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Tony Bennett - The Zen Of Bennett (2012) [DVD9] {Columbia}

Posted By: ruskaval

Date: 7 Feb 2013 20:21:24

Tony Bennett - The Zen Of Bennett (2012) [DVD9] {Columbia}
DVD9 -> 6.72 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | English (LinearPCM, 2 ch / Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | ~ 84 m | ISO Image | 5% repair rar
Subs: English, Francais, Portugues, Espanol
© 2012 Columbia / Sony Music / Benedetto Films | 541761
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Documentary

This documentary is a seductive and soulful view into the mind of singer Tony Bennett as well as an intimate portrait of the artist's creative process as he turns 85 years old. In a first person narrative, Tony reflects back over his 60 year career while looking ahead within the context of his latest recording project. We experience inspirational insights as Tony discusses his philosophies of life, lessons learned, and his passion for art and music.

A recurrent image in “The Zen of Bennett,” Unjoo Moon’s tender, touching documentary portrait of the singer Tony Bennett, now 86, is of an unblinking eye in the sky gazing through turbulent clouds. It is as good a visual metaphor as any for the career of a singer who has flourished by keeping a steady focus on what has mattered most to him for more than six decades: the American Songbook.

If Mr. Bennett looks down from on high, he also looks up from below. For there is hardly a moment when you are not aware that Mr. Bennett, who appears soft-spoken, unpretentious and sometimes at a loss for words, comes from a place of deep humility. He admits to having made “mistakes.” And his emphasis on the word suggests that they were not trivial. But that was then. As for now, he declares, “I love to sing and paint, and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never worked a day in my life,” adding that “they’re the only things I know how to do.”

Along the way he has weathered the interference of music moguls like Mitch Miller, who pressured him to record commercial fluff for Columbia Records, and waited out the rock insurgency of the 1960s and ’70s that made him and the music he championed profoundly unfashionable.

But guided by his son, Danny, credited as the movie’s creator and producer, he re-emerged as a Frank Sinatra-like musical elder statesman, minus the rancor and volatility. A benign, grandfatherly figure, he is revered as the epitome of cool by younger generations of performers.

Ms. Moon’s film was made during the sessions for Mr. Bennett’s recent blockbuster album, “Duets II.” And he is shown interacting with Norah Jones, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Amy Winehouse, Michael Bublé, Andrea Bocelli, Aretha Franklin and others.

Some of these encounters are perfunctory. But several are electrifying. His hot duet on “Body and Soul” with Ms. Winehouse was her last recording before she died at 27. In the movie’s saddest moment, they express their shared admiration for the great R&B singer Dinah Washington, an obvious influence on Ms. Winehouse, who observes, “She died so young.”

Mr. Bennett, who was painfully aware of Ms. Winehouse’s problems with substance abuse, also remembers the pianist Bill Evans, a heroin addict, with whom he recorded two classic albums and who also died prematurely, at 51.

Tony Bennett - The Zen Of Bennett (2012) [DVD9] {Columbia}

The most pungent musical fragments show Mr. Bennett singing with Ms. Winehouse, Lady Gaga (“The Lady Is a Tramp”) and Ms. Jones (“Speak Low”). But they are only tidbits in a film in which he talks about his life and values, mostly in a voice-over. In simple, blunt language he exalts “quality,” “warmth,” “feeling,” “truth” and “beauty,” without trying to define or elaborate on those concepts.

“I’m not into demographics,” he says. “I sing for the whole family.” His experiences in World War II, he recalls, made him “a pacifist for the rest of my life.”

The way Mr. Bennett talks is the way he sings. There is no subtext, only the song conveyed with knowledge, heart, a sophisticated sense of swing and a positive attitude. “Life is a gift,” he declares. “That’s how I look at it.”

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Video INFO
Tony Bennett sings with Amy Winehouse

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