I guess with all of the hoopla over the collection of Tony Bennett’s “Duets” series’, the folks at Concord were feeling a bit left out. So, they put together some material from Bennett’s 70’s personal Improv label and teamed it with a handful of tunes from the classic summit meeting with Bennett and Bill Evans. What you get is Bennett at his most relaxed and swinging, as he was finally putting out the material he had in his heart. He’s got some kindred spirits with Ruby Braff/cnt, George Barnes/g and Marian McPartland, as they sway through tunes like “While We’re Young,” “Blue Moon” and “The Lady is a Tramp.” It goes without saying that the duets with Evans are the gold standard of vocals, with “Some Other Time” still putting goose bumps on my arms. You’ll probably end up getting all of these discs, but this is an excellent gateway to your musical future.
Concord Records
www.concordmusicgroup.com