Tony Bennett is both American institution and pre-eminent interpreter of the Great American Songbook, the canon of mid-20th century jazz and pop standards best exemplified by the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern and Johnny Mandel. He has his musical heirs, but Bennett’s presence and sophisticated grace are beyond emulation, as he’ll demonstrate at I Left My Heart in Las Vegas, his three-date engagement at The Venetian Resort.
Bennett’s return to the Strip for a multi-night stay opens the door to bittersweet memories for the singer. Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in an Italian-American neighborhood in Queens, N.Y, Bennett’s career can be divided into before and after Las Vegas in the ’70s. The first half lasted a quarter-century, as he at first picked up a fading Frank Sinatra’s slack on the pop charts, and scored majorly with “Rags to Riches” and a cover of Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart.” It’s also when he developed a deep reverence for jazz.
That period peaked in 1962 with the song that would become his signature hit, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Then The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan, and the bottom fell out of the market for orchestrated pop hits. Bennett’s mid-’60s album titles indicate the path his career took, defining his style as appropriate for When the Lights Are Low, followed by anxious-sounding Who Can I Turn To.
He answered his own question with 1965’s If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. Bennett’s audiences were still faithful, but record companies donated larger shares of resources and promotion to the youth market every year. Sinatra ruled Vegas rather than the charts, Nat King Cole passed away, and Bennett inherited the mantle of responsibility for a sound meant for orchestra or piano trio, and singers who could fill the room without electronic enhancement while having full mastery over a microphone’s dynamic range.
He kept alive the sound of jazz and swing for the jet set as they made pilgrimages to Las Vegas through the ’70s, but might have succumbed to a self-destructive lifestyle had his son Danny Bennett not discovered his own innate talent for managing and marketing his father’s talent. With support he could trust, Tony Bennett got inspired. The Art of Excellence put him back on the map as a recording talent in 1986, and established him as a keeper of the American Songbook.
The kid from Queens is now 93 years young. Like his heroes Pablo Picasso and Dizzy Gillespie, he plans to practice his art of vocal excellence as long as his physical self allows. His concert itinerary for this year included concerts at Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall, where he performed Gershwin classics that he recorded with Diana Krall for last year’s album Love Is Here to Stay. If Vegas audiences are lucky they may have the rare opportunity to witness Bennett singing the title track with his daughter Antonia Bennett, who opens the shows.
The Venetian, 8 p.m. Sept. 25 & 27-28, starting at $49.95 plus tax and fee. 702.414.9000
