Tony Bennett with Amy Winehouse. There are two videos below with young stars that Bennett performed duets with. Amy is one, and Lady Gaga is the other. You Tube/
This is a re-post review of the film The Zen of Bennett, and we begin with two videos that show Tony Bennett performing with two young singers. The film includes a number of collaborations with Tony, but these are among the best: Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga with the blue hair:
Tony Bennett was 85 when this documentary was made in 2012. I am a huge fan of Tony B. When I bought my first serious “Hi-Fi” setup with big boy speakers, the first album I acquired was “the Essential Tony Bennett.” I nearly wore it out.
The documentary the Zen of Tony Bennett is not a biography. It is a fine, thoughtful film about the art and the soul of music as presented through the prism of Tony’s life and career. Tony’s son Danny produced the movie, and the direction was by Unjoo Moon. I especially loved the parts when Tony collaborates with other singers and musicians. The interactions are delightful and fascinating although not always fun. We learn about how he creates his musical magic, and especially wonderful were the parts (videos above) with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.
Tony was so gentle and understanding with the labile and emotional Amy that you could see her performance gradually turn to sparkle as he edged her on through a soulful version of “Body and Soul.” She, of course, died tragically in her 20’s.
Lady Gaga is such a vivacious and effervescent performer that you must smile and maybe even cry with happiness when you watch her interact with Tony in “The Lady is a Tramp.”
Tony talks about his painting and he explains how he feels about art, music, people and life itself. His creative process is fascinating as he explains what he has learned over the years and whom he has associated with. We get to meet John Mayer, Nora Jones, (who is so good with him,) Carrie Underwood, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, and Aretha Franklin, among others.
The cinematography is superb, although some of the artsy footage is a bit much such as scenes that contain views seen through an eyeball.
This movie is available on Netflix. Don’t miss it.
Paul Goldfinger @ Blogfinger.net
Bonus:
Tony Bennett with pianist Bill Evans, c. 1975. “My Foolish Heart”
Asbury Park boards. 9/22/2023. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net. This image was obtained a few days after the 2023 Sea, Hear, Now Festival. She seems a bit lonely, but she knows how to find a smile.
4/13/19. “White Whale” on fire. #4 Boardwalk. Ocean Grove , NJ, North End. Burned to the ground. Rear view from the beach. NJ.com photo just before roof collapsed. Firemen escaped from the roof just before the it caved in.
4/22/19. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net. Fire rubble piles. North End Redevelopment site is to the left. Asbury Casino is straight ahead. “Dunes” wreckage is on the beach
Blogfinger 4/9/26: We have learned that a NJ developer “TFE Properties” bought #4 Boardwalk last month (March 2026) at the north end of the OG boardwalk on the beach, with plans to build a “pavilion” at the location which is currently empty and has housed foxes in the last few years.
This comes as a surprise because that location is on the beach and is not on an official street. Have these people obtained proper approvals for their plans such as from CAFRA DEP (Coastal Zone,) Neptune Township, and the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association which claims to own the beach here ?
This is from thei TFE web site: “TFE Properties planned 40,000-square-foot pavilion aims to reestablish the property as a vibrant destination for residents and visitors, while honoring the site’s historic role within the community.” They also are bragging about their proximity to Asbury Park.
It seems that everyone who wants to buy in OG these days wants to claim proximity to A. Park. But what about their interest in the historic town of Ocean Grove? TFE’s claim of wanting to “honor the site’s historic role within the community” is suspect.
And do these people care about other issues including the large North End Redevelopment proposed across the boards, the views at our residential north end, “Breezeway” access, boardwalk access, and sea breezes? Don’t expect the Neptuners to care; they brought us the North End Plan.
That North End Plan due to begin construction soon also contains commercial, hotel, garage, beach access, and residential concerns for those who live in that neighborhood.? Will the proposed two projects create mayhem where we used to find outdoor pleasures for all?
And what about environmental concerns: Ocean and Wesley lake pollution, ground water management , flooding, parking, fire truck access to and from, and tourist crowding.
And how about the crew formerly known as the OGHOA? Will they have concerns? They represent many Grovers.
If you have any information please share with Blogfinger via email. Blogfinger@verizon.net. Requests for anonymity will be honored. So talk to me.
Paul Goldfinger,MD Editor Blogfinger.net, Ocean Grove, NJ USA.
10 am, April 14, 2019, at the OG North End. No one was allowed past the yellow tape, and the building could barely be seen through the fog. Blogfinger.net photograph Click once to enlarge.
Jack Bredin’s glorious 2018 painting “The Aurora” shows the “White Whale” and gives perspective to its location.
By Jack Bredin and Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net, Ocean Grove, NJ.
It’s Sunday, April 14, 2019, one day after the White Whale (Dunes) building was destroyed in a 5 alarm blaze. The entire North End had been filled with fire-fighting equipment during the conflagration, and many fire trucks could not get near the fire. Equipment came from many nearby communities, but there was no easy way to go in and then turn around, and many of those units were useless due to the congestion. Sirens were heard for hours, and smoke enveloped the region afterwards. Luckily there were no major casualties.
At first, the OG Fire Department thought the building could be saved, but after the roof collapsed, the building was seen as a total loss. Water was pumped from Wesley Lake, because there were no hydrants or a water main near the building, and the structure sat on the boardwalk and the sand.
That building does not front on a street, and the Lake is not a convenient location as far as getting water to the rear of the building which was where the fire seemingly began, in the crawl space below the food court. These conditions hampered the work of those brave firemen.
One miracle was noted when about 6 firemen were up on the roof when the Fire Chief decided that the situation was too risky. They were told to retreat just in time, right before flames enveloped the roof, causing it to suddenly collapse. If they had stayed there, they would likely have not survived Thank goodness for that decision by fire command.
The “White Whale” building (BF nickname) had been built in 1909 using balloon construction which promotes rapid acceleration of flames during a fire. It was built on the beach and the boardwalk as a pavilion–for recreation purposes only. You could purchase some snacks and souvenirs there.
Later a restaurant addition was built, housing a diner that stood for years and most recently as a food court with 8 businesses. The Neptune tax collector had given that section an address of #4 North End Boardwalk, even though the building did not exist on an actual street.
In 2012 Sandy caused extensive damage to the White Whale. A FEMA inspector happened to come by to check the damage and he was heard to say that the Whale sustained more damage than most buildings which were demolished after Sandy. He said that it should be torn down.
The Neptune Township Building Department did not give the owner, Maplewood Ocean Grove Associates, Inc, a building permit to make repairs, but as work began, the OGHOA complained that there had been no building permit issued. However the Groaners evidently weren’t knowledgeable enough to demand that no building permit should be issued and that the building ought to be condemned. Later the permit was granted.
One reason why a permit should not have been approved is because a building permit cannot, according to State law, be issued for a structure that is not on a street. The Boardwalk is not a street, nor is Lake Avenue. The original North End redeveloper planners who said that it was a street were wrong.
In addition, any permit then should have demanded that fire hazards be corrected throughout the entire building. The risk of fire was also increased due to the absence of fire hydrants and a water main line over there. And a permit should have been withheld due to the absence of a turnaround for fire trucks which were rumbling over to the site, but then unable to retreat yesterday.
Had the Township withheld that permit in 2012, this fire would not have happened. It would have been an empty lot yesterday.
This is totally a failure of Neptune Township to protect Ocean Grove. If they had been strict with the owner, he would have probably chosen to demolish the building himself due to the cost.
Incidentally, those heavy trucks were positioned at the North End Redevelopment site, a place where parking had been denied by the CMA for fear of collapse. All those trucks did not cause a collapse yesterday.
In 2007, when the North End Redevelopment Plan was designed and approved by two licensed planners and the Neptune Planning Board, no one took note of the existing concerns about fire safety at that building. Neptune Township allowed a vulnerable situation to persist and they bear some responsibility for the fire and for the difficulties fighting the fire yesterday.
As for the zoning, it is now “mixed use” thanks to the manipulative favoritism in town (2007). which allowed the designation of a “Zone in Need of Redevelopment.” Now (2019) that site will be empty awaiting the finalization of a North End Plan.
At one point, a few years ago, Randy Bishop was quoted as saying that the Whale would become a 4 story building with condos, a banquet hall, and shops. Later he denied saying that. If the Plan is changed to show condos, banquet hall, and shops at that location on the beach, a revolution should occur.
White Whale. Blogfinger photo during north end boardwalk restoration. 2019. The entire building was destroyed in the April 2019 fire.
Carcass of the White Whale. By Paul Goldfinger. April 22, 2019. Click once to enlarge the mess. The demolition cleanup was delayed.
By Blogfinger editorial staff. 2019.
We recently posted an article regarding comments that Neptune Administrator Vito Gadaleta made in a Coaster (May 2) interview and at the last OGHOA meeting, which were quoted in our “Quoaster Quotes” article from May 4—scroll down to review.
Gadaleta speculated about what might happen to that White Whale lot which, prior to the recent fire, contained the second largest building in the Grove. He acknowledged that the owner of the building, Robert Dweck, is anxious to rebuild the /Dunes which housed about 10 businesses, most of which were in the Food Court.
Gadaleta said that the main obstacle to that plan would be a CAFRA (DEP) approval for construction on the beach. He also said that the Township supported the rebuilding of that structure.
We pointed out on Blogfinger that such a project, which is part of the North End Area in Need of Re-Development, would require overcoming quite a few hurdles before work could begin.
In response to that Coasterican article, we received a comment on May 8 from OG resident “Dr. Carol,” and this is what she said:
“I can’t imagine we’d ever get State approval for a new structure on the beach, so let’s start thinking about alternatives. For this summer, why not a food truck court? (our boldface)
“And when the North End project is done, its boardwalk retail section should find tenants sooner — move all the fire-displaced tenants across the boardwalk. Then turn the burn site into high dunes and more beach — and how about that dog beach everyone has been talking about?”
Blogfinger reporter/researcher/historian Jack Bredin responded to her today (May 9):
“Dr. Carol: You are absolutely correct!
“Now that the DEP is involved with an application for that specific “lot,” the DEP would have to take notice in the DEP records that the “Pavilion Lot” was illegally subdivided from State owned beach property by a nonexistent applicant, and then illegally zoned by the Township to permit “mixed-use, commercial and residential” development, all in violation of “The Public Trust Doctrine.”
“Then the Township included the “newly minted lot” into the NERP (North End Redevelopment Plan)”
Editor’s note: We have been aware that throughout the years of NERP discussions, the owner of that building was never identified. That seemed peculiar since the White Whale is part of the NERP. One would think that the man who owned the building would step forward and participate in the discussions. We assume that this shadowy figure was talking to some insiders, but such meetings must have been held in a smoke-filled room somewhere in order to protect his identity.
We wondered if the Township would try to avoid additional land use problems and issues with that owner by carving out the “Pavilion Lot” from the latest North End Redevelopment Plan.”
The land on which the building sat is only part of that “Pavilion Lot.”
We plan to take further interest in the owner of that building and how he fits into the North End Redevelopment Plan puzzle which is currently still being “negotiated” between the investors (OGNED) and the CMA.
Why do you think the CMA and the Township avoid revealing whom they are doing business with?
And we suspect that the White Whale postmortem discussions might result in new revelations to become public related to the entire topic of North End Redevelopment.—Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
The fire site is quiet this morning. All fire fighting equipment is gone, and two Camp Meeting observers are looking around before leaving in their truck. There is no police presence now.
We did speak to those CMA workers, and they told Blogfinger that the CMA was conferring with the building’s owner, Bob Dweck, to come up with a short term plan. The owner is officially known as “Maplewood Ocean Grove Associates, Inc.” Neptune Township is not part of the management team currently planning the next steps.
It reminds me of the post Sandy situation when the Township would not send any help east of Ocean Avenue because it is private property.
It brings back the uncomfortable private vs. public issues that were raised in conjunction with FEMA funding. Undoubtedly the building is insured. The CMA “owns” the land, and that lot is part of the North End Revelopment Plan.
The short term prognosis is that no one is being allowed at the site for now. All the rubble will be removed, and then a path will be created to enable pedestrians to go back and forth through the Casino. Despite early reports of “collapse” of the boardwalk at the site, we are told this morning that the boardwalk is fine.
But if, for some reason, the boardwalk cannot be used back and forth, then a path will be created through the open lot just west of the boardwalk, ie the “North End Area in Need of Redevelopment.”
It is remarkable how quickly the site was transformed into what you see in the image above. Those who were responsible for that cleanup should be commended for turning that depressing burned wreck into a safe place for hope.
In a way it seems like the dawning of a new day, because that stretch of beach will be open–a visual delight for all to enjoy, as the sun rises and sets over OG ‘s North End—pending subsequent plans, of course.
2026 update: We heard that the lot had been sold and that there are plans of development, but that sounds shocking since the property is on the beach. If you have any information, please contact me by email: blogfinger@verizon.net. If you want to be anonymous, we will honor that request.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: “Land of Hope and Dreams.” (live)
“Leave behind your sorrows
Let this day be the last
Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine
And all this darkness past
Big wheels roll through fields
Where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams”
On January 24, local historian and advocate Kevin Chambers made a provocative comment while discussing the Aurora. He said,
“Does the Aurora have any real history to it than the style in which it was built? No, it doesn’t, and since there are many other houses of the same style in OG, the loss of the Aurora would not effect the community than if it was truly unique to OG.”
Surely some of you saw his comment and would like him to explain it. It seems to me that he is saying that we have two standards of “historic” regarding OG architecture: a truly historic structure and an old building that “doesn’t have any real history to it.” The subtext is that it would even be OK to demolish the Aurora.
I can recall attending the 2013 hearing for demolition of the 134 year old Whitfield Hotel when a strong case was made that the old building was of no significance in terms of its architecture or its history in the Grove. Historians and other experts spoke and concluded that it had “no style” and was a “useless mess.” Citizens present agreed as did the HPC, so that old building was torn down to give way to four “reproductions” on crowded undersized lots .
Although we can’t exactly compare the Aurora to the Whitfield, clearly there are times when old structures should not be saved.
So is Kevin correct about the Aurora? Should the new owner be permitted to demolish it and put up condominiums? We already have heard about the idea of remodeling the Aurora and converting the building to 4 modern, luxury condo’s. And then there is the idea to demolish and put up single family homes.
Wouldn’t it be great if one of those public servants who are on the Historic Preservation Commission had the courage to comment here and help educate the public about this subject, but don’t hold your breath.
So maybe some of you Grovers who are knowledgeable about historic preservation in our town would comment.
Jack Bredin did in 2016 when he wrote a letter to BF and said, “A few months ago, at the public portion of a Committee Meeting, an attorney advised the Committee that ‘A historic district is a detriment to development.’ ”
Editor’s note: April 09. 2016. The Aurora was eventually converted to 4 condos.
2020. Paul Goldfinger photo. Aurora was sold as 4 condos; make believe that this conversion is historic. You can read more Aurora posts by doing a Blogfinger.net search. PG
April 08, 2016: In the last 7 days we have had 2,700 hits to Blogfinger.net. This is above usual. Among the hits are visits from 32 countries around the globe.
Did you know that there is an Ocean Grove in Australia? Do a Blogfinger search for more info.
Memories:
Nurses strike in 2023 at Robert Wood Johnson Medical.l. New Brunswick. 2023 Eileen Goldfinger photo.
Nurses strike 2023 RWJ. Paul Goldfinger , MD, photo. Blogfinger.net. Nurses need safe staffing.
Ft. Myers, Fla. farmers market. Gypsy fashion. Paul Goldfinger photo. December 2020. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net
The dark-hued Gypsy music is often described as romantic. It may be a coincidence, but Gypsies are often called Romas. Their music has its origins in eastern Europe and borrows from a number of ethnic musical styles.
The Glenn Miller classic “I Know Why and So Do You” references Gypsy violins: This version is with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and vocalist Paula Kelly as seen in the movie The Shape of Water.
"When you smile at me I hear the Gypsy violins,
When you dance with me, I'm in heaven when the music begins."
“I can’t imagine we’d ever get State approval for a new structure on the beach, so let’s start thinking about alternatives. For this summer, why not a food truck court? (our boldface)
“And when the North End project is done, its boardwalk retail section should find tenants sooner — move all the fire-displaced tenants across the boardwalk. Then turn the burn site into high dunes and more beach — and how about that dog beach everyone has been talking about?”
Blogfinger reporter/researcher/historian Jack Bredin responded to her today (May 9):
“Dr. Carol: You are absolutely correct!
“Now that the DEP is involved with an application for that specific “lot,” the DEP would have to take notice in the DEP records that the “Pavilion Lot” was illegally subdivided from State owned beach property by a nonexistent applicant, and then illegally zoned by the Township to permit “mixed-use, commercial and residential” development, all in violation of “The Public Trust Doctrine.”