(Associated Press) (02/03/06)

By Charles J. Gans

Edited By Michael Bennett

NEW YORK, NY, USA - TONY BENNETT breaks with tradition on his Grammy-nominated album, "The Art Of Romance," by doing something he had shyed away from throughout a recording career dating back more than half a century.

For the first time on any of his 100-plus albums, Bennett's name can also be found among the songwriting credits.

That might come as a surprise since Bennett, who received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2001 and became a Kennedy Center honoree last year, has introduced dozens of songs that became Pop standards, starting with 'The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Gigolo And Gigolette)' and 'Because Of You' in the early '50s.

Bennett has also written an autobiography, "The Good Life," and enjoyed a lifelong passion for painting, taking pride that his oil landscape, "Central Park," a view from his Manhattan apartment window signed with his family name Benedetto, was recently added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

But Bennett, who turns 80 in August, had never written a song on his own until inspiration struck him during a visit to Hawaii.

He heard a Jazz trio playing the tune "Nuages" (French for "Clouds"), composed in the 1930s by legendary Belgian gypsy Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, and the dreamy melody stuck in his head.

"My son Danny, who's managed me for many years, said, 'Why don't you write a song like the contemporary artists?'" said Bennett, interviewed before a luncheon honoring him as one of the National Endowment For The Arts' "Jazz Masters Of 2006," the nation's highest Jazz award.

"I always stayed away from that, I told him, because I can't compete with Cole Porter or Duke Ellington or Jerome Kern or Irving Berlin. I've always been an interpreter of the Great American Songbook through my life. And he said, 'Well, give it a shot.' So I took a crack at it, and it's the first time I've ever written a song myself."

Tony Bennett's debut as a lyricist, a hopeful song about falling in love that he titled 'All For You'and adapted from Reinhardt's music, is among the highlights of "The Art of Romance," nominated for a Grammy as "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album."

The album was also nominated for "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist" for Jorge Calandrelli's work on 'Time To Smile,' a long-lost Johnny Mercer song.

The album -- a family affair with son Danny serving as executive producer and another son Dae recording and mixing the tracks at his Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey -- is a collection of 11 humorous, sad and optimistic songs depicting all stages of romance, none of which Bennett had recorded before.

The arrangements feature Bennett in the traditional setting that has brought out his best performances - with his touring quartet, now led by pianist Lee Musiker; a 60-piece orchestra, and a special guest star, Jazz saxophonist Phil Woods.

But the biggest thrill for Tony Bennett was the chance to work again with Johnny Mandel, the arranger on the singer's 1966 "The Movie Song Album," which Bennett considers one of his all-time favorite recordings. For the new album, Mandel contributed three songs, wrote five arrangements, and conducted the orchestra on most tracks.

"Every musician I've ever met just adores playing his music. and when we recorded it there were a lot of very wise musicians that were just swooning around like teenagers over the changes in the orchestrations that he wrote," said Bennett. "He orchestrates in a way that becomes almost like a spontaneous jazz feeling."

That Jazz feeling has been a key factor in Bennett's success as a Pop singer. He took to heart the advice of his vocal coach, Miriam Spier, whom he studied with after returning from World War II.

She advised him not to imitate other singers, recalled Bennett. "She said to imitate musicians that you like, find out how they phrase, and then be influenced by the jazz musicians."

Over the years, Bennett has surrounded himself with Jazz musicians, whether as part of his touring combo or in the recording studio where he made memorable recordings with such Jazz luminaries as big band leader Count Basie and pianist Bill Evans.

"It gets terribly boring if you sing the same way every night," said Bennett. "What's great about jazz musicians and the art of jazz is that every moment is different, it's completely spontaneous, it's completely honest... It's my favorite music in the world."

One tune that Bennett says he'll never get tired of singing is his signature song, 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco.' "I love it and I sing it different every night," he said. The song earned Bennett the first two of his 12 Grammy awards back in 1962, including "Record Of The Year."

In the '90s, Tony Bennett became a major presence at the Grammys, dominating the "Traditional Pop Vocal" categories by winning 10 awards starting in 1992 with his Frank Sinatra tribute album, "Perfectly Frank," and most recently in 2003 for "A Wonderful World," on which he teamed with k.d. lang to pay homage to Louis Armstrong.

However, his biggest triumph came in 1993 when he won in the "Album Of The Year" category for "MTV Unplugged," which made him cool to a new generation of fans without compromising his art.

And Bennett, who will also be the subject of a documentary produced by Clint Eastwood, could be a major presence at next year's Grammys with his latest recording project - a duets album of songs he's introduced.

Recording sessions are planned in New York, Los Angeles and London with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bono, Billy Joel, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello and lang, among others.

Bennett, the son of an Italian immigrant grocer, is also looking forward to groundbreaking ceremonies later this year on a permanent home for the public performing arts high school he helped found in his old neighborhood - the Astoria section of Queens.

The Frank Sinatra School Of The Arts is named after Bennett's best friend, who gave him a major boost when he said in a 1965 Life magazine interview: "For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business, the best exponent of a song."

Some 40 years later, Tony Bennett remains an original American idol, reaching ever younger audiences, including the "Sesame Street" crowd in a duet with Kermit The Frog.

With characteristic graciousness and modesty, Bennett says there is no great secret to his longevity. "I enjoy entertaining the audience, making them forget their problems," he says.

"I think people are touched if they hear something that's sincere and honest and maybe has a little sense of humor. I think they go for it, no matter what age."

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