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Tony's Tunes
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| PRODUCER'S NOTES
Sometimes a spur of the moment idea is the best kind. No long drawn-out process, just a light bulb going off, and an idea that just spontaneously pops into your head. It was that way with this CD.
John Bunch had worked for many months on a project we called An English Songbook. It was a solo recording, just John and a trusty Steinway. As the second day of recording was wrapping up, I sat in the control room, marveling at how flawlessly John had constructed his performances of the fifteen songs that would appear on the CD. I knew he was going to be in the country for a few more months and felt it would make sense to immediately undertake another project.
The first element of the idea was the title. I don't know how or why, but the title Tony's Tunes popped into my head. I walked out into the studio and sat up a Deardorff view camera to take a formal portrait of John, and as we were getting the photograph organized, I said I thought a new project was in order. John didn't argue. I added I thought it would make sense if he picked out the favorite tunes he played with Tony Bennett, when he was Tony's music director in the 1960s. He didn't argue about that either.
A day or so later, John telephoned and said he thought it was a good idea but instead of a solo recording, he wanted to have a bass. I said, "Why not have the entire trio?" In other words John, along with his long time confederates, Bucky Pizzarelli and Jay Leonhart. Simply the tightest trio in New York City, or anywhere else for that matter. Once more, no argument, and John set about selecting fifteen songs from the hundreds he played with Tony over the years.
He picked fifteen really good ones, worked out loose arrangements on all of them, and the three guys assembled at NOLA studios about 1:00 PM on May 12, 2003. They were finished with everything that appears on this CD in less than five hours, and that included two time outs for photographs, many listening sessions, and lots of casual conversation no edits or inserts. At one point, Jim Czak, the guy who owns NOLA, popped into the control room and, after a few minutes, said simply, "People just don't play like this anymore." He was wrong, because here were three guys doing it, but I knew what he meant. They just don't do it very often.
John had called Tony to see if he wanted to drop in and hear what the group was doing to some of his favorite tunes, but when we finished, he was still a no-show. We hung around for a little while after the session, maybe until 6:30 or 7:00; then we all went our separate ways. Tony showed up about 7:30, had a listen, liked what he heard, and later, telephoned John and told him so. He also said he'd be honored to have his drawing of John on the front of the CD booklet and so it is, making this project even more special and personal.
The songs John selected also make this CD remarkable; some are titles you'd expect from a Tony Bennett songbook, but others are a little surprising, at least to me. I didn't even know Dinah Washington's Somewhere Along The Line, and to me it's the highlight of the CD. Sleepin' Bee, Forget The Woman and Maybe September are rarely done by anyone, and the performances here are stunning. The Second Time Around turns up more frequently, but this version is so beautiful and played with such finesse, I burned a CD from a rough mix and sent it to Tita Cahn, because I know it was one of Sammy's favorites, as well as hers. She told me it was his favorite and she thought the performance was terrific. And who but these guys would take Street of Dreams to Brazil?
I guess it's clear I'm pleased with this recording. The last time I saw such consummate creative musicianship condensed into such a short space of time was the last time I recorded Earl Hines, and that was over a quarter of a century ago, in 1977. When this date was over I started thinking about another trio project for John, Bucky and Jay. I offered a couple of suggestions. Stay tuned. |
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ARTISTS
John Bunch, piano; Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar; Jay Leonhart, bass. |
TRACKS
1. I've Got The World On A String (Koehler - Arlen )
2. Somewhere Along The Line (Washington)
3. Emily (Mercer - Mandel)
4. Broadway (Mann - Weil - Leiber - Stoller)
5. The Second Time Around (Calm - Van Heusen)
6. Sleepin' Bee (Capote' - Arlen)
7. Forget The Woman (Whyte - Stratta)
8. Takin' A Chance On Love (Latouche - Fetter - Duke)
9. The Good Life (Reardon - Distel)
10. Chicago (Fisher)
11. Maybe September (Livingston - Faith)
12. Street Of Dreams (Lewis - Young)
13. Girl Talk (Troup - Hefti)
14. Put On A Happy Face (Adams - Strouse ) |
| See all titles featuring John Bunch |
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