Astoria: Portrait of the Artist

• Artist: Tony Bennett
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1990
• Total Time: 47:13
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

Like The Art of Excellence, the album that marked Tony Bennett's return to recording in 1986, Astoria: Portrait of the Artist was a non-thematic collection of new and old songs on which Bennett was backed both by his regular trio, led by pianist Ralph Sharon, and the U.K. Orchestra. Bennett's new songwriting discovery was Charles DeForest, three of whose songs -- "When Do the Bells Ring for Me," "Where Do You Go from Love," and "I've Come Home Again" -- were included, along with songs by the Gershwins and Jerome Kern, standards like "Body and Soul," and even a re-recording of Bennett's initial Columbia recording, "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams." That recording had come in 1950, and the point of Astoria (which featured a cover photo of the young Bennett in the old neighborhood, with Bennett today standing in the same spot on the back) was to celebrate that 40-year anniversary while looking into both the past and the future, a task it accomplished admirably. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
When Do the Bells Ring for Me	Charles DeForest	Tony Bennett	(2:58)
I Was Lost, I Was Drifting (Lyrics)	Bronislaw Kaper, Kim Gannon	Tony Bennett	(3:54)
A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet	Harry Woods, Gus Kahn	Tony Bennett	(3:17)
The Girl I Love (The Man I Love)	George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin	Tony Bennett	(4:17)
It's Like Reaching for the Moon (Lyrics)	Al Sherman, Gerald Marqusee, Al Lewis	Tony Bennett	(2:28)
Speak Low (Lyrics)	Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill	Tony Bennett	(3:43)
The Folks Who Live on the Hill	Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern	Tony Bennett	(3:58)
Antonia (Lyrics)	Robert Wells, Jack Segal	Tony Bennett	(3:05)
A Weaver of Dreams/There Will Never Be Another You	Jack Elliott, Victor Young, Mack Gordon, Harry Warren	Tony Bennett	(2:42)
Body and Soul (Lyrics)	Johnny Green, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman	Tony Bennett	(4:00)
Where Do You Go from Love?	Charles DeForest	Tony Bennett	(3:03)
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Lyrics)	Harry Warren, Al Dubin	Tony Bennett	(2:21)
Where Did the Magic Go	Buddy Weed	Tony Bennett	(4:50)
I've Come Home Again	Charles DeForest	Tony Bennett	(2:32)

Credits

Ralph Sharon (?), Daegal Bennett (Mixing), Joe La Barbera (Drums), Dae Bennett (Mixing), Bob Ludwig (Mastering), Danny Bennett (Producer), Ralph Sharon (Piano), Ken Nahoum (Photography), Josephine DiDonato (Art Direction), Paul Langosch (Bass), Scott Hull (Sequencing), Tom Chiappa (Mixing Assistant), David Merrill (Assistant Engineer), Jorge Calandrelli (Arranger), Jonathan Morton (Assistant Engineer), Dick Lewzey (Engineer), Tony Bennett (Vocals), Scott Hull (Editing), Tom Chiappa (Assistant Engineer), Jorge Calandrelli (Conductor), Ben Rizzi (Engineer)

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