Tony Bennett & Bill Evans--The Ultimate Collaboration:
NOTE: Although this blog is devoted to the life and career of Harold Arlen, I wanted to showcase what happens when two jazz artists, a singer and a great pianist combine to produce a stunning work of art. Arlen's own accompaniment of his singing some of his own songs also demonstrates the piano and voice collaboration.
Tony Bennett has always been influenced by and supportive of jazz music collaborating with a number of jazz musicians and superb jazz composers and arrangers like Johnny Mandel. In the 1970's, Bennett collaborated with the great Bill Evans, a major jazz pianist who has influenced many pianists attracted to his consummate lyricism, sensitivity and harmonic development.
They went into a studio and without any pre planning, Evans instantly developed different approaches to song standards that led to two complete CD's. Bennett was captivated by Evans creativity and his immaculate support of his own singing. Bennett has said that " Evans played like an ocean in a storm" inspiring Bennett to even greater improvisational heights. The two artists became one in their performance and both felt that this was one of the supreme musical moments in their lengthy careers.
The song featured is Ray Noble's " The Touch of Your Lips" a song that Evans had always maintained in his repertoire. Evans spurs Bennett to even greater expressiveness achieving an intensity that is captivating and memorable.
I have repeatedly described the ability of a singer and a great accompanist to achieve almost an orchestral feeling with the singer delivering the melody and the pianist supplying the rhythmic and harmonic underpinning. This performance is yet another example of such supreme musical synergy.
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuDx1hwKuXA
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