Spectacle always surrpises me. This episode was no exception. To start off this show, Elvis Costello sang a Hank Williams tune, "Cold, Cold Heart." What was the connection? It turned out to have been a hit for Tony back in the early fifties.
In explaining why he chose to sing Hank Williams, Costello also said he'd made the mistake of trying to sing with Bennett before. They showed a clip from 1983 with Bennett and Costello singing, "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" with Count Basie on piano. Elvis looks completely lost. He's barely singing at all. It was one of those clips where you are glad when it ends, because the mortification factor is just too great.
So then Tony Bennett comes out and immediately begins talking about Costello's shoes, and how much he likes them. Costello asks him a question about love and how it used to be depicted in songs and how it is now. There are a lot of multisyllabic words in his phrasing, and Bennett calls the question "too intellectual" and launches into further explanation about singing "Cold, Cold Heart."
During this show, I loved hearing about Tony Bennett's participation in civil rights. I loved seeing his art work and hearing the reverence in his voice when he talked about going to museums. I loved how he interacted with his pianist. He gave him so much respect and appreciation.
My favorite moment of the show was when he asked Costello if his wife, Diana Krall, was in the audience. Bennett then invited her on stage to perform with him. Everyone seemed a bit flustered. The pianist didn't know if he should stay or go. Krall had one false start and said, as a new mother, she hadn't played the piano for six months. It was one of those great impromptu moments with Bennett holding the microphone for Krall so that she could sing and Elvis stood by the curtain with his clipboard of carefully well thought out questions that Bennett may or may not answer.
After the song was over, Bennett told Costello he was lucky. Elvis's answer was simple: "Now you know why I love her."
It was a really good show.
Comments