Blip.044: Tony, Tony, Tony

A true renaissance man.

By now you’ve probably heard that last Friday we lost the incomparable Tony Bennett. The outpouring of memories and emotion about him and how his music affected people’s lives has been lovely. I was lucky enough to have seen Tony live twice—both times with my mom, which made it even more special. Over the weekend, I was listening to a bunch of the songs he did with Bill Evans, which are really fantastic. If you haven’t heard them, I can’t recommend them highly enough. The songs he did with Lady Gaga are a blast as well.

What you may not know is that Tony was also a fabulous painter. Occasionally, you could find him on a bench in Central Park painting the nature he loved so much. He started painting the park as part of his homework assignments while he attended the High School of Industrial Arts on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. His work has been shown all over the world and originals are still available on his website.

LINKS
Opinion: Remembering Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett, Beloved Standards Crooner Who Bridged Generations
Bill Evans & Tony Bennett - Complete Recordings (1977 Album)
From the archives: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Tony Bennett's Passion for Art Lives On in His Paintings

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