The post-WWII popular music industry in America saw the unexpectedly rapid decline of the big bands, to be replaced almost as unexpectedly by the rise of the pop singer. Where the airwaves had previously been filled by the likes of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman (albeit frequently with featured vocalists such as Sinatra and Doris Day), suddenly it was the singer who was the star, backed by a variety of lush orchestras. Columbia Records artists (Bennett's first and longtime label) were especially lucky in this regard, with head honcho Mitch Miller usually assigning the newcomers to work under the brilliant arranger and conductor Percy Faith (who really deserves a retrospective DVD documentary of his own). It was Faith who guided Bennett's early career at Columbia and provided him with his first chart hits. Bennett had come to Miller's attention after he was, largely by chance, asked to perform on one of Bob Hope's live shows in New York City, shortly after Bennett had returned from his stint overseas as a soldier in WWII.

The documentary section of this set gives a nice, if sometimes disjointed due to frequent cuts to clips from the 2005 Monterey concert, chronology of Bennett's career from those early days, through his 50s pop hits (Green Day fans may be amazed to find out their favorite band did not originate "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") to his breakout 1962 smash "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." It then moves on to his work on the Civil Rights marches through his eventual demise at Columbia, near bankruptcy, and then rebirth (through the auspices of his son Danny) as a respected jazz-inflected singer, a niche he has continued to mine now well into his sixth decade of entertaining audiences worldwide. Clips from various sources are abundant, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show (Bennett was one of the guests on Carson's first outing as host), and an interesting clip from a 1969 Playboy After Dark, where I could swear the beautiful woman standing behind Bennett is a very young Lindsay Wagner. Bennett's foray into television acting, as Danny Thomas' cousin on Make Room For Daddy is included in excerpted form, though his one dramatic feature film, The Oscar, is perhaps mercifully omitted (though the film does contain one of the most gorgeous ballads Bennett ever recorded, the Faith-penned "Maybe September," which unfortunately does not make it into the documentary).

Featuring a host of wonderful, and frequently funny, commentators, including such disparate people as Gay Talese, Mitch Miller and Alec Baldwin (who does a killer Bennett impersonation, featured on Saturday Night Live, which is excerpted here), this is nothing less than a major love letter to an artist who has withstood the test of time and changing tastes and made an indelible impact to 20th century popular music, and who continues to mine a very personal take on jazz as we move into the 21st. The affection that all those involved here feel for Bennett is palpable and lends the proceedings an emotional ambience that is frequently lacking in many of these biographical efforts.

Eastwood, who appears frequently throughout the piece both at a piano and outside a studio interviewing Bennett, obviously has a deep regard for his subject. He deals with the basic facts of Bennett's life while adding an element that Bennett is renowned for in his interpretations of popular songs: heart. As several people attest to in their comments on Bennett, he has the unerring instinct to reveal the layers of a lyric while remaining technically one of the finest singers of his generation (it's no wonder Sinatra himself considered him the best singer in the business). Listening to Bennett's breath and tone control in his heyday, and even now as he moves well into his golden years, is a lesson in technique for any singer. Watching him interact with kids a third of his age (like Christina Aguilera, who does an actually admirable job in a duet with Bennett of "Steppin' Out With My Baby") shows that his influence will continue well beyond his own lifetime.

The DVD

Video:
The enhanced 1.78:1 image is excellent. The documentary also includes source video in a variety of aspect ratios and states of quality, from early 50s kinescopes, to soft-looking video from the 70s, but the bulk of the documentary is crystal clear.

Sound:
The superb standard stereo soundtrack is perfectly realized. In the dialogue sections, all commentators are placed front and center, and the musical portions show excellent separation and fidelity.

Extras:
Two wonderful extras are included: a 30 minute chat between Eastwood and Bennett on the documentary disc, and a second bonus disc containing the entire 2005 Monterey concert.

Final Thoughts:
The documentary mentions that Frank Sinatra felt he passed the torch of bel canto pop singing to Bennett when Sinatra knew he was close to death. Bennett has carried that torch for decades now, and lit some unexpected corners of the pop music landscape with it. It's sad to realize there are very few if any singers of his abilities to whom he can pass the torch, but that should make all music lovers all the more appreciative of the accomplishments he brings to his concerts. This wonderful 2 DVD set will touch the hearts and please the ears of all discriminating music lovers.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet