Tony Bennett at Age 80 -- an American Classic

By JOANNE KAUFMAN

New York

Tony Bennett turned 80 early last month, and the heck with all that best-is-yet-to-come stuff. The best is right here, right now. "It was phenomenal, the happiest day of my life. I love being 80," rhapsodized the singer, who got a nifty gift from his long-time record label, Columbia -- the libretto of "Porgy and Bess," signed by George and Ira Gershwin -- and who celebrated the milestone in the company of, among others, Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Harry Belafonte at a party in the planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History.

"Very distinguished people," said Mr. Bennett, who smiles more frequently and vibrantly than a pageant contestant. Former President Bill Clinton couldn't make it to the big blow-out, "but he gave a magnificent speech on a big screen saying how much he loved my work," added Mr. Bennett, who left the singing to others that night. Thus, he had ample breath to blow out the one candle on the three-tiered cake. "I made a nice wish. But I'm not saying what it was. It has to come true. It has to come true."

But really, what does Mr. Bennett have to wish for? He's got 50 million in record sales, 13 Grammy Awards, one Emmy and a 40-year-old girlfriend. Not to put too fine a point on it, the guy's got the world on a string. The '70s -- when he couldn't get a record deal or a manager, when he was beset by financial, pharmaceutical and marital troubles and thoughts of suicide -- are a blur in the rearview mirror. "The mistakes I've made have been my education," Mr. Bennett said of those rough years. "The school of hard knocks. I've had so many graduations from that school you wouldn't believe."

Sept. 26 he's releasing "Tony Bennett: Duets/An American Classic," an album of his most celebrated songs performed with a dozen and a half younger-generation rock, pop and R&B stars. This triumph of marketing over music-making features Mr. Bennett crooning "Rags to Riches" with Elton John; "Just in Time" with Michael Bublé, "Sing You Sinners" with John Legend and "The Good Life" with Billy Joel. Come Nov. 21, NBC will be saluting Mr. Bennett in a special overseen by Oscar-winning director Rob Marshall, while Clint Eastwood is serving as executive producer of a documentary feature about the man Frank Sinatra routinely called the best singer in the business.

A few weeks after turning the big eight-oh, Mr. Bennett, who also has a vibrant career as a painter, continued to field good wishes from his fans, this time over a vegetable casserole at the midtown Manhattan restaurant Le Cirque. "Happy birthday, Tony," called one 30ish diner on his way out. "Happy birthday," echoed his 40ish companion. "I love what you do," Tim Zagat, the 60-something restaurant guide poobah told the birthday boy.

Not for Mr. Bennett a fan base composed exclusively of old geezers. Largely because of canny positioning by his son and manager Danny -- appearances on "The Simpsons" and "MTV Unplugged" -- Tony developed big-tent appeal. "I feel," he said, "like Rip Van Winkle."

In fact, these days Mr. Bennett could sleep even more than Mr. Van Winkle if he chose. "I could have retired five years ago," he said. "But I have to tell you a story. The late Joe Williams met me on a plane one day," he began, referring to the jazz singer, "and he said, 'Do you know what it is about you?' And I said, 'No, what?' And he said, 'It's not that you want to sing. It's that you have to sing.'"

Accordingly, five or six times a month, Mr. Bennett is on the road, most recently with back-to-back engagements in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. "We started hand-picking where I play so I can really prepare for each date."

"What I like is that I'm in a profession that tends to make people feel good," he continued. "In everyday living, everybody is being told to be afraid and look out for terrorists or an explosion. What I like is to go out for 90 minutes and have people say, 'I didn't think this was going to happen, but I really enjoyed myself tonight.' They forget their problems."

What helps account for Mr. Bennett's career longevity "is his honesty and tenacity," said Jonathan Schwartz, a host of music shows on WNYC-FM Radio and XM Satellite. "He has retained his devotion to the American songbook despite all odds for most of the time he has been singing. He's a miracle of musical intelligence."

Mr. Bennett will tell you none of it came easily. "Every record is kind of like a struggle," he said. "My game is to find songs I love and nail the definitive versions. That's been my game personally. It had nothing to do with the business. I always said I don't want a hit record. I want a hit catalog."

Mr. Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, Queens, the son of Italian immigrants, and grew up listening to Caruso records. "The legend was that my father in his town of Calabria would go to the top of a mountain and sing and the whole valley would hear it," he recalled. "That's the reason I became a singer."

From a vocal teacher, Mr. Bennett learned not to imitate other crooners -- "otherwise you're just one of a chorus of singers" -- but to imitate musicians. "Art Tatum was the first one to take a popular song and change tempos and make a little production out of each song. And that was never done by a singer, so I did that. Then Stan Getz had this kind of honey sound which was wonderful, so I started imitating that sound with my voice."

From Bob Hope, who gave him the handle Tony Bennett and took him out on the road, the young singer learned the value of a good attitude. "He said, 'Show the public you love them.' When Bob Hope is telling you something, you do it." Ditto Frank Sinatra. "He told me to respect the audience by singing quality songs. He was the master."

The baton has been passed. "All these wonderful young artists on the 'Duets' record, they were saying, 'You're the master.' I was cracking up. It made me so comfortable being accepted by them."

Spend a little time with Mr. Bennett and it becomes clear that his improvisational skills are far more evident in concert than conversation. A question about favorite tunes brings a rote response that's a hymn to the Great American Songbook. A question about the old days gets answered with an irrelevant spiel about vaudeville.

But really, the music is the thing. "I never sing a song the same way twice," said Mr. Bennett. "It's never stiff. No matter how much I feel something, I still try to get deeper and deeper into the feelings. I'm not the same person I was when I first sang something. I've learned what to put in and what to leave out. The audience," he continued, kissing the hand of his lunch companion, "has been my educator. "I go around the world and everyone knows the Great American Songbook. I'll start singing 'isn't it a lovely day to get caught in the rain,' and the audiences sing along with me."

Ms. Kaufman writes about arts and culture for the Journal.