The evening of Feb. 20, while many were in tornado shelters, Tony and Antonia Bennett performed to a crowded theater at TPAC’s Jackson Hall in Nashville. On tour together to promote his new album, Classics II, they breezed through a dizzying selection from his timeless catalog and more.
Antonia Bennett. Photos by Kati Baird.
Gracing the stage first, Antonia Bennett perfectly set the tone for the whole evening with a handful of standards ranging from “Teach Me Tonight” to the Noel Coward classic “Sail Away.” Inspired by Brenda Lee, who was a special a guest in the audience, Ms. Bennett performed “Always On My Mind” (better known in the Willie Nelson version, though Lee was the first to record the now-classic song). Had the next act not been Tony Bennett, I would have been disappointed that her act was so short. However, I need not have worried, for she came out to duet with him, further proof to support that old adage about apples and trees.
Introduced via a recording by the one and only Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett took the stage to a standing ovation. Performing Gershwin’s “They All Laughed,” he laughed and danced around the stage, showing that at 87 years old he’s still got it. Backed by a quartet of veterans, including “Count Basie’s favorite drummer” Harold Jones, Bennett let them take the spotlight many times, proving he was not the only accomplished performer onstage. The quartet setup allowed for the music and the mood to fill the room naturally, transforming TPAC’s Jackson Hall into a swanky downtown jazz club. Throughout the show, Mr. Bennett stayed cool in his crisp suit and tie—not the Justin Timberlake-type—dancing and snapping his fingers with a constant smile on his face. After receiving a standing ovation for “For Once in My Life,” Mr. Bennett joked with the audience, asking, “You want to go on?” The answer, of course, was an enthusiastic “yes.” He followed that with “I’m Old Fashioned” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” for which he received another standing ovation, this one even louder than before. One of several highlights of the night was an intro he gave to a classic recording. Recalling a letter he received from Switzerland many years ago, he was touched to be thanked for “saving his song” by the original composer, Charlie Chaplin. Mr. Bennett performed Chaplin’s “Smile” to rapturous applause to close out the night, but the crowd refused to let him end on such a high note. He returned twice for the applause, surely teasing us, and then closed out the night with guitar-backed version of “Fly Me to the Moon.” Without the aid of a microphone, he showcased his incredible voice as well the Jackson Hall, about which he remarked, saying, “The acoustics are just perfect.” A one-of-a-kind singer, Tony Bennett is and always will be beyond compare. His warm presence convinces you he’s an old friend, and the timeless words that he so effortlessly sings make it so. With an ease on stage that only a naturally gifted performer could muster, Tony Bennett crooned and shuffled his way into our open hearts.
Before his encore, Mr. Bennett thanked the Nashville crowd, congratulating the city on being the “Music City of the world.” With that being said, it is we who should thank him for gracing our stage with his once-in-a-generation talent.
Before the show, I was able to steal a precious moment of the legend’s time, asking him a few questions about his show in Nashville.
Murfreesboro Pulse: Welcome to Nashville. While it is not the Big Apple, what is it like to perform in Music City, a town built upon a tradition of performing, not unlike New York City?
Tony Bennett: Nashville is a music town, so it’s the best possible place to perform, and I have loved being here over the years, especially because it is a city that loves and appreciates live performance, which is what I love most. Even when I record, I try to keep things as “live” as possible, with all the musicians in the room with me. We had a terrific time in Nashville when we recorded Duets II, and we had Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson and Faith Hill in the studio with us. Everyone we encountered was warm and welcoming, so it was a highlight of making that record.
What is it about these songs, these standards, that continually inspire you?
There was an era of songwriting mastery in the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s when you had the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, all creating the finest popular standards. If you stick with quality then it always renews itself so that it never stops being inspirational. When I started out, my premise was to establish a hit catalog, not just hit songs, as I wanted to avoid doing novelty songs that might hit it big for three weeks and then be instantly forgotten.
The music of the day constantly changes, and yet you have remained a consistent presence. What at do you think are essential elements to creating something timeless?
It’s all about quality—if it’s quality, it will last.
As a storyteller, how do you find that special way to communicate to an audience? Singing is your method, but more than that, how do you craft your performances to create pure moments?
I strive to choose songs that connect with me and that I can say to myself “I understand that—I know what the songwriter was trying to communicate.” And then it’s my task to explain that to the audience, so it’s a matter of phrasing and tempo and emphasis to get the message across. It’s also why I love working with jazz musicians because they are so skilled that you can be completely spontaneous on stage and you don’t have to keep to what you rehearsed. That’s the best way to connect with an audience.
Aside from your lengthy career as a singer, you also indulge a passion for painting. Where did that artistic urge come from?
I have been singing and painting all my life, and I when I was growing up, my family was very encouraging to me and they would compliment me on my sketches, so they really told me who I am and gave me the desire to keep with singing and painting. I have been very fortunate, as I truly feel I have never worked a day in my life—I spend every day doing what I love most.
