TonyBennettin CT: Jazz at Jackie Robinson's Stamford home, concerts from Greenwich to Bridgeport

Jul. 21—"Tony was just a remarkably generous man and very loving and (had) endless energy," said Rob Mathes, a Greenwich award-winning songwriter, composer and producer who worked closely Bennett for years.

Over his long career, Bennett wracked up accolades, from Emmy Awards all the way to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among his own hit songs, Bennett, whose full name was Anthony Dominick Benedetto, was known for keeping the American songbook alive by dueting with stars across genres and generations.

"I dislike demographics that encourage artists to cater to one age group — I have always believed in playing for the entire family," Bennett told Hearst Connecticut Media in 2013.

Starting in 1999, Mathes helped arrange some of Bennett's duets. The first record Mathes worked on was "Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues," where Bennett dueted with other musical legends such as Billy Joel, Diana Krall and Stevie Wonder.

"You would have to arrange the duets in such a way where the keys worked and all that," Mathes said.

Bennett apparently liked Mathes' work, picking him to work on another record where he arranged duets between Bennett and pop and country singer-songwriter K.D. Lang.

Mathes said a key memory of working with Bennett was when he took time away from his work to listen to Mathes' own work.

"We were working with K.D. Lang at the time and he put on the first song and they both listened to it attentively," Mathes said. "They both really loved it. I don't know if they were just being kind, but Tony seemed really impressed. He liked my voice and I was just very comforted by this giant taking time out in the midst of our work on his project to listen to one of my pieces."

Mathes' last project with Bennett was in 2009/2010, but he said he bumped into Bennett at a Broadway performance a few years later.

"I saw him and I went up to him and we hadn't worked together in a couple years," Mathes said. "He was lovely. This was before the Alzheimer's diagnosis and he remembered me. He was gracious."

Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016, but that did not stop him from recording and performing. His last public performance was in 2021 when he performed with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall.

Two years before that, Bennett performed at the Palace Theatre in Stamford. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Moran said Bennett "sounded amazing" at that performance.

—

Regulatory environment for Connecticut utilities criticized

—

Utility regulators slash UI rate hike request in draft ruling

"Some people would get a standing ovation at the end of the show; he had a standing ovation after every song," Moran said.

The standing ovation was not a new phenomenon.

Back in 1982, Bennett took part in one of Robinson's jazz festivals to benefit his foundation, held annually at his home in North Stamford. Bennett performed a medley of popular songs, including "I'll Remember April" and "It's Wonderful." According to the Stamford Advocate, the crowd, after a rousing ovation, refused to let him leave without singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Other visits to Connecticut over the years included a performance at Seaside Park in Bridgeport in 1988, another stop by the Palace Theater in 2004, an outdoor concert at Ives Concert Park in Danbury in 2013 and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's Annual Fall Gala in Old Greenwich in 2017.

Bennett was supposed to have played another concert at the Palace Theater in 1992, but fans who showed up were disappointed to learn he had to cancel due to a throat infection with jazz musician Dave Brubeck taking over.

"I'm sorry Tony Bennett isn't here," Donna Galasso told The Advocate at the time. "That's what I came to hear."

Mathes said people enjoy Bennett's music due to his voice and sound and because Bennett, up until his death, gave it his all when he sang.

"He saw the Great American Songbook as a series of sacred texts," Mathes said. "He saw those songs as songs of great expression, artistic expression. He felt like the great writers of the American Songbook created these little pieces of genius and every single time he sang any one of those songs, it was like the first time he had ever sung. He never dialed anything in."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016 and performed at the Palace Theatre.