At 86, Tony Bennett remains fresh

If the great Tony Bennett is singing “Fly Me to the Moon” for his encore, and the pungent scent of burning marijuana is lingering nearby, then this must be Eugene.

What an odd juxtaposition Wednesday night at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Or maybe smoking pot (certainly in Eugene, anyway) has become as traditional as legendary crooner’s buttoned jacket and tie.

What is not in doubt is this: At 86, the 17-time Grammy winner, who has shows booked all over the world through the summer and into October, has still got it.

Name another earthling who is 50 days shy of his 87th birthday who can still entertain a crowd like the man born Anthony Dominick Benedetto.

“Isn’t that a little long for the marquee?” Bennett said on stage Wednesday, relating the story of how Bob Hope christened him “Tony Bennett” when the famous comedian took him on tour in 1949.

It’s a shame the Cuthbert was only, maybe, two-thirds full for this show, which opened with Bennett’s daughter, Antonia Bennett, 39, a pretty darn good jazz singer herself.

Those who were there were enthusiastic about seeing the old crooner, and most appreciative when he belted out such well-known songs as “I Got Rhythm” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “Just the Way You Look Tonight.”

“I love that song,” a woman sitting on the Cuthbert lawn said as Bennett eased into “Just the Way You Look Tonight.”

Old standbys, that’s what Bennett is about.

“With all the rock ’n’ roll these days, it’s good to hear a piano, isn’t it?” Bennett said after an impressive solo by Lee Musiker, a member of Bennett’s talented quartet.

Despite his image and his music being entrenched in tradition, there is something so universal about Bennett that his reach stretches the imagination.

How’s this for a double whammy?

Since its release on May 28, “Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962” — a long lost recording of Bennett with another jazz legend, pianist Dave Brubeck, playing at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument — has soared to the top of the jazz charts (debuting at No. 2 and currently in Billboard’s No. 3 spot).

And later this month, Bennett plans to record a jazz album with none other than Lady Gaga.

Not long into Wednesday’s 90-minute show, it became clear that much of Bennett’s long-lasting success isn’t so much about the music, but about the man himself. He is an entertainer at heart, a real showman.

That smile is always there. His arms are raised and reaching out to the audience after every song, sometimes even punctuated with a gentle, little fist pump.

He likes to dance a little jig, lightly shuffling around the stage, as Musiker, guitarist Gray Sargent, bassist Marshall Wood and drummer Harold Jones do their thing.

Early on, during his second song, “They All Laughed,” Bennett did a 360-degree twirl, and the crowd clearly was delighted. The duet he did with his daughter, when they sang “Old Friends,” was very sweet.

“Hey, old friend/ Are you OK, old friend?/ What do you say, old friend …”

His voice, not surprisingly, is not as smooth as it once was, catching on a word here and there, but it is still charming and eloquent and full of hope.

“Smile, what’s the use of crying? You’ll find that life is still worthwhile/ If you just smile,” Bennett sang toward the end of the evening.

“I can’t believe he’s 86,” a young man said as he left the amphitheater.

“And he’s fresh,” his friend said.

Mark Baker is The Register-Guard’s features editor. Reach him at 541-338-2374 or [email protected].