That's the way it felt for a room full of ecstatic fans on Friday when Bennett and his quartet brought their special brand of magic to the Orange County Performing Arts Center. It was an evening full of standing ovations, air kisses, shouted praises.
Heck, if he had announced a run for governor at the end of the evening, every last patron in the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall would have lined up, checkbooks in their hands and tears in their eyes.
How does Bennett earn this kind of adulation? By reassuring us that despite the topsy-turvy times, some good things haven't changed.
What better balm for frazzled nerves than a consummate entertainment veteran who's been performing longer than most of us have been alive delivering the best of the Great American Songbook? When Bennett announced offhandedly that he liked the old songs a lot better than the new ones, it brought a lusty cheer.
At this point, we all crave reassurance that the good things in life will endure. He's proof.
Critics, especially those on the Sinatra side of the fence, have long carped about Bennett's faults. Yes, they're there if you want to pick them out.
He's never had the bang-on intonation of a talent such as the late, great Mel Torm, and he's not the kind of actor-singer who can grimly examine the dark 3 a.m. of the soul the way Sinatra did in songs such as “One for My Baby."
But Friday, Bennett's voice was as solid as I've heard it in years. In a surprisingly long and varied set, he proved that a good instrument can prevail if you take care of it and know how to use it.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
