music engages different parts of the brain than those that are first affected by Alzheimers. Plus, keep in mind that Tony Bennett has been performing for something like 80 years, so it's all in long term memory not short term. He may not be able to remember what he ate for breakfast, but a song he's been singing since 1940 will be later to disappear.

 

I assume everyone watching were worried he wasn't going to remember words or how certain parts went because of the disease, but we were all wrong.
He was ON, and was simply amazing. I did gigs a few gigs with his guitarist Gray Sargent, when we both were in Boston decades ago, and he is the most tasteful guitar player I've ever heard. Just perfect.
Listen to him back Tony on "Fly me to the moon"....amazing!
Tonys' timing, phrasing, and range, were exceptional in all the songs he did last night!

 

I didn't realize Tony had dementia. I watched the show and it slowly dawned on me that he seemed frail and a bit dazed. If you've been around dementia patients you recognize that thousand mile stare. It's amazing that he was able to perform like that.

My mother-in-law had a long, 10 years, bout with the disease. Fortunately, she remembered her daughters up to the end. It affects different people differently.

 

Tony has always been my favorite crooner and he probably always will be. At this point I think I respect Gaga more than maybe any other pop star of the last couple decades because of her very legitimate dive into swing and jazz, and for exposing new generations of listeners to Tony.

 

I think she's the most talented pop star to come down the pike in many years, too.

 

Don’t underestimate Bruno Mars. This guy can write, sing, dance, and entertain with the best of them. Super talent!

 

That was one heck of a good show! Not the stuff I would normally watch, but hey, it's the guy's last time on stage. How could you not watch it? Both of them were great, not to mention the supporting musicians killing it! I looked forward to this one, all week long, and sure wasn't disappointed!!!

 

I respect Bruno's craft, for sure, and I always enjoy playing his tunes on cover gigs (particularly "That's What I Like" and others from that record). I consider him kind of a "timepiece collage artist" in a lot of ways – he's not really bringing much originality to the table, but he's revisiting periods in funk/soul music and presenting them in cool ways to younger ears.

Which is much like what Gaga is doing with her jazz group, of course... but her early pop hits were pretty damn original-sounding for the time. Much respect!

(As a big bonus, Gaga keeps a couple good friends of mine gainfully employed and playing on TV for all the world to see! And by their account, she's an excellent boss. They love that gig and they don't take it for granted.)

 

I saw the first set of shows at RCMH a few years ago and it was impressive from the production standpoint and musically. Very memorable performance, strong voice from TB and LG was clearly on her game. TB/Bill Evans is one for the ages.

 

That's beautiful, Mark! I was just thinking about the work he did on "Quiet Nights" the other day when "My Favorite Things" came on over the loudspeaker in the store. What a fine voice.

Ever heard some of those more obscure 50s and 60s albums he did? Magnifique! Check out Hometown, My Town (I think that's the name of it). When I had Tony autograph the album Atlanta he look at me with a wry smile and said "Where did you get THIS??" and we chatted about it briefly. F'ing HELL of an album. Ralph Burns scoring... mmmm... His voice is like a fine Scotch or Bourbon.

I shot my TV dead so I'll have to catch the reruns on YouBoob later. Good post, Mark!

 

Thanks bro! I’ll look for that. How have you been? It’s great to see you here. Give a shout and we can catch up. All the best, Mark

 

Steve Kortyka on sax; great gig for him. Gaga is a real artist, and she deserves tremendous kudos for her efforts on many fronts.

 

Steve is the man! Wonderful player (on all the horns) and a great guy, too... still practices more than just about anyone I know even though he has one of the top gigs anyone could ever have. His Instagram has some excellent clips on various setups.

Last year, when we were a few months into the pandemic and everyone was stuck at home for so long, we made this video together remotely. He sounds killer on alto!

Much respect indeed to Ms. Gaga for having the taste and platform to elevate some excellent jazz musicians who have worked hard for a long time. She's a genuinely good vocalist, too.

 

I saw the show and at the time I didn't realize Tony had Alzheimer's; I sure couldn't tell he had it watching this. He was fantastic. Dementia of not, it's amazing how well he sings at 95!

I really enjoyed the sax solos also. I didn't know he was until reading this thread.