When the audience rises to give Tony Bennett a standing ovation before he has even opened his mouth, you might suspect the evening ahead might be about more than just the music. And you’d be right. The sell-out Albert Hall crowd has come to pay homage to the man described by his friend Frank Sinatra as the “greatest singer in the world” as much as they have come to enjoy his unrivalled interpretations of the popular songs that constitute the Great American Songbook. But what songs they are, dating from a period that positively fizzed with optimism and when amorous always rhymed with glamorous. Bennett sings them all in a voice that remains remarkably unchanged in his 84th year.
There is method in Bennett’s magic. Songs such as “Maybe This Time”, “The Way you Look Tonight” and “Stranger in Paradise” are sung throughout in sotto voce, lulling the audience into intimacy before Bennett cranks up the volume, finishing each song with a powerful final cadence. It’s a style that never seems to fail, despite the fact there’s now a little more gravel in the honey.
His band of consummate musicians, led by pianist Lee Musiker and guitarist Gray Sargeant, who somehow manages to reduce the dimensions of the cavernous hall to those of a regular jazz club, pay homage to their host city, slipping in snippets of local melody, “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeely Square”, between songs. During a brisk “Sing you Sinners”, the audience is invited to clap the rhythm and who would turn down the chance to make music with Bennett?
“You probably realise by now that I only sing old songs. That’s because they’re better”, intones Bennett, before showing that he keeps an ear open to modern life by dedicating “The Good Life” to Lady Gaga, “a wonderful singer”. In fact, between songs, Bennett provides the audience with a potted biography. It’s been quite a ride. But it’s the songs we’ve come for and Bennett keeps them coming, often accompanied by the kind of nifty moves that belie his age. “The Shadow Of Your Smile” is followed by a subtly rearranged “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” before Bennett switches off the mikes and delivers “Fly Me To The Moon” to the furthest reaches of the hall, accompanied by solo guitar. It’s a big risk for an artist approaching the end of his career, but Bennett pulls it off.
He finishes by asking the audience. “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” It’s a question we have been asking ourselves all night. And with that, Bennett waves his hand and leaves the stage.
There’s no need for an encore. We’ve just had one.
Tony Bennett’s CD, The Great American Songbook Volume One, is out now on Sony
