Product Description: This television program examines the life and career of Tony Bennett. Revisiting all the hotspots where Bennet established himself and built a reputation AN AMERICAN CLASSIC makes stops in Greenwich Village the Columbia recording studios Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall. The film consists of re-recreations of key moments in the singer's life with special appearances by artists including Stevie Wonder Elton John Barbara Streisand and Christina Aguilera.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 886970283298 Manufacturer No: 88697028329
Amazon.com: High concept and high class, An American Classic is a worthy visual complement to Tony Bennett's 2006 duets CD of the same name. The notion of pairing veteran artists with a variety of singing partners is nothing new, of course (cf. B.B. King and Frank Sinatra, among many others), but this one goes a step further; under the direction of Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) and his team, Bennett appears in what's described as a "docu-musical," faithfully re-creating a variety of performance settings much like the ones in which the 80-year-old singer has appeared in the course of his long, fruitful career. Thus we find him on a concert stage with Barbra Streisand ("Smile"), in a nightclub with John Legend (a swinging, uptempo "Sing, You Sinners"), in the studio with k.d. lang and trumpeter Chris Botti ("Because of You"), on a '60s-style TV variety show with Diana Krall (a classy "The Best is Yet to Come"), in Vegas with Elton John ("Rags To Riches") and then Michael Buble (an amusing "Just in Time"), and so forth, on up to Bennett's triumphant shot on MTV Unplugged with Christina Aguilera (no jazz singer, but she keeps most of her excesses in check on "Steppin' Out") and the inevitable "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (Bennett with piano accompaniment only). It's all very respectful, well staged, and entertainingly choreographed, but if this 45-minute cavalcade has a significant shortcoming, it's that it mostly lacks fire and spontaneity; the only time Bennett cuts loose is during an audio-only "I Got Rhythm" heard under the various DVD menus. Viewers may also be disappointed that Sting, Bono, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, and several others on the CD do not appear here, and it's a notable drag that not a single one of the composers or arrangers of the material is identified. Bonus features include a "making of" documentary and other featurettes. --Sam Graham
Good Excellent picture quality, the Blu-ray is outstanding. Was somewhat dissapointed with the length of the disk, felt somewhat cheated.
Great DVD! Great performances both from Tony Bennet and the guests stars. Beautifully combined the songs with the introductions from the actors. His voice is magic as usual.
Sinatra said, "he is the best singer because he moves me" Everybody loves Tony Bennett. And see who he sings with: - Barbra Streisand - K.D. Lang plus Chris Botti in one number (Because of You) - John Legend - Diana Krall - Elton John - Michael Buble - Christina Aguilera
And the Tony Bennett great dancers.
This concert is worth every invested dollar. Plus you get outstanding PQ and audio in 5.1 uncompressed PCM.
Oustanding quality, but too short! When I listened and viewed this Blu-ray disc I was taken aback by the quality of the audio, video and the performances. I spent the whole evening with it and was absolutely enchanted with selection of songs, the sincere interpretations of the guest artists and the stunning choreography of the dancers. This disc is a real keeper and I know I will be watching it and yes, listening to it over and over for many years to come.
However, I could not rate it a 4.5 or 5 because it was simply too short. I was disappointed by the length of this disc and expected more. I could care less about the add-ons or whatever you call them. I wanted more of Tony Bennett. I didn't get that.
Otherwise, this disc was most enjoyable from a pure audio, video and entertainment perspective.
The Best Is Yet To Come Created for television Tony Bennett: An American Classic is a brief look at the career of the legendary crooner on his 80th birthday. Conceived by Rob Marshall and John DeLuca this is a well done if a little over the top docu-musical set in some of the venues that the singer has appeared in over his long career.
Starting in a 52nd Street blues club Bennett performs Sing You Sinners with John Legend. He moves on to the early Columbia Studios for a duet with k.d. land and Chris Botti. The show continues on the set of a 1960's Variety show, then the Vegas stage of the Sahara before entering the 1990's on an MTV soundstage. The show ends with Bennett alone with a piano for I Left My Heart in San Francisco.
Along the way we get snippets of narration from some of Hollywood's biggest names. This is a worthwhile if short experience that should not be missed by fans. In addition to the show we get some rehearsal footage with the dancers and four short making of type featurettes.
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