
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 20, 1994                   TAG: 9405200041
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`COOL' ONLY BEGINS TO DESCRIBE TONY BENNETT

With all the fanfare that has been given to Tony Bennett's newfound coolness of late, in concert at least the 67-year-old singer really doesn't come across as all that cool.

Suave is actually a better description - a suave, golden-throated, silver-haired and tanned relic from a different suave and golden era. The essence of suave.

His between-song banter during his concert Wednesday night at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium said it all.

"Boy, that song brings back a lot of memories," he said.

"Show them how to do it, Ralph," he chipped in as his piano player broke into a solo.

"Take it Ralph."

In introducing the song, "Joanna," he said: "Here's a song I love so much I named my lovely daughter after it." Then he sang: "When Joanna loved me, every town was Paris. Every day was Sunday. Every month was May."

How positively uncool. The truly cool don't say things like, "Boy, that song brings back a lot of memories." Or: "Take it Ralph." Or: "Here's a song I love so much..." You get the idea. They wouldn't be caught dead saying things like that.

But that doesn't occur to Tony Bennett, whose career began when Harry Truman was President. He banters with the suave of a man who doesn't care if he's cool or uncool, hip or unhip anymore. This is his natural shtick, has been for years, so take it or leave it. He has nothing to prove.

Which, of course, is precisely why now he is considered so cool.

It helps, too, that Bennett can sing with an almost unmatched smoothness - even at 67 - and sings many of the best pop standards ever written, from what he calls "the great American songbook." Some of these included, "It Had To Be You," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," and his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

With songs like that, and many others, it is hard to go wrong.

He was backed Wednesday as he should be, with an elegantly simple trio that complemented the songs and Bennett's voice, rather than steal the spotlight. The trio included Bennett's longtime musical director and piano player Ralph Sharon, bass player Douglas Richeson and drummer Clayton Cameron.

Their arrangements were properly subdued to give Bennett the forefront, and Bennett seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself in his role as one of the last ambassadors of "the great American songbook" that he referred to throughout the 90-minute show.

The audience of 1,806 responded supportively. Old and young seemed equally enthusiastic.

Bennett received three separate standing ovations during the evening. One of them was for an impressive reading of "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)" that Bennett sang without the help of microphone or amplification. It was the night's show-stopper.

The only trouble spots were a showy drum solo by Cameron that went on too long, and the sound system was a notch too loud for whenever Bennett belted out a big finale. When he sang softer the volume wasn't a problem.

Otherwise, everything else was, er, pretty suave.

by CNB