Tony Bennett: The Art of Originality

Tony Bennett, the man who never sings a song the same way twice, thinks there’s a lot to be said for originality.

“It’s in our heritage,” Bennett said. “It’s the individual who excited the world about our country. It was people like Thomas Edison, Fred Astaire, and others who helped bring attention to America.”

Bennett talked about the importance of being inventive while relaxing in the Lumber Baron Bar of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Tuesday afternoon. He was in town for a performance in DeVos Hall for the annual Spartan Stores Convention and Trade Show.

“After the Beatles, you had 30,000 groups trying to sound like them, but where did it get them?” Bennett said. “I know I can’t change the world, but nobody likes robots. Add a little creativity and life becomes more worthwhile.”

Best known as the voice behind “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” Bennett has spent the past 30 years putting his indelible interpretations of pop and jazz classics to work on the stage.

He displayed his unique, jazz-inspired phrasings Tuesday night during his 1-hour and 15-minute show that covered songs by Richard Rodgers, Michel Legrand, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin, among others.

Certainly, his longevity can be traced, in part, to his exacting taste for standards of the modern era.

“I guess I’ve always managed to hang around with the best songs,” he said. “I like songs that show craftsmanship, songs that don’t go out of date.”

Songs such as Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” stamp Bennett’s repertoire as one that yearns for yesterday.

“It’s loose, spontaneous, honest-to-God music,” he said. “I’m not singing the same notes night after night or it would become boring. That’s why I’ll add a turn of phrase to fit the atmosphere of the room.”

Bennett, who cherishes the big band era for its contribution to music, says the 1930s and composers such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Harry Warren, and George Gershwin will always retain a special place in his heart.

But he has his favorites among contemporary artists as well.

“I think there are a few contemporary songwriters – people like Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie – who are really saying something to people,” he said.

“They are the guys who are proving that there are still standards being written today. I find that there’s always new songs coming out that I wish I had recorded.”

Bennett has stated that he wishes the rhythmic pulse of today’s “caveman” music would be toned down for the sake of melody.

“You always have to have a beat, but we need to put the accent back on the melodic form,” he said, advocating the development of “a more mature popular music.”

He performed a couple of tunes Tuesday, including the encore “Fly Me To The Moon,” without the benefit of microphone amplification, evoking the intimate image of a surviving singer from a bygone era.

Modern technology, he says, can’t ruin the spirit of music. Hence, he tours with a simple trio comprised of pianist Ralph Sharon, acoustic bassist Jon Burr and drummer Joe LaBarbera.

“Nothing’s going to replace the soul,” Bennett said. “A mechanical instrument can do many things, but it can’t conjure up feeling.”

Bennett approaches his music as an art form and it’s no wonder as he has been painting and performing ever since he attended the School of Industrial Art in New York City.

Signing his paintings with his given name, Anthony Benedetto, he has had one-man exhibitions in the world’s finest art galleries and has sold his work for as much as $10,000.

“I’ve done all sorts of painting, but lately I’ve been interested in portraits,” he said. “I’ve been studying it for two years with Basil Baylin on 57th Street in New York. He’s really good.”

While his music and painting allow him to stay active mentally, Bennett keeps physically in shape by playing tennis almost daily. As a result, with a youthful smile, he looks much younger than his years.

“A little philosophy goes a long ways in the morning,” he said. “My ambition is to get better as I get older. For me, it means staying healthy and being consistent with my work.”

Bennett, who long ago accepted the road as a way of life, is looking forward to touring Europe this fall. Of course, the classic, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” will be on the bill.

“I owe many of the great moments in my career to the song,” said Bennett, who claims to have sung the song about “the most beautiful city in the world” for presidents, various heads of state, and royalty.

“It’s been like a lucky charm for me,” he added. “In all the seasons and places I’ve performed that song, I’ve never met a person who didn’t like it.”

Originally publishes August 22, 1984.