Pop and Music Reviews : A Masterful Set From Bennett

Short of an entire concert sung a cappella, Tony Bennett’s performance on Saturday at the Greek Theatre was about as close to self-sufficiency as you can get.

All he needed was the Ralph Sharon Trio, led by the pianist who has been his musical director for a total of 24 years. True, there was a large chamber ensemble on stage, but its use was confined mainly to a few ballads. From the first moments of “Old Devil Moon,” Bennett was in total command. To quote from that song, he had the crowd riding on his magic carpet, maintaining his hold until the final encore 80 minutes later.

His vocal command seems to have reached new peaks. Though he never relies on technical gimmicks, he held on to the first song’s final note so long that one wondered whether he had mastered the saxophonist’s device of circular breathing.

For the most part he depended on honest projection of a flawless collection of songs: Irving Berlin’s “I Love a Piano,” with tricky upward modulations by Sharon; “The Girl I Love,” Ira Gershwin’s minimal rewrite of “The Man I Love,” and a magnificent reading of the Bob Wells-Jack Segal “When Joanna Loved Me.” Sharon, bassist Paul Langosch and drummer Joe LaBarbera all had their moments in the spotlight.

For all his show-biz savvy, there is about Bennett a certain innocence that tells you he takes no applause for granted, relishing every deceptively effortless moment. In the interpretation at this point in time of the great American songbook, which is how he described his performance, it just doesn’t get any better than Bennett.