Tony Bennett, Bill Evans - Together Again

The concept couldn't have been simpler, nor could it have been more perfect, just Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, Together Again, in the wee small hours of the morning, engaged in an intimate musical dialog, with the recording tape rolling. Originally released in 1977 on Bennett's own Improv label, Concord Records is proud and honored to make this timeless classic available again. Remixed & remastered in high definition digital it features 18 tracks including 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks, 'A Child Is Born' (Alt.), 'You Must Believe In Spring' (Alt.), 'Maybe September' (Alt.), 'You Don't Know What Love Is' (Alt.) & 'The Bad And The Beautiful' (Alt.). Concord. 2003. Album Description

Apples, Oranges, Pistols and musical genius

Apples, Oranges and Pistols.
How do I link these three? Last week I watched a 74 years old man known to be a Grand Master "Combat Pistol" shooter at play on the range. He moves with an economy of motion. A poetic fluidity that was like watching ballet or one of those Samurais in a Kurasawa film. Each little move detailed the skills and practice of a lifetime; effortless.
That individual's talent with a weapon and the talent of the timeless Tony Bennett's voice leads me to believe that rather than outliving his voice and being embarassed by the treatment of time, he will prevail as long as he can walk and present what he has developed over a lifetime.
I watched him perform with a totally talentless wretch named Christina Aguilara (sic)at the Emmy Awards (a disgraceful and self congratulatory example of gluttony)and he made even her musicality bereft self appear to have a sliver of charm. That's skill. More than skill; that's talent.
Long life Mr.Bennett. September 17, 2007

Just Roll Over, Tony

Never could and still can't ... understand how Tony ever made a living as a singer. Ruined the effort of Bill Evans for my money. Sad! August 23, 2007

Not as good as the first time

The first album pairing Bill Evans and Tony Bennett was a classic - one of the two best albums of jazz vocals ever recorded. When I learned that they recorded a second album, I could hardly wait to hear it.

I didn't find this album as moving as the first. That's not to say that it isn't very good in spots - it just lacks something.

After listening to it several times , I believe that the "something" that it lacks is two things - the tunes are not generally as good, and it was mixed differently.

While there are some very good tunes on this album, they aren't uniformly good, while the first effort featured no weak spots.

Second, Evans' piano is mixed more in the background, making him more of an accompanist and less an equal partner, except when he has a chance to improvise.

On the plus side, Evans does get opportunity to "stretch out" on a few more tunes here.

On the whole, a very good album, but one that doesn't reach the lofty peaks of the original. March 22, 2007

Can Lightning Strike Twice?

Not in my opinion. On the first CD, both men absolutely "brought it" and the result was magic. There was top-form musicianship and interplay, and the engineering and song selections let both performers shine. This CD, although certainly a fine work, falls short in a couple of ways.

First, Evans seems more relegated to the background. Bennett fans may be perfectly OK with that, but I was not. Several factors could be at work there - the mixing engineer, the take selected by the producer, the comping of Evans, or some mixture of the three. My sometimes fertiles imagination tells me that the producer was thinking, "Let's really reach out the Bennett fans with this one."

Second, the energy of this CD is not up to the first. The most upbeat number that comes to mind, Dream Dancing, is a lot calmer than When In Rome, so the "average energy level" of the entire CD is brought way down. Again, some people may be OK with that.

Third, the performances on this CD seem a little more "phoned in". Evans' playing is always great, but he doesn't play with the authority and fire he has on the first CD. Bennett seems a little tired or distracted. The moods he conjures up seem a bit flat compared to the interestingly dark and sometimes ironic tones he gives to numbers on the first CD. Reasonably minds may differ about that.

If you're wondering whether to get the first CD or the second, start with the first. The excitement of something new comes across and the performers are near their best. If you love it and can't get enough, you'll like this too. If you love Tony Bennett and can't get enough of his intimate "just me and the piano" sound, you will probably love this one too. If you want more of Bill Evans minus trio, you may be happier with Alone or Alone Again. March 9, 2007

Whassup Concord?

With eager anticipation I opened this CD in Window Media Player. Imagine my surprise when the music started to play and it was blue grass banjo music instead of Tony and Bill. I pooped the CD out and looked closely. Yup! It said Tony Benntett and Bill Evans, Together Again. I wondered which played the banjo and which played the Guitar. January 15, 2007

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