Times Newspaper, Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Eddie Bruce opens his Tony Bennett tribute show

By William Kenny Wanna know how to bring renowned Philadelphia bandleader Eddie Bruce to silence? Ask him to analyze the parallels between himself and legendary crooner Tony Bennett. Fact is, the energetic and expressive veteran of the local entertainment scene doesn’t tink he and Bennett have much at all in common. Bennett is a native of Queens who idolized Bing Crosby as a kid, enlisted in the Army during World War II, was discovered by Bob Hope while performing in Greenwich Village and has gone on to sell 50 million records worldwide. Frank Sinatra once called him “the best singer in the business.” Bruce is from Northeast Philadelphia, spent much of his childhood onstage and in front of cameras, formed his own party band in the mid-1970s and has gone on to perform at seemingly 50 million weddings, bar mitzvahs and other celebrations, mostly in the tri-state area. The two do share at least one thing in common, though, Bruce concludes. That is a love for the so-called “Great American Songbook.” This week, the separate paths of Bruce and Bennett will converge when Bruce unveils his interpretations of a few chapters of Bennett’s personal songbook in a new cabaret show called Bruce on Bennett: A Loving Tribute. The act will hit Maggiano’s restaurant, at 12th and Filbert streets, for three performances on Saturday and Sunday, then move to Odette’s in New Hope for a pair of shows on April 18 and 19. For Bruce, the undertaking serves a dual role. It feeds his hunger for a creative outlet that his perpetually-booked party schedule – though profitable – cannot satisfy. The new act also is Bruce’s way to pay homage to a performer he has long appreciated, the full extent of which he recognized in earnest last summer. During one fabulous week, Bruce visited the Mann Center for the Performing Arts for a pair of concerts. The first one, featuring jazz sensation Diana Krall, was a night to remember. “A few days later, I went to see Tony Bennett,” Bruce said. “That night at the Mann, he hit me emotionally. I realized that’s where I live musically. You don’t know why an artist hits you a certain way. (But) for some reason, the light bulb went on. I wanted to be up there with his trio.” For most artists, making that type of connection is challenging enough, in a small, cozy venue let alone a large amphitheater like the Mann. But in Bennett, Bruce saw nothing but smooth. The ageless icon was at the pinnacle of his overwhelming talents. “He’s (76), and he’s still hitting the high B-flats,” Bruce said. “At (that age), Frank couldn’t sing. That’s what Jack Daniels and cigarettes do to you.”

Eddie Bruce will perform at Maggiano's. Like Sinatra, Bennett has never been considered a choirboy, either. But rather than deteriorate, his voice has only improved with age. “People sometimes mistake his raspiness for age,” Bruce said, “But he doesn’t mind the raspiness. He’s always in tune and has got plenty of air. He’s like a kid on the stage.” The Mann Center performance inspired Bruce, an experienced cabaret performer in his own right, to produce a Bennett tribute. It is not improvisation, however. “It’s an appreciation of Tony Bennett in my style,” Bruce said. His accompaniment will be the same piano, bass and drums trio used by Bennett at the Mann. The music will include selections from throughout Bennett’s five-decades-plus career. “We’re going to try to explore the range of styles that he does,” Bruce said. “There’s a ‘Bennett ballad’ that he does, and there’s a ‘Bennett swing.’ Then there’s sort of a mix. We’ll do some of his early stuff and some from (his) MTV Unplugged.” But as the case with any true cabaret show, a set list alone cannot reveal the artistic and personal context of the performance. Bruce is sad to report that cabaret has been largely lost as an art form, which can be defined in many ways, depending on whom you ask. “To me, it’s usually a musical performance that’s very intimate and personal,” Bruce said. “It’s different form a concert in that it’s not just somebody singing. And it’s related to the artist in some way, or it has a theme. It’s ‘Why has he touched you?’” Typically, the venue is the namesake of the form, though cabaret artists often find themselves having to adapt to no-traditional settings. “Cabaret is not thriving in this town. You have to look for rooms, and you have to create them,” Bruce said. Luckily, in Odette’s, Bruce has a well-known outlet for his act. The club is known as one of the nation’s best cabaret rooms, including those in New York. And Bruce has performed there many times before, notably with his last show, a tribute to composer/lyricist Anthony Newley that he called Newley Discovered. The show received sparkling reviews from the moment it debuted in 2000. It wasn’t necessarily profitable, but Bruce never expected or required that it be. That’s what his thriving party business is for. “I’ve spent my career playing what other people want to hear at parties. This is what I want to do,” Bruce said.

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