Customer Reviews

Tony Bennett: Duets - The Making of An American Classic

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first saw this program on PBS, the word that came to mind was, "Wow!" I love Tony Bennett. The man is the epitome of smooth soul. His expressiveness is incomparable and he is truly a class act. To see him going strong at eighty years old genuinely warms my heart. What makes this show so special is the intimate look it takes at the process that Bennett and his singing partners went through to put the album together. We see his recording sessions [and interviews] with vocalists like Diana Krall, Stevie Wonder, k.d. lang, John Legend, Billy Joel, and Michael Buble, as well as the amazing Colombian singer/songwriter Juanes. It truly is heartwarming to hear the musicians fondly and respectfully speak about Tony Bennett, his wonderful legacy, as well as the mark he continues to leave on today's music world. The collaborations are wonderful and eclectic. We hear songs like "Swing On, You Sinners," and "For Once In My Life" in the distinctive crooning and spontaneous style that Bennett has made famous. There really is no duplicating the kind of confidence and spirit that emerges from these sessions. My hope is to listen to the companion CD, and hear how the songs really turned out, once the final edits were done.

Tony Bennett is like a fine wine that only improves with age. At 80, his voice is perhaps better than it's ever been. The material on this DVD from his DUETS album is impeccable and each one of his guests (with the possible exception of Stevie Wonder, who destroys "For Once in My Life") brings charm and style to the table. I would give this DVD full marks except for one extremely annoying thing: the "Tony Bennett is wonderful" interviews are slotted in DURING songs! Come one, guys: let us see and hear a full take of a song. Do the interviews after the songs or in a group at the end of the DVD. Don't interrupt the song for them. Even PORTRAIT OF AN ALBUM, the no-longer-available DVD of the making of Sinatra's L. A. IS MY LADY album, had full takes. (Perhaps on this album Tony and company never got through a full take?) I'm delighted to have seen Tony perform on this DVD. He's a marvel. But the producers of the DVD should be shot!

In this video we see tony record his songs from the Duets album.
The chemistry between tony and his guest is wonderful to see.
For some guests ( michael buble )it was scary to record live with the tony bennett quartet.
inbetween the song there are little conversations between tony and his duetpartners. highlights are bono and james tayler
A true must for the real tony fan.

Highly Recommend!!! Tony Bennett's voice and phrasing is still great. Almost all his fellow artists blend with and compliment his style.

I have a greater appreciation and respect for Mr. Bennett since seeing this wonderful DVD and having seen previous songs he's done with k.d. lang. Some of the artists & Tony are absolutely dynamic together: Michael Buble, Ms. Krall, k.d. lang--and you can tell they absolutely love, love, love singing together--you can almost see him passing the torch to the younger Buble to carry on the style's tradition. This video touches the heart as you hear the bittersweet strains of the band, the love between the artists and for Tony--one of the best, most heart-felt videos I've seen in years. We love you Tony!

I bought both of the new Tony Bennett DVDs and love them. I'm not a particular fan of that era of music, but these are timeless classics. One admires the smooth easy swing that flows so effortlessly from this 80 year old giant and senses the warm mutual respect with later generations of artists. However, many (most) of the songs are cut-off for interviews with the people working with him on the project. I'd rather hear the music -- keep the interviews separate, put them in the "Features" section -- this is my only reason for giving this 4 stars instead of an unqualified 5 stars. A good thing about this DVD is that it includes several artists (Paul McCartney, Bono, Sting, Tim McGraw, etc) that did not make it to the final version as well as the studio versions of the songs that did.

I read someone else's review who said that even though this is a documentary, it is a "must buy." YES!!! I've watched this a good 4 times from beginning to end, and love to just have it play in the background (that would be another 12+ times it's just played in the background). Tony's great... and it's simply beautiful to watch/listen to the interactions between he and all the other artists who he sang these duets with... THIS IS A GREAT GREAT PURCHASE!!! The only thing I would like to see different is to have 2x this ... it's almost too short at right at 60-70min... If you love music (any music) you've got to get this.

This is an amazing dvd that is entertaining to watch and enjoyable to listen to. Everyone should be able to connect with this as Tony Bennett crosses over so many genres of music and engages them into this upbeat collection of songs. We have played it during parties and while enjoying a quiet evening at home and have enjoyed it every time!

Tony is great. He can sing garbage and it will sound great. He really is an American Classic. I have been listening to Tony all my life and I am so happy to have this DVD.

This was a gift. Product arrived ahead of schedule in excellent condition. Highly recommended seller and item.