Arbroath will host a jazz concert in honour of legendary crooner Tony Bennett – after the special tribute show was approved by the man himself.
The salute to Tony Bennett – who will be 90 in August – will be held at Hospitalfield House on Saturday May 28 before it is performed at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival in June.
Paying tribute will be a quartet led by Todd Gordon, one of the country’s finest jazz and swing singers, with David Patrick on piano, Andy Sharkey on bass and Stuart Brown on drums.
Mr Gordon met Tony Bennett a few years ago in Glasgow and already knew his daughter Antonia.
Some time later he had the idea to do a Tony Bennett songbook show but, unlike some of the others he had featured – Sinatra, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer – Tony was still alive and performing.
He thought therefore that it would be best to get permission and he contacted Antonia who in turn spoke to her dad who said he would regard the show as a compliment.
Organiser Alan Steadman said: “Todd has been a regular at Jazz at Hospitalfield over the years although he usually does bigger venues so it will be good to have him back to do this show so close to Tony’s 90th birthday.
“He is also scheduled to do it at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival in June and then later in the year in Frankfurt.
“I regard Tony Bennett as the greatest of all the crooners, even above Sinatra.
“His phrasing and timing are so good and very jazz-like and I think he interprets a song the way the composer would have wanted it.
“The fact that he is still performing at 90 is amazing and he obviously has no intention of resting on his laurels given his number 1 selling album of a few years back with Lady Gaga.
“Tony Bennett’s joyous and carefully crafted performances resonate with jazz audiences and non-jazz audiences alike.
“Todd Gordon shares a love of his repertoire of classic songs from a classic era.
“After meeting with Tony he has been given the go-ahead to produce this tribute show which I’m delighted to put on at Hospitalfield.
“It should be a wonderful celebration of song including, of course, l Left My Heart In San Francisco.”
No one else in popular American music has recorded for so long and at such a high level of excellence as Tony Bennett.
In the last 10 years alone he has sold 10 million records.
With millions of records sold worldwide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Tony has received seventeen Grammy Awards—including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his MTV Unplugged CD.
Tickets for the Arbroath show – costing £12 – can be reserved by phoning 01382 774648.
