Tony Bennett - Fifty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett [Box]

Artist:

Bennett, Tony

UPC:

827969278420

See Also:

Bailey, Mildred Basie, Count Frank Sinatra - Duets k.d. lang/Tony Bennett - A Wonderful World

Description:

Personnel: Tony Bennett (vocals); Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, k.d. lang, Kermit the Frog, B.B. King (vocals); George Van Eps (guitar); Corky Hale (harp); Bobby Hackett (ukulele, cornet); Joe Soldo (flute); Joe Marsala (clarinet); Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Jimmy Rowles, Tommy Flanagan (piano); Dick Hyman (organ); Art Blakey (drums); Ralph Sharon (piano); Count Basie & His Orchestra, Ralph Sharon Trio, The Ray Charles Singers.
Liner Note Authors: Tony Bennett; Anthony DeCurtis.
Arrangers: Ralph Sharon; Dick Hyman; Al Cohn; Marty Manning; Percy Faith; Chuck Wayne; Neal Hefti; Don Costa; Torrie Zito; Frank DeVol; Johnny Mandel; Johnny Keating; Robert Farnon ; Jorge Calandrelli; Peter Matz.
When the first version of this impressive box set was originally released in 1991 (as Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett), it put the capstone upon Tony Bennett`s remarkable return to prominence by looking back at a legacy that had been overshadowed by that of the colossus Sinatra. The collection methodically traced his career from his first Columbia record, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," in 1950, through the hit singles and key or capriciously selected album tracks up until 1972. Then, after borrowing three tracks from Fantasy`s 1975 Tony Bennett/Bill Evans project (including an exquisite "Some Other Time" with a "Peace Piece" introduction from Evans), the box leapt ahead 11 years to contemplate Bennett`s unlikely resurrection as an icon of the cynical young. From there, Fifty Years departs from its predecessor by adding a fifth disc which, at 23 tracks, boosts the total from 87 to 110 tracks. Bennett`s unlikely popular success during the `90s and 2000s is surveyed with a parade of Grammy winners, including selections from 1993`s Perfectly Frank, 1994`s Steppin` Out and MTV Unplugged, 1999`s Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot and Cool, and 2002`s A Wonderful World (among others).
Bennett`s early records are almost operatic in feeling, a honey-smooth Italian tenor building toward histrionic climaxes, but the voice eventually busts loose into an outgoing, life-celebrating baritone, and, by the 1980s, reemerges as a darker, softer, even somewhat raspy replica of itself. There isn`t much for the jazz listener here other than an occasional session with Count Basie (dig their ebullient "Lullaby of Broadway" together), a few cameos by jazz names, the Evans tracks, or some upbeat charts by Ralph Sharon, Ralph Burns, and a few others. Ultimately, the most striking difference between Bennett`s records and Sinatra`s is the sheer, unbeatably high quality of arrangements that Sinatra was able to get. Yet despite the abundance of period MOR treacle, many of these records are more interesting than memory recalls; for example, it`s difficult to resist such a na?vely joyous track as Frank DeVol`s rendering of "Put on a Happy Face" that has the Mitch Miller era written all over it. There is no better Tony Bennett retrospective at any price, although jazz specialists might be better served by the Jazz compilation. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Track Listing:

DISC 1:

1. Boulevard of Broken Dreams, The
2. Because of You
3. Cold, Cold Heart
4. Blue Velvet
5. Rags to Riches
6. Stranger in Paradise
7. While the Music Plays On
8. May I Never Love Again
9. Sing You Sinners
10. Just in Time
11. Lazy Afternoon
12. Ca C`Est L`Amour
13. I Get a Kick Out of You
14. It Amazes Me Penthouse
15. Penthouse Serenade (When We`re Alone)
16. Lost in the Stars
17. Lullaby of Broadway
18. Firefly
19. Sleepin` Bee, A
20. Man That Got Away, The
21. Skylark
22. September Song
23. Till

DISC 2:

1. Begin the Beguine
2. Put on a Happy Face
3. Best Is Yet to Come, The
4. This Time the Dream`s on Me
5. Close Your Eyes
6. Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goodbye)
7. Dancing in the Dark
8. Stella by Starlight
9. Tender Is the Night
10. Once Upon a Time
11. (I Left My Heart in) San Francisco
12. Until I Met You
13. If I Love Again
14. I Wanna Be Around
15. Good Life, The
16. It Was Me
17. Spring in Manhattan
18. Moment of Truth, The
19. This Is All I Ask
20. Taste of Honey, A
21. When Joanna Loved Me
22. I`ll Be Around

DISC 3:

1. Nobody Else But Me
2. It Had to Be You
3. I`ve Got Just About Everything
4. Who Can I Turn to?
5. Waltz For Debbie
6. I Walk a Little Faster
7. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
8. If I Ruled the World
9. Fly Me to the Moon
10. Love Scene
11. Sweet Lorraine
12. Shadow of Your Smile, The
13. I`ll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her
14. Baby, Dream Your Dream
15. Smile
16. Song From "The Oscar" (Maybe September)
17. Emily
18. Very Thought of You, The
19. Time For Love, A
20. Country Girl
21. Days of Love

DISC 4:

1. Keep Smiling at Trouble
2. For Once in My Life
3. Who Cares So Long as You Care For Me
4. Hi-Ho
5. Baby Don`t You Quit Now
6. Something
7. Cold, Cold Heart
8. I Do Not Know a Day I Did Not Love You
9. Old Devil Moon
10. Remind Me
11. Maybe This Time
12. Some Other Time
13. My Foolish Heart
14. But Beautiful
15. How Do You Keep the Music Playing
16. What Are You Afraid of?
17. Why Do People Fall In Love / People
18. I Got Lost in Her Arms
19. When I Lost You
20. Shaking the Blues Away
21. Antonia
22. When Do the Bells Ring For Me

DISC 5:

1. East of the Sun (West of the Moon)
2. New York, New York
3. Steppin` Out With My Baby
4. They All Laughed
5. They Can`t Take That Away From Me
6. Speak Low
7. Solitude
8. I Wished on the Moon
9. When a Woman Loves a Man
10. That Ole Devil Called Love
11. Way You Look Tonight, The
12. AC-Cen-T-Chu-Ate the Positive
13. Bein` Green
14. Mood Indigo
15. Day Dream
16. Azure
17. Sophisticated Lady
18. Alright, Okay, You Win
19. Let the Good Times Roll
20. Evenin`
21. La Vie en Rose
22. What a Wonderful World

Album Information

Release Date:

10/12/2004

Type:

Boxed Set

Genre:

Pop Vocal

Subgenre:

Show Vocals

Label:

Legacy

Producer:

Mitch Miller; Ernie Altschuler; Allen Stanton; Howard A. Roberts; Phil Ramone; Didier C. Deutsch (Compilation); Mark Wilder (Compilation)

Catalog Number:

92784

Original Release Year:

2004

# of Discs:

5

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Guest Artist:

B.B. King; Ray Charles; Diana Krall; K.D. Lang; Ralph Sharon; Frank Sinatra

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