The Late, Great Tony Bennett and MSU

 

The year was 1975.

Ken Beachler (recently deceased) was head of the Lecture-Concert Series at Michigan State University. He understood that a new concert hall was desperately needed for the future of concerts and theater at MSU, replacing the current venue; the barn-like, depression-era Auditorium.

After years of discussion, the site was chosen that would later become Wharton Center for Performing Arts, however private donations were needed to make it happen.

Beachler wanted to plan a flashy benefit concert with big stars to kick off the fund-raising campaign.  Tony Bennett (who was at the height of his career) along with Lena Horn were chosen to give a concert at the MSU Auditorium followed by a gala dinner afterwards.

The tickets were sold, Bennett and Horn were booked, and the town was excited.  But one day before the big event was to take place, a huge rainstorm which caused a “100 year flood” descended on the East Lansing area and the Auditorium was flooded and unusable. Everyone was convinced that the event had to be cancelled.

After some quick deliberations, a stage was quickly built in the Munn Ice Arena (not the perfect venue for a gala concert), and Tony Bennet and Lena Horn, unfazed by the disruption, gave a stunning benefit performance on April 19. 1975 bringing Wharton Center closer to reality than just a dream.

Tony Bennet, who just died at age 96, has been back to MSU several times to perform at Wharton Center, the hall to which he donated his talents to create.

Through the years I have had the privilege of interviewing many great artists, but the conversation I had with Tony Bennett leading up to his performance in 2001 was the most memorable.  We talked for a long time, and I found him to be amazingly sincere and authentic. He was warm and forthcoming and as the conversation continued, we were as relaxed as two old friends sharing stories.

He spoke about his days as a singing waiter and how he got into the music business, starting as a jazz singer in small clubs, and now performing in huge auditoriums. A true artist, Bennett was also a respected painter, presenting art shows in many cities throughout the US.

Some headlines in the press called him a “crooner”, a description I feel sells him short. Tony Bennett was a musician of great depth. If you listen to how he interprets “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”, his signature song, you will hear the melodies handled with the great tenderness and nuance of a virtuoso violinist.

In addition to his sensitivity with a lovely ballad like “San Francisco”, Bennett could swing with the best of them with upbeat tunes.  His love of the music and of performing for an audience always shined through.

At age 60 or so, Bennett’s career began to wane. The standards that he sang were out of vogue, and rap and hip hop were taking over the music business. He had a talk with his son Danny Benedetto (Tony’s real last name) who had become a record producer. Danny was convinced that if his dad were marketed correctly, the younger generation would “discover” the great singer.

Tony wanted to give it a try.  Danny lined up great artists to sing duet albums with Bennett (k.d. Lang, Elvis Costello) and he appeared on MTV with an Unplugged show. His career was reborn with gusto.  He appeared on talk shows and when Frank Sinatra retired, he passed his mantel as best male singer to Bennett. In 2014 Bennett released an album with Lady Gaga which became a huge hit, and the two became lasting friends.

In the last few years, sadly, Alzheimer’s took its toll on Bennett. He was not able to recognize most people and his memory was gone. But in a very moving “60 Minutes” program (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tony-bennett-and-lady-gaga-in-2021-60-minutes/Bennett), he appeared with Lady Gaga one last time in concert, and the music miraculously brought his brain back to life again.  He remembered all the words to his favorite songs and sang them with heartbreaking beauty. It was a powerful display of the power of music, and of Tony Bennett’s genuine love of performing.

Please read the review that I wrote of his 2001 concert at Wharton Center.

Tony Bennett just sings.

He doesn’t write the songs, doesn’t arrange them, doesn’t play piano or guitar, doesn’t dance and doesn’t act.

All he does is sing.

But he sings so well, that he captivated a filled Wharton Center on Friday night. His magic of communication turned the Great Hall into a small intimate nightclub.  Bennett brought with him a quartet (piano, guitar, bass and drums) that had such skill that they were able to match the great subtlety and sensitivity he brought to each song.

At an amazing 75 years of age, Bennett has lost little of what he had when he wowed audiences in the 50s and 60s.  In fact, he sounds better than when he was at Wharton last. In a tribute to women singers, he sang a shimmering version of Barbra Streisand’s “People” and he held the final high note for an achingly long time, demonstrating impressive control.

With age, Bennett’s voice is now a burnished bronze, but he still is able to pull every nuance from a melody and its lyric. At times, he sang just above a whisper, caressing each note.  But the very next tune he would belt forth with full power.

He is a very gracious performer, giving much, well deserved credit to his musicians – and each one was remarkable.  Lee Musiker had a silky touch on the piano but gave his solos a wonderful harmonic spread.  Guitarist Gary Sargent added the perfect lead ins for every phrase, and drummer Clayton Cameron was an artist of the first order. Bennett featured him on a solo using only brushes which was stunning.

Although Bennett has been doing this kind of gig for 51 years, it still seems fresh and wonderful.  His upbeat attitude and personality and obvious love for life, gives his performances a warmth and sincerity that is rare to hear.  This positiveness, however, seemed to get in the way a bit when he sang the dark Ellington tune, “Mood Indigo”. Bennett just doesn’t seem to be downhearted enough to sing the blues convincingly.

The entire concert was elegant.  Bennett looked smashing in a blue silk suit.  Each musician was individually lit, and the use of light throughout the show truly highlighted the entire experience, without getting in the way.

Bennett has beaten all the odds.  No one would have thought that he could be at the height of his career in the year 2001 at age 75.  He has outlasted all of his contemporaries, and in the end, he sings better than any of them ever did. Most of the songs he sang were the standards, but he sings each one as if it’s his favorite, with fresh energy, excitement and meaning.

Tony Bennett is an inspiration.