Nelson Aspen Developing New Cabaret in Honor of Tony Bennett

Veteran cabaret artist and award winning journalist Nelson Aspen, who has sold out his unique shows from NYC to Hollywood and from the Sydney Opera House to London's West End and received 3 Broadway World Cabaret Award nominations in 2023, has revealed he is developing a tribute show to one of his musical mentors, the great Tony Bennett who passed away last July 21 at the age of 96.  In 2012, after meeting the legendary crooner a few times around Manhattan, Aspen was invited to Bennett's home overlooking Central Park to do a TV segment on his impressive work as a painter.  The two spent several hours together, leaving Aspen forever dazzled by not only the star's talents, but insight, humility and hospitality.

The show "Tony Bennett: A Tribute" will feature clips from Aspen's time with the artist born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, reflections on Bennett's humanitarian work, career highlights and support of young musicians.  And, of course, plenty of songs from The Great American Songbook that Tony Bennett infused with his signature style.

"The hardest part of putting this show together," Aspen explains, "will be choosing which songs to perform.  His catalogue of material is so vast and his performances so instantly recognizable, I want to be very discerning about how to best honor this icon."

Just as Tony Bennett was famous for his duets with other singing stars, most notably female artists like Diana Krall, Amy Winehouse, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga, Aspen will be joined onstage by Allyson Briggs, renowned bandleader of Manhattan's hottest jazz band, Fleur Seule.  Together, Aspen and Briggs reimagine some of those musical moments as they have in previous engagements at NYC's Greenroom42 and the Triad Theater.  

Briggs notes, "Tony Bennett chose purposeful collaborations to compliment and sometimes contrast his signature style and his openness to explore new genres allowed him to remain relevant and fresh his entire career."

Dates and details for the 2024 engagements of "Tony Bennett: A Tribute" are forthcoming and Aspen promises it will be an intimate way for audiences to remember Bennett's artistry, life and legacy.  "Everyone has a story about Tony and his generosity of spirit, whether they ever got the privilege to meet him or not.  Now we can all come together and share that."