Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Breakfast Show – 1960s Hits Part One – Special Guests Ann Patras, Darlene Foster

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Over the last four weeks we have been featuring the hits in the charts of 1960-1962. We have also included some of the notable events in those years for the up and coming stars who were centre stage at the time. You can find these posts:The Breakfast Show with hosts William Price King and Sally Cronin

We will be sharing the music of the 1960s until the end of May before moving on to the 1970s. Participate in the spin-off shows and share your memories of the music of the 60s. An opportunity to share your work and here are the details: The Breakfast Show 2021

Our first guest today is Ann Patras who shares her love of music from an early age and a track that is close to her heart.

Music in my Life – Ann Patras

This was taken on the veranda of the Atlantic Hotel adjoining Magaluf beach, Mallorca in 1968. I first went there with my grandmother when I was 11, when the Atlantic was the ONLY hotel there. (I wouldn’t go to Magaluf now if you paid me!)

Like you, Sally, my life was filled with music from the year dot. We had a Radio Relay speaker in our living room which played all the BBC channels, but from 7 o’clock at night we had to use the transistor radio to get Radio Luxemburg, which was the only radio source of pop music for years.

We had a cabinet Décor record player in our front room, which was then joined by a reel-to-reel tape player. We played anything from big band crooners and popular soloists to early pop music.

I was seventeen when I recognised the need for quality stereo equipment. I was at my cousin Tony’s house who was/is a ‘sound expert’ and we were listening on his amazing set-up to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when the track ‘Good Morning, Good Morning’ came on. I couldn’t believe it when at the end of the track I heard a hunt galloping across the room from the left speaker and disappearing off behind the right one. For my 18th birthday I was given a proper hi-fi system.

Apart from regular stuff, we used to buy ‘Sampler’ LP records which contained tracks ranging from soloists, through groups to film theme tunes. I used to love these LPs as they introduced me to so many artists in different genres that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise come across.

Although I have hundreds, there are two songs in particular which remind of those sixties music days. Obviously Good Morning is right up there at the top, but the other is by my dear departed mum’s favourite artist, Tony Bennett. (Who is still singing live, aged 94 at the time of writing!) I absolutely love his original rendition of “A Taste of Honey” Tony Bennett

These days my preferred listening is 70s/80s rock music, although occasionally something current can grab my attention, as proven when I gave my son a lockdown haircut earlier this year while dancing to Uptown Funk. (A must see video)

Ann Patras has written three memoirs of her life in Africa..What started out as a two-year contract in Zambia, resulted in her living in Africa for 31 years.The onset of those 31 years came with some surprises. She didn’t know anything about the place they were moving to (1980 was light years before the internet), if she had known she might not have agreed to go. Within days of arrival in Zambia she was horrified to find they didn’t have English-type pubs, toilet rolls were an endangered species, ants were the size of small cats and there was a fly whose larvae ate you from the inside out if you didn’t iron all your laundry. Yes, even socks!

Maintaining the sunshine theme she now lives in Spain, with the same weird-sounding husband and writes books about all their crazy experiences.

Read the reviews and buy Ann’s books: Amazon UK – And:Amazon US – Follow Ann: Goodreads – Website: Ann Patras Author – Facebook: Ann Patras Author

The second guest today is Darlene Foster who shares her memories of music on the radio and listening to Country and Western Music.

A teenage Darlene

I was raised with music in the house. We didn’t have a TV so the radio was on all the time. My cowboy dad loved country and western music so the likes of Johnny Cash, Roy Rogers and Gene Audrey is what he enjoyed. Then Elvis came on the scene, initially as a country singer, and introduced rock and roll to our house. My first album, Blue Hawaii, was a gift from my parents. I was heartbroken when he had to join the army. As a teenager in the 1960s, I became aware of the anti-war movement and felt strongly about it. It was reflected in my choice of music at the time. Where Have All the Flowers Gone, was a favourite of mine. Although many performers have recorded this meaningful Pete Seeger song, Peter Paul and Mary’s version is the one I love the most. I was delighted to see them perform this and many of their great songs years later. This song still makes me emotional when I hear it as it is as relevant today as it was back then.

Here is my choice for the 60s songs. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Peter Paul and Mary recorded in 1962. I could not find a video from back then but here is one from a performance later. I was lucky to see them perform this song, and many others I love, when they were at this age.

Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, travelling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not travelling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining dog, Dot.

A selection of books by Darlene Foster

Find out more about Darlene’s books and read the reviews: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Website/Blog: Darlene Foster WordPress – Goodreads: Goodreads – Twitter: @supermegawoman

Join us tomorrow for special guests John W. Howell and Jennie Fitzkee with their memories and favourite music of the 1960s

Thanks for joining us today and as always we would love your feedback..you can all the Tuesday Breakfast Shows so far in the directory Here

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Music Column -William Price King – Summer Jazz – Diana Krall Part Three

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to part three of the Diana Krall story and William takes us into the new millennium and a move away from the more traditional jazz that Diana had been producing until now.

The new millennium arrived and Diana Krall was certainly one of the top Jazz artists performing at the time. There had never been any question that she was an astonishing pianist but her voice was only improving year on year combining jazz phrasing from artists such as Peggy Lee with the influence of Bossa nova artists that she worked with.

In mid-2000 Diana Krall and Tony Bennett began a 20-city tour ‘Two for the Road’ including Atlanta, Boston and Philadelphia with two sold out shows at the Hollywood Bowl and Radio City Music Hall in New York

Diana Krall commented, “It will be like a master class for me. I admire Tony immensely and to be able to watch and perform with him will be a great education for me.”

Here is Tony Bennett and Diana Krall with Alright, Okay, You Win to put you in the mood uploaded by plsdonttellmyhusband

Also in 2000 Diana recorded her sixth album The Look of Love with Verve with German composer and arranger Claus Ogerman and it was released in 2001. As one of the most prolific arrangers of the century, Otto Ogerman was very experienced across a number of fields including Rock, Pop, R&B, Jazz and Classical and had worked with some of the best in the business such as Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.

The album reached platinum status and was Diana Krall’s bestselling album, bestselling album of Canada, and bestselling album of 2001. It ranked number 5 in the Billboard magazine’s Top Jazz Albums of the Decade. The title track, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David: originally sung for the spoof Bond film Casino Royale by Dusty Springfield reached number 22 of the adult contemporary chart. Other tracks included I Remember You, Dancing in the Dark, and Love Letters.

The critics were not as positive about the album as the buying public with some criticising the obvious attempt at ‘crossover’ to pop. They also felt that under the influence of Claus Ogerman, who conducted either the London Symphony Orchestra or the Los Angeles Session Orchestra on all tracks, had turned the arrangements to a more ‘easy listening’ sound. It was felt that was at odds with the performances of both Diana Krall and her various collaborating musicians such as Russell Malone and Peter Erskine.

There were some particular tracks that were highlighted as being unimaginative such as the standards I Remember You and I Get along without You Very Well. However, if you read the majority of the reviews from those who bought the album at the time, her fans disagreed with the critics, which is why the album reached Platinum status. Here is one review in particular that addresses many of the issues raised by the critics.

The Sound Of Love… By J. Lund on September 18, 2001 Format: Audio CD

Sides will perhaps be taken as to whether or not THE LOOK OF LOVE is a step forward for Diana Krall, since it does veer in style from the expected. Not to marginalize her previous albums, but I consider this CD to be a major leap forward for an already impressive talent. Note the following: 1) Diana is accompanied by an orchestra here, rather than a small jazz combo (although of course Diana still contributes piano solos). 2) Those who liked some of the finger-snapping up-tempo tunes she has recorded in the past should prepare themselves–that isn’t the mood she is visiting this time around. 3) The music generally falls within the spirit or the letter of Bossa nova, and the expected degree of subtlety in this genre is maintained from the album’s beginning to finish.

The tone of the album isn’t sombre, but it does deal with adult emotions, specifically the ups and downs of love…and as anyone who is familiar with such bittersweet gems as I GET ALONG… can attest, the latter can be particularly poignant when the singer channels such tunes’ multi-layers of heartfelt emotion effectively, as Diana does here. Throughout, Diana’s voice is a flawless gem, not so much technically–although I have no complaints regarding that–as in her power to communicate from the soul to a degree that I find approaches that of the best 1950s-vintage Frank Sinatra concept albums. As did Sinatra, Diana often sings barely above a whisper, but at appropriate times raises her singing voice for dramatic effect.

Hopefully such a departure from previous CDs is an indication that Diana isn’t going to pander to the change-resistant faction of her fandom, but rather that she will risk her popularity by exploring whatever music that she is inspired to tackle at a given point in her career. Who says a traditionalist can’t think like a progressive?

Perhaps you might like to judge for yourself with the title track from the album. The Look of Love uploaded by daou007

In the autumn of 2001 Diana Krall began a world tour and concert at the Paris Olympia was released as her first live album. ‘Diana Krall – Live in Paris. She was accompanied by Grammy nominated Anthony Wilson jazz guitarist and composer who has continued to play with her since then. Also joining her on stage were John Pisanoon on acoustic guitar, John Clayton on bass, Jeff Hamilton on drums and Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da Costaon. The album tracks ranged from Cole Porter, George Gershwin to more contemporary artists such as Billy Joel.

On Just The Way You Are Diana was accompanied by Christian McBride on bass with a wonderful solo by Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone. For those fans that had been unable to attend any of Diana Krall’s concerts, this was an opportunity to experience the difference between a studio produced albums vs. ‘live’ performance.

Here is Just The Way You Are from the album recorded later at the Avatar Studios in New York uploaded by Alberto Jesús Salas Oblitas

The album won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and the 2003 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Billboard ranked the album at number 8 on the magazine’s Top Jazz Albums of the Decade.

Sadly in 2002 Diana Krall’s mother died of cancer within months of two of her mentors, Ray Brown and Rosemary Clooney.

Diana had met the British rock musician Elvis Costello backstage at the Sydney Opera House when she was on tour and in May 2003 they announced their engagement, marrying in just before Christmas that year. Elvis Costello had begun his career in the London pub rock scene in the early 70s and was associated with the first wave of punk rock later in the decade. Following his first album My Aim Is True he formed his backing band, The Attractions and went on to release two further albums by the end of the decade. All appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Their marriage brought two musical powerhouses together and the result was a new album with Diana’s own compositions and Elvis’s lyrics. The Girl in the Other Room was released in April 2004 and rose to the top five in the UK and top 40 album charts in Australia. Again there was some disagreement between her jazz ‘purist’ fans and those who were enjoying the more eclectic side to her music. Those who were used to listening to her more traditional versions of jazz standards were not quite ready to embrace her own compositions despite the obvious jazz components. Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall produced the album together and included jazz versions of blues as well as more contemporary songs by artists such as Joni Mitchell. Tracks include Stop This World – Mose Allison, title track The Girl in the Other Room with Elvis Costello, Black Crow – Joni Mitchell, Love Me Like A Man – Chris Smither.

Here is Almost Blue with lyrics by Elvis Costello originally recorded by him in 1982. Uploaded DianaKrallVEVO

As you will see from the reviews of the album the majority of Diana Krall’s fans were in favour of the new collaboration and resulting sound. album reviews

Also in 2004 Diana joined Ray Charles on his album Genius Loves Company for the song You Don’t Know Me. Verve records released Christmas Songs in 2005 followed by From This Moment On in 2006. This album provided all her fans with an opportunity to return to the jazz standards of her earlier albums and included such classics as Isn’t This A Lovely Day by Irving Berlin, From This Moment On by Cole Porter and Something’s Gotta Give by Johnny Mercer.

This was not the only production for 2006 as Diana and Elvis Costello welcomed twin sons in December of 2006.

To end this week’s post one of those classics From This Moment On by Cole Porter.

Buy Diana Krall music: http://www.amazon.com/Diana-Krall/e/B000AQ6RNS

More information about Diana Krall – www.dianakrall.com

Diana Krall Current Tour Dates: http://www.dianakrall.com/tour

Additional Sources: http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Krall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Krall

About William Price King

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.

In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.

His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.

William Price King on Tumblr – IMPROVISATION – https://williampriceking.tumblr.com

Connect with William

Website – http://www.williampriceking.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPriceKing
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wpkofficial
Regular Venue – http://cave-wilson.com/
ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/william-price-king/id788678484

You can find all of the Music Column series in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-music-column/

and all the previous posts on jazz, classical and contemporary artists here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-contemporary-classical-and-legends/

Thank you for tuning in today and I hope you will join us again next Tuesday for the last part of the Diana Krall story – Thanks Sally and William.

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – Happy 90th Birthday

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the finale at least of this part of Tony Bennett’s life. There seems to be no reason to believe that we will not be celebrating the next ten years of this extraordinary artist’s life. His lifetime of dedication to his technique ensures that his voice remains as true as ever and to look at the last 15 years of Tony’s performances, chart successes and collaborations I will now hand you over to William Price King. You will find all the other parts to this series in this directory https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king/

Tony Bennett believes in giving back to his local community as well as those around the world which are in need. As well as performing at charity benefits and supporting international aid efforts he is committed to promoting the creative arts for the young. In 1999 he and his wife Susan Benedetto founded Exploring the Arts (ETA) to promote the role of the arts in public school education. ETA connects private donors, individual artists and cultural institutions to Partner Schools with the aim of reducing the impact of budgetary cuts, and sustaining a culture of opportunity for students through various programmes. The first of these was the establishment of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in 2001 in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. ETA currently partners with 17 public high schools, 14 in the boroughs of New York City and 3 in Los Angeles

Tony Bennett’s music since 2000 has been a combination of solo performances and collaborations with some of the top contemporary artist such as Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. The first album in 2000, The Ultimate Tony Bennett reached #2 in the Jazz chart at home and set the scene for the next ten years.

His second album of the new millennium was in the company of some incredible musicians and singers. Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues entertains with well-loved tracks such as Let The Good Times Roll with B.B. King, New York State of Mind with Billy Joel and the 1933 song by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, Stormy Weather with Natalie Cole. The album achieved gold status and reached #2 in the US Jazz chart. Uploaded by Diogo Brito e Faro –

This was followed up later in the year with a live album Christmas in Vienna VII with Charlotte Church, Placido Domingo and Vanessa Williams. This powerhouse combination took the album into the charts in Europe.

The next album that took the charts by storm was the collaboration with k.d. Lang in 2002. A Wonderful World hit Gold and Platinum status and was #41 in the US Chart, #2 in the Jazz chart and in the top 50 in several international charts. Tracks included La Vie en Rose by Mack David, David Louiguy and Edith Piaf; Dream A Little Dream Of Me by Fabian Andre, Gus Khan and Wilbur Schwandt and What A Wonderful World by Robert Thiele and George David Weiss. Uploaded by IvanRQ8

A reminder of just some of the accolades that Tony Bennett had received during his long career to this point.

Star on the Hollywood of Fame
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001
Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Society of Composers, Author and Publishers in 2002.
In 2005, Tony was recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor.
Inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame.

In August 2006 it was Tony Bennett’s 80^th birthday and celebrations took place throughout the year with performances and accolades pouring in from around the world. Apart from Tony’s birthday there was another cause for celebration as his album Duets: An American Classic reached the highest ever in the album charts and received two Grammy Awards. It went gold and platinum as it hit the International charts at #1 in the US and in the top 20 across the main music charts in the world. The songs that Tony chose for this birthday album represented the best of the American Song Book and included Lullaby Of Broadway with Dixie Chicks, Put On A Happy Face with James Taylor, Smile with Barbra Streisand, The Good Life with Billy Joel, Just in Time with Michael Buble, If I Ruled The World with Celine Dion and most appropriately, The Best Is Yet To Come by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh performed with Diana Krall. tonybennettVEVO

During that year of celebration Rob Marshall directed a television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic that aired at Thanksgiving and received multiple Emmy Awards and the Billboard Century Award. Tony also appeared on the sixth season of American Idol as a guest mentor, passing on his great experience and knowledge to the lucky contestants.

He received further recognition from the International community and received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Humanitarian Award for his charity work. In 2006 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award which is the highest honor that the United States bestows on jazz musicians.

In 2008 Tony teamed up with the Count Basie Big Band for a Christmas special and appeared with Billy Joel at the final concerts of New York State of Mind at Shea Stadium.

Despite heading towards his 85^th birthday Tony Bennett was not slowing down and in a follow up to his first highly successful collaboration album, he released Duets II. The seventeen tracks with artists from across the broad spectrum of music techniques included Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood and Lady Gaga. Again this album did extremely well in the charts both in America and around the world nearly all in the top ten.

His duet with Amy Winehouse, one of the last recordings made before her untimely death, charted in the Billboard Hot 100 making Tony Bennett the oldest living artist to appear there as well as the performer with the greatest span of appearances in the chart. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, the first time Tony had reached that spot and making him the oldest living artist to do so.

Later that year Columbia released Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection which is a 73 CD plus 3-DVD set and whilst not quite representative of all his work brought many of his original vinyl onto CD with some previously unreleased material.

Buy the set: Complete Collection Amazon

On the performance side, Tony Bennett appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of HRH Princess Anne in December 2011 and in October 2012 he performed his signature song I Left My Heart in San Francisco in front of more than 100,000 fans at a City Hall ceremony commemorating the 2012 World Series victory by the San Francisco Giants. He also published another memoir, Life is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett alongside a documentary produced by his son Danny of the same title.

An area that we have not touched on is Tony Bennett’s other creative success as an artist. He paints under the name of Anthony Benedetto or just Benedetto. He followed on from his childhood interest with professional training and had spent a lifetime exploring the best art museums of the world. He sketches or paints every day, often the views out of hotel windows when on tour. He has exhibited in galleries around the world and was commissioned by the United Nations to do two paintings, including one for its 50^th Anniversary. You can find out more about his artwork https://tonybennett.com/benedetto_arts.php

2014 brought a stunning new collaboration that would delight Tony’s fans. The album Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and swept through the top ten in the major international charts. At the end of 2014 these two unique and iconic artists kicked off their Cheek to Cheek tour.

On September 25, 2015, he released an album composed by Jerome Kern, featuring Bill Charlap on piano, called The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Tracks include Pick Yourself Up, They Didn’t Believe Me and Look For The Silver Lining.

As we all celebrate the continued success and artistry that is Tony Bennett as he celebrates his 90^th birthday here is a quote that illustrates his artistic stance from an interview in 2010.

“I’m not staying contemporary for the big record companies, I don’t follow the latest fashions. I never sing a song that’s badly written. In the 1920s and ’30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written. These are classics, and finally they’re not being treated as light entertainment. This is classical music.”

To end this finale of the Tony Bennett story to this point in his career, here is a track from the album Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga.

Happy Birthday Tony.. Here is to the next ten years!

About William Price King

William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.

His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.

His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We hope you have enjoyed the series and please let us know as well as share the post with your networks.. thanks Sally

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – The 1990s

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

We left Tony Bennett at the end of the 1980s having re-established himself in the charts and on television. With his son as his manager and reunited with his musical director Ralph Sharon, Tony was heading into the 1990s back on track.

And certainly his first album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist in 1990 was a great way to start the new decade. Released by Columbia Records the album included some classic tracks as well as some less well known. Astoria was Tony Bennett’s birthplace and several of the songs had references to ‘home and old friends’ in the lyrics such as A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet, The Folks Who Live On The Hill, I’ve Come Home Again.

I think one of the tracks that sums up the previous two decades for Tony is I Was Lost, I Was Drifting!

To get us in the mood today here is Tony with one of the songs that he has performed in the years since this album… The Girl I Love composed and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. tonybennettVEVO

Following this album, Tony turned his attention to paying homage to some of the great artists of the industry and in 1992 he released Perfectly Frank as a tribute to Frank Sinatra. It reached Number #1 in the US jazz chart and also reached gold status and featured 24 tracks including Time After Time, Nancy, Night and Day, The Lady is a Tramp and another Gershwin number, A Foggy Day.

The following album in 1993 also did very well. A tribute to Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out it was also Number #1 in the jazz chart and reached gold status and both these two albums won Grammys for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. This was clear evidence that the new direction that Tony was taking with his career was paying off. One of the tracks on Steppin’ Out is They Can’t Take That Away From Me by George and Ira Gershwin. Uploaded by Johnboy Jones

Here is a quote from Tony Bennett which illustrates the tenacity and commitment to his career despite the setbacks.

“Number one, don’t quit. Number two, listen to number one!”

Tony was also appearing on MTV and television alongside the younger generation of music stars and here is what The New York Times had to say about Tony Bennett in the 1990s

“Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap, he has demolished it. He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises.”

To capitalise on his MTV exposure, Tony released his next live album in 1994 – MTV Unplugged which did extremely well in the charts reaching #48 in the US charts, #1 in the jazz chart and #11 in the Australian charts. The album also went Platinum and won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for the third year in a row with the top Grammy for Album of the Year. Not only had Tony captured the hearts of the home audience but had re-established himself as an International star.

Tony also began collaborating with the younger generation of artists and in 1994 released the single Moonglow with K.D. Lang. tonybennettVEVO

Back in the studio the next album in 1995 was Here’s To The Ladies which featured the hits of singers such as Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Lena Horne and Billie Holiday. As with Tony’s previous albums of this decade, it did well in the charts. This was followed in 1997 with Tony Bennett On Holiday and in 1998 Tony Bennett – The Playground.

The last album of the 90s was Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool to celebrate the centenary of Duke Ellington’s birth. It reached #1 in the jazz charts and brought the decade to a wonderful finish.

As well as consistently releasing #1 albums, Tony Bennett did not neglect his legions of fans and he toured continuously with on average a staggering 100 shows a year. He also continued with regular television shows and appearances including a PBS special Tony Bennett’s Wonderful World: Live From San Francisco. He also created the concept of a series for A&E Network Live By Request series and he won an Emmy Award for his own first episode.

It was time for an autobiography and in 1998 Tony published The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett.

Tony’s comeback ensured that he was now financially secure and despite now being 74 years old he had no intention of retiring. He said in reference to artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jack Benny and Fred Astaire:

“right up to the day they died, they were performing. If you are creative, you get busier as you get older.”

To end the story of the 90s here is It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) by Duke Ellington. Uploaded by Jack Miller

Buy Tony Bennett’s music: Amazon

Next week in the finale we will bring Tony up to date as we celebrate his 90th year in style.

About William Price King

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us…we hope you will join us next week for the finale of Tony Bennett’s story.

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – The 70s and 80s Rollercoaster Years

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

We pick up Tony Bennett’s story as we head into the 1970s and to be honest this was a very mixed decade for Tony as an artist and in his personal life. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1971 and he married again later that year and welcomed two daughters Joanna and Antonia. The family moved to Los Angeles and musically Tony decided on a new direction with his music as well.

For any artist who had been in the business for nearly 30 years and had established themselves within the Jazz and Pop music lanes, it was going to be a tough decade. Rock was now firmly established in the charts and a new generation of fans were buying records. Tony Bennett was now in his late 40s and whilst he still had a loyal fan base, it was going to be a challenging time professionally.

Columbia Records had launched Tony’s career but he began to feel that his own artistic input was too restricted. The label would have loved to have him back in the fold but he turned them down in favour of a two record deal with MGM records. The two albums, The Good Things in Life and Listen Easy did not make a great impact in the charts and by 1972 Tony decided it was time to strike out on his own and he started his own record company, Improv.

He released four albums over the next five years under his own label and one with Fantasy Records. Life is Beautiful, Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (With Fantasy) Tony Bennett Sings More Rodgers and Hart and Together Again with Bill Evans.

Life is Beautiful was named after the song by Fred Astaire and the rest of the album reflected Tony Bennett’s two decades of exploring the American Songbook. Tracks included Reflections by Duke Ellington and Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill. Whilst there were some supportive reviews from the critics the album did not enter the charts. However Reflections was singled out as being exceptional. Uploaded by Dario Butler

The two albums with jazz pianist Bill Evans were also well received and their first, with Fantasy, reached 31 in the Jazz charts. Tony was working with some of the best musicians in the business on the Improv releases including Charlie Byrd and Marian McPartland but without a distribution arrangement in place with a major label the albums were not getting the airtime or marketing they needed; although artistically sound, the label went out of business in 1977.

The Warwick label released a compilation album in 1977 The Very Best of Tony Bennett: 20 Greatest Hits and Columbia also released Tony Bennett with the McPartlands and Friends Make Magnificent Music. They were to be the last albums until the mid-80s.

Tony did however release some singles in the early 70s that did better in the charts and included Something, Living Together, Growing Together, Life is Beautiful, As Time Goes By and the theme song from Love Story, Where Do I Begin.

Where Do I Begin was composed by Francis Lai and after the music had become popular on the release of the film, the lyrics were added, written by Carl Sigman. Uploaded trooper7h

The last part of the 1970s were difficult years and unfortunately his second marriage also broke down. Without a recording contract and manager, Tony was performing intermittently in Las Vegas and the IRS was also attempting to seize some of his assets.

Eventually in 1979 following a near fatal overdose Tony finally reached out to his two sons and his son Danny signed on has his manager.

The next ten years were to be much more positive and with his new manager’s guidance and innovative marketing strategy, Tony Bennett staged a comeback.

With his expenses under control and the IRS satisfied with a repayment plan, Danny took Tony away from the Las Vegas environment and booked him into smaller venues around the country to entertain a younger audience. Pianist Ralph Sharon came back onto the team as Musical Director and would stay with Tony until 2002.

Unlike many performers who were attempting to appeal to a new generation, Tony Bennett made few changes to his classic style or appearance and stayed firmly in his musical lane. Danny however booked Tony onto the popular chat and entertainment shows on television including Late Night With Letterman, The Simpsons, Muppets Tonight and on MTV. This brought his exceptional performance skills and the music of the last five decades to a brand new audience who loved it.

The strategy began to work and in 1986 Tony re-joined Columbia Records, this time with creative control and released The Art of Excellence which was the first to reach the charts since 1972.

Tony Bennett was on his way back and he performed his way into the 90s.

To end this rollercoaster ride that was the 70s and 80s here is the appropriate song How Do You Keep The Music Playing by A.Bergman, M.Bergman and Michel Legrand from the album The Art of Excellence. Uploaded by Jason Borba

Buy Tony Bennett’s music: Amazon

Next week – The 90s and Tony is back…….

About William Price King.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us…we hope you will join us next week for part five of Tony Bennett’s story.

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – Part Three – The 1960s

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Last week we left Tony Bennett at the end of the 1950s enjoying a great career and working with some of the best in the business. However, the music industry in the 1960s was evolving and Pop, Rock and Country were making their presence felt in the charts. Jazz would never go out of fashion but the new generation of fans were being entertained with the magic of television and a wider choice of music radio stations. Tough competition for all the major and established artists, and in particularly those who were approaching their 40s.

I will hand you over to William Price King to take you through the next ten years.

Tony Bennett believed in quality; not only for his recorded material that was released but in his live performances. In 1962, with a great deal of publicity and promotion, Tony took to the stage at Carnegie Hall. Previously he had often performed seven shows a day beginning at 10.30 in the morning until late into the night. But this concert was a mammoth undertaking, featuring 44 songs including his many hits and fan favourites such as I’ve Got The World On A String. Apart from the energy and stamina needed to perform that many songs to Tony’s exacting standards, he must have been grateful for the Bel Canto technique that he had mastered as a young singer. I covered this technique in the first post in the series and you can read more about it here. Tony Bennett Part One.

I’ve Got The World On A String was written in 1932 by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler and had previously been recorded by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Uploaded by swan2612

The concert at Carnegie Hall was a huge success and reinforced his place in the hearts of his fans both at home and internationally. Tony had already been on television in the 50s which had enabled him to reach a much wider audience, and in 1962 he was asked to sing on the initial broadcast of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

For most of us who are Tony Bennett fans, the song I Left My Heart In San Francisco is probably the one that will always be associated with his particular vocal style and performance. He released it in 1962 and it would spend a year in different charts and reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 providing Tony with plenty of exposure. The album of the same title however, did even better reaching the top 5 in the charts and going gold. The title track won a Grammy for Record of the Year and Best Male Solo Vocal Performance and became Tony Bennett’s signature song. Eventually it would rank 23^rd in the world as the most historically significant songs of the 20^th century.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco was written by George Cory and Douglass Cross in 1953 and eventually acquired by Ralph Sharon who was Tony’s accompanist and happened to be friends with the composers. Ironically the song was released at the B-side of Once Upon A Time but the radio DJs began flipping the record over to play!

In 1963 Tony released the album I Wanna Be Around which also reached the top five of the charts and both the title track and The Good Life reached the top 20 of the pop singles chart. However 1964 brought what is known as the British Invasion which included The Beatles, reinforcing the movement towards more rock in the charts.

Tony Bennett was faced with the challenge of maintaining a pop and jazz presence in the changing music scene. He released a number of albums in the next following two years including The Many Moods Of Tony, When The Lights Are Low, Who Can I Turn To in 1964, If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set in 1965 and The Movie Song Album and A Time For Love in 1966. The Movie Song Album did reasonably well at number 18 in the charts in the US, but the other albums did not perform as well.

His did have a top-40 single in 1965 with If I Ruled The World which reached number 34. Tony decided to expand his popularity into acting and featured in The Oscar in 1966 which was an experience that he neither enjoyed nor repeated. In 1965 along with many artists, Tony participated in the ‘Selma to Montgomery Marches and as a firm believer in the American Civil Rights Movement, he refused to perform in South Africa.

The 60s were to be professionally and personally difficult time for Tony Bennett. His successful collaboration with Ralph Sharon ended in 1965 as did his first marriage to Patricia. I don’t tend to focus on the personal lives of the musical artists that we feature, but I think it is important to acknowledge that the frequent and extended road trips that a performer makes to stay in the public eye, and the distractions that accompany that; put a strain on the strongest of relationships.

Musically there was a rush by the recording companies with artists such as Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and others who were more pop and jazz performers to integrate themselves with the new rock culture. This resulted in some ill-conceived projects that rarely did the performers any favours, including the album Tony Sings The Great Hits of Today in 1970. The experience was not a happy one for Tony and eventually resulted in a parting of the ways from Columbia Records in 1972 and a new chapter in Tony Bennett’s career and personal life.

Despite the disappointment of the later 1960s, I thought it would be a good idea to remind us all of what Tony Bennett fans think about his music. After all, at the end of the day, they are the ones who buy the records.

A Timeless Classic!! By Beverly Praiswater on December 18, 2006

Tony Bennett’s music transcends all generations. This album is full of his finest classics from the 60’s.

The opening cut is the title song “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”. Nobody could match this version of this song. “Once Upon A Time” is heartfelt and full of pathos. “Tender Is The Night” is a glorious ballad with a haunting finale. Tony pulls out all of the stops as he builds the jazzy “Love For Sale”. “Taking A Chance On Love” is upbeat with a rousing classic “Tony” vocal. The finale “The Best Is Yet To Come” is a tour de force celebration!

This album became a Gold Record (there was no platinum in those days) and was on the best seller charts for 2-1/2 years! Need I say more?

Sometimes your parents did know best By Patricia Beninato VINE VOICE on April 8, 2000

As I’m only 33, a lot of people laugh when they see this CD in my collection (particularly among the Def Leppard and Live CD’s!). My mother adored Tony Bennett, and his greatest hits collection was a perennial feature in the car and home 8-track players. I’ve always loved this record–Tony had (and still does have) an incredible voice, and the songs featured here are the crème de la crème of pop songwriting in the 40’s and 50’s, including the immortal “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” and my two personal favorites, “Rags To Riches” and “Just In Time”. Of course, having to be “cool” as a teenager I denied Tony for many years. So laugh away if you want, kids–this album rocks in the truest sense of the word! Long live Tony Bennett!

Buy Tony Bennett Music: http://www.amazon.com/Tony-Bennett/e/B000APGV7G

For a last performance from the 1960s here is The Good Life. Originally La Belle Vie and written and released by French singer Sacha Distel in 1962, it would become better known following the recording by Tony Bennett in 1963; reaching No 18 in the US Pop singles charts and No 27 in the UK charts. Uploaded by justinpow

About William Price King.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album.http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us. We hope you will join us next week for part three of Tony Bennett’s story. Thanks for stopping by.. Sally

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – Part Two – The 1950s

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to part two of the Tony Bennett story and we are now into the early 50s with Tony still only 24 years old. His talent as already come to the attention of influencers in the music industry such as Bob Hope and his first single and career is now on the fast track. I will hand you over to William to pick up the stories later in 1951.

Following on from Tony Bennett’s first big hit Because of You, later in 1951 he released another single; a cover of Hank William’s Cold, Cold Heart bringing country to a much wider audience as it reached the top of the charts.. Mitch Miller and Percy Faith continued to work with the young singer as he hit the road on a concert tour including a seven show a day engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York. His legions of teenage fans packed the theater from 10.30 in the morning for the first show and certainly helped propel his next hit Blue Velvet into the charts.

Blue Velvet was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris and was first recorded by Tony Bennett in 1951. Uploaded by wilown01

In 1952 Columbia released Tony’s first Album Because Of You which included his first hit single and included Cold, Cold Heart. Other tracks included The Valentino Tango, While We Were Young and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

In 1953 there was another number one hit with Rags to Riches which had a different style that Tony’s previous tracks. It was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross a partnership that would later bring The Pyjama Game to Broadway in 1954. Rags to Riches was an upbeat big band number backed by Percy Faith and his orchestra. It reached number one in the Billboard charts and stayed there for eight weeks becoming a gold record. Here it is uploaded by maumau1968

1953 continued to be a great year for Tony as he was approached by the producers of the new musical Kismet that took Broadway by storm that year. The musical, based on a 1911 play by Edward Knoblock, was collaboration between Robert Wright and George Forrest who adapted the music of Alexander Borodin alongside their original composition. The song Strangers in Paradise written by Wright and Forrest was recorded by Tony Bennett in 1953. It was to be Tony’s break into the UK charts as it went to number one following the move of Kismet to The Stoll Theater in London’s West End.

1954 saw a change in Tony Bennett’s musical production team with the appointment of jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne as his musical director for the next three years until 1957. Chuck Wayne had been a prominent part of the 1940s Jazz scene working with Woody Herman and was the first guitarist for the George Shearing Quintet. He was known for his distinctive bebop style that had been influenced by horn players such as Charlie Parker. He developed a Wayne developed an unusual legato technique, not widely adopted by others until decades later. He brought his experience of working with singers such as Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra to the Bennett production team and in 1955 Tony’s next album Cloud 7 featuring Chuck Wayne was released with a distinct jazz element.

Cloud 7 was Tony Bennett’s first studio album and featured tracks from the Great American Songbook with a very different style from his early hits; with a jazz combo backing instead of full orchestration. The tracks included Old Devil Moon, Love Letters and My Baby Just Cares for Me written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn in 1930. As you will hear this is very different from the early tracks featured in the post. Uploaded by Music Legends Book

The music evolution was now rolling into the rock and roll era from 1955 and many of the artists from the 40s who had founded their careers on jazz found themselves dropping in the charts. However, because of Tony Bennett’s diverse range of styles and his now growing fan base, he still continued to do well commercially. These included From the Candy Store on the Corner to the Chapel on the Hill at number 11 in the Top Twenty in 1955 – The Autumn Waltz at number 18 in 1956 and In the Middle of an Island at number 9 in 1957.

A new opportunity opened up for Tony in the summer of 1956 when he was asked to host the NBC Saturday night variety show. The Tony Bennett Show was the replacement for The Perry Como Show and cemented Tony’s popularity in America.

In 1957 Chuck Wayne left Tony’s musical production team and he was replaced by Ralph Sharon who took over as his pianist, arranger and musical director. This was the start of a 50 year collaboration and relationship that only ended in 2005 when Ralph retired from the concert tours.

Ralph Sharon was born in London in 1923 and immigrated to America in 1954 at 29 years old. As well as working with Tony Bennett on tour and on albums, Ralph discovered one of the most iconic songs of both the period and Tony Bennett’s career I Left my Heart in San Francisco which will feature in the post on the 60s next week.

With Ralph as his musical director the way forward was to continue with music that showcased Tony’s jazz inclinations and was commercial. This resulted in the 1957 album The Beat of my Heart. The backing featured well-known jazz musicians including Herbie Mann a jazz flautist who also played clarinet and tenor saxophone, percussionist Art Blakey and Jazz drummer and band leader Chico Hamilton. The tracks included Let There be Love, Lullaby of Broadway and Let’s Face the Music and Dance.

This was followed by a new working relationship when Tony Bennett became the first male pop vocalist to sing with the Count Basie Orchestra. They released the albums Live at the Latin Casino in Philadelphia with Count Basie, Strike up the Band and In Person! in 1959. Here is a track from In Person to finish our journey through the 1950s with Tony Bennett.

Chicago was written by Fred Fisher in 1922 and whilst Frank Sinatra made the song famous there is no doubt that Tony Bennett and Count Basie version is superb. Uploaded by Rubacuori1984’s channel

Buy the music of Tony Bennett: Amazon

Next week we head into the 1960s… Hope you will join us.

About William Price King.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us…we hope you will join us next week for part three of Tony Bennett’s story.

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the Summer Jazz series with William Price King. For the next few weeks, whilst William his annual break from the blog, we will be enjoying the story and the performances of Tony Bennett, one of the most accomplished showman of the last 100 years. This series was first posted in February 2016 but one can never have too much of a good thing.

Born with a beautiful name in August 1926, Anthony Dominick Benedetto’s parents could not have known that by the much simpler name of Tony Bennett, their son would one day be loved by millions around the world. Tony Bennett is 90 years old this year and his singing career spans 80 of those incredible years. This week we will take a look at his early life and Tony’s determination to succeed as a performer.

John Benedetto was a grocer from Podargoini in Southern Italy and had arrived in the United States in 1906. He met and married Anna Suraci who had been born in America shortly after her parents had emigrated, also from Calabaria region, just before the turn of the century. Tony had an elder sister and brother, but his time with his father was too short as John died after a long illness in 1936, when Tony was only ten years old. This meant that his childhood, during what were the devastating years of the depression, were tough; but he was surrounded by a loving and supportive extended family who had all arrived together from Italy.

The music of the time however was anything but depressing and with the advent of sound for film, far more available to everyone. Some of Tony’s early musical influencers were Al Jolsen and Eddie Cantor. Here is the uplifting song Making Whoopee written in 1928 by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn made famous by Eddie Cantor uploaded by Your Eddie Cantor channel.

Additionally for Tony, his Uncle Dick was in vaudeville as a tap dancer giving him an early introduction to show business. But school was the first priority for the young Tony and he attended the High School of Industrial Arts in Manhattan where he developed his two main passions, singing and painting. Radio was in its heyday showcasing artists such as Judy Garland and Bing Crosby and despite having to drop out of school at sixteen to help support his family, Tony was fixed on a career as a singer.

At the age of ten he had his first taste of performing in front of an appreciative audience when he had sung at the opening of the Triborough Bridge standing next to the then Mayor, Fiorello La Guardia. His drive to take his talent to stardom is demonstrated by his tireless commitment to combine working to support his family and using any remaining hours of the day to perform.

Tony had to focus on getting money for his family and for a time he worked in several low paid jobs including as a copy boy and runner for the Associated Press in Manhattan. He did however get a job as a singing waiter and set about entering any amateur night competitions across the city, which he usually won. This included a successful engagement at a well-known New Jersey nightclub.

However it was wartime and at age eighteen Tony was drafted into the US Army in November 1944. After basic training, Bennett was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division (the “Blood and Fire” Division) where he served in France and Germany. Army Career

Being in the army also offered Tony the opportunity to perform with a military band and he finished the war touring Europe entertaining the troops. He remained there after the war and studied music at Heidelburg University before returning to the US in 1946. He studied Voice at the American Theatre Wing on the GI Bill. To support himself, he worked as an elevator operator and I am sure that he entertained the occupants as they travelled up and down with him.

Tony was taught the Bel Canto singing technique. Translated from the Italian it means ‘beautiful singing’ but the technique is much more complex than that simple description. Originating from the discipline of Italian opera the technique was used by professional singers around the world. There are certain elements involved which include strengthening the voice so that it does not tire over the course of a long performance. The voice should not be strained and should sound as effortless as speaking, preventing damage to the throat.

With this technique Tony has preserved his singing voice over the following 70 years and if you listen to his performances in his 30s and his more recent performances there is very little difference, which is a testament to the method.

One of his teachers at American Theatre Wing suggested that Tony also develop an unusual approach that involved imitating the style and phrasing of the best musicians of the day which included saxophonist Stan Getz and the piano of Art Tatum. This led to improvised variations to the standards of the day which made his performances stand out from the crowd. At the time he was performing under the name of Joe Bari and in 1949 cut an album under that name for a small label which did not sell terribly well.

However, his unique voice and performances began to get noticed by industry influencers and one of these, Pearl Bailey, asked him to open for her in Greenwich Village. Tony would later reflect on this lucky break.

“Bob Hope came down to check out my act. He liked my singing so much that after the show he came back to see me in my dressing room and said, ‘Come on kid, you’re going to come to the Paramount and sing with me.’ But first he told me he didn’t care for my stage name (Joe Bari) and asked me what my real name was. I told him, ‘My name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto’ and he said, ‘We’ll call you Tony Bennett.’

Bob Hope took Tony on the road with him and in 1950 he cut a demo of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and was signed to Columbia Records by Mitch Miller. Boulevard of Broken Dreams was written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin in 1933 and appeared in the 1934 film Moulin Rouge. Uploaded by swan2612

The top performer of the label was Frank Sinatra and his departure from Columbia coincided with Tony Bennett being signed. The label recognised that there was little merit in imitating Frank’s style, so Tony turned his talents to crooning popular and commercial songs. His first big hit was Because of You which was produced by Mitch Miller with a wonderfully rich orchestral backing from Percy Faith. This song was hugely popular on the jukeboxes which now were standard in any coffee bar or club, and in 1951 it reached number one in the charts, staying there for ten weeks and selling over a million copies.

Because of You had been written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson and it was also used in the 1951 film I Was an American Spy. Here is Tony Bennett with an original recording uploaded by tommy194070

The career of Tony Bennett was now on the fast track.

Buy the music of Tony Bennett: Amazon

Next week The 50s and more fabulous music from Tony Bennett.

About William Price King.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album.http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

I hope that you will enjoy this Summer Jazz series with a reminder of some of the most iconic singers of our time. Thanks Sally

William Price King meets some Legends – Barbra Streisand – The Finale

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Thank you for joining us today and this will be the last post in this series and also for the summer as William Price King takes a well earned break for a few weeks.. He will be back in September with some other legends of music.

In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song “Smile” with Tony Bennett at Streisand’s home in Malibu. The song is included on Bennett’s 80th birthday album, “Duets.” They filmed a live performance of the song for a special entitled “Tony Bennett: An American Classic. The special aired on NBC November 21, 2006, and was released on DVD the same day. Streisand’s duet with Bennett opened the special.

“Smile” was originally the theme of an instrumental used in the soundtrack for the film “Modern Times” by Chaplin, in 1936. The music was composed by Chaplin and inspired by Puccini’s Tosca. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and the title in 1954. Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics and the rest is history. Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett do a fabulous cover of this great American classic. Enjoy.

Following the special with Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand announced a tour which included the classical group Il Divo. She intended to raise both money and awareness for a number of charities that she supported. To date The Streisand Foundation has raised over 7 million in profits to these charities which still occupy much of her time and efforts. Streisand: The Tour, over the 20 concerts, set box-office records grossing over 92 million with profits distributed through the foundation.

In September 2014, she released “Partners,” a new album of duets that features collaborations with “Elvis Presley, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, John Legend and many others.

In “I Still Can See Your Face” Streisand’s tremendous vocal blend with Andrea Bocelli is outstanding and spine tingling. This duet is taken from the 2014 album “Partners,” with an all male lineup. “Partners” topped the Billboard 200 in the first week of its release, making Streisand the only recording artist to have a number-one album in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. It was also certified gold in November 2014 and platinum in January 2015, thus becoming Streisand’s 52nd gold and 31st Platinum album, more than any other female artist in history.

This musical powerhouse has produced some incredible statistics. Apart from producing dozens of gold and platinum selling albums she is second in the all-time charts ahead of the iconic beatles and The Rolling Stones and only bettered by the King.. Elvis Presley.

Apart from selling around 250 million records worldwide, she is the only artist to have earned awards from all the major award institutions, including two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, five Emmys, 10 Grammys, 13 Golden Globes, a CableACE Award, the University of Georgia’s George Foster Peabody Award and the American Film Institutes’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, she was further honored as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Streisand has been nominated 43 times for a Grammy Award, winning eight. In addition, she has received two special non-competitive awards; the 1992 Grammy Legend Award and the 1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame four times. In 2011, she was honored as MusiCares Persono of the Year by the Grammy Foundation for her artistic achievement in the music industry.

In a last performance for the series, a wonderful duet between Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.

“Tell Him” was the first single from Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love” and Streisand’s “Higher Ground” albums. This duet was rejected by non-adult contemporary radio stations. Sony Music Entertainment canceled the U.S. single release, because it did not have a broad enough support to put the song on top of the charts. The song did manage to peak at number five on the Adult Contemporary and number 58 on the Radio Songs charts. However, “Tell Him” was a huge hit outside the US and was, nonetheless, nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998.

Read all the reviews and buy Barbra Streisand’s music: https://www.amazon.com/Barbra-Streisand/e/B000AQ2ZRU

Additional information sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand

About William Price King

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

Connect to William

Website – http://www.williampriceking.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPriceKing
Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – http://cave-wilson.com/
ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/william-price-king/id788678484

You can find all of William’s posts on Jazz, Classical and Contemporary artists in this link: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

Valentine’s Music Special with William Price King, Tony Bennett, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Next week we will begin a new series by William Price King as he takes us through the life and work of the consummate performer Mr. Tony Bennett. Now 90 years old, Tony Bennett has continued to perform alongside contemporary artists such as Lady Gaga including a collaborative album in 2014 called Cheek to Cheek.

As it is Valentine’s Day on Sunday I thought that I would share the romance of Tony Bennett and also remind you of the talent of William Price King with his performance of the song Cheek to Cheek.

Please join us next week for the new series and if you are with the one you adore, then why not have a smooch to these timeless love songs? Failing that there is nothing to stop you twirling around the room by yourself!

The first song is Fly Me To The Moon and it actually started out life as ‘In Other Words’ written by Bart Howard in 1954. It was first recorded by Kaye Ballad but it was not really until Frank Sinatra put his unforgettable stamp on the song in 1964 that it really became popular. It became the song most associated with the moon landings later in 1969 and helped keep those who recorded the song in the charts.

Here is Tony Bennett giving the song his particular brand of magic. Fly Me to the Moon uploaded by BlazzingSaber

One of my personal favourites now – A Stranger In Paradise from the film Kismet and written by Robert Wright and George Forrest in 1953. The music was inspired from a much older composition by Alexander Borodin from his Gliding Dance of the Maidens written in 1890.

Stranger in Paradise sung by Tony Bennett and shared by OnlyVocalHQ

Buy Tony Bennett music: http://www.amazon.com/Tony-Bennett/e/B000APGV7G

Now for the wonderful talent of William Price King with his version of Cheek to Cheek. Written in 1935 by Irving Berlin for the legends of dance Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for the film of the same year; Top Hat. A beautifully elegant song that immediately brings those two stunning performers to mind.

And finally the wonderful Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with Swing Time uploaded by PepsiPrime

Have a wonderful week and look forward to seeing you back here next week for the start of A Man and his Music – William Price King meets Tony Bennett.

About William Price King

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us.. thanks and don’t forget to join us next time for the start of a new series on the superstar that is Tony Bennett.