Eddie Bruce Feature in Jazz In Europe Winter 2026 Magazine.
We are proud to share that Eddie Bruce is the subject of a major feature in the Winter 2026 edition of Jazz In Europe, shining a spotlight on both his lifelong connection to Tony Bennett and his recent big band release For Dreamers and Their Dreams.
In the extended interview, Eddie looks back over a career that began in Philadelphia nightclubs as an eleven year-old and traces a line through lounge bands, orchestras and cabaret stages to his current role as one of the most committed interpreters of the Great American Songbook. At the heart of the piece is his deep, decades long relationship with Tony Bennett’s music and the new theatrical concert he is now bringing to Europe in honour of Bennett’s 100th birthday.
Speaking with Jazz In Europe, Eddie talks in detail about discovering Bennett alongside Sinatra, Ella, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae as a teenager, and how Bennett’s more expansive, risk-taking approach set him apart in his ears. He recalls treating front row tickets to Tony’s shows as “tuition,” studying his phrasing, note choices and ability to shape an entire arc out of a single song. The interview explores Bennett’s many “lives” – from early hits and Vegas years to the artistic turning point of The Art of Excellence, the MTV Unplugged revival, the landmark duo albums with Bill Evans and the later career collaborations with Lady Gaga – and shows how all of this feeds directly into Eddie’s new homage.
The Tony Bennett show he describes to Jazz In Europe is much more than a greatest hits tribute. Eddie and his team are building what he calls a “theatrical concert,” combining live performance with carefully chosen visuals from Bennett’s career: archive photos, video, duet footage and even examples of Tony’s own painting. The aim is to explore different facets rather than simply moving chronologically from hit to hit, with room for big orchestrations, intimate small-group moments inspired by the Evans duets, and space for the band to shine in the way Bennett always insisted his musicians should. There are affectionate stories too – from the famous unamplified finales to the way Bennett could draw multiple ovations out of a single tune – all of which will find their way into the live experience Eddie is now preparing for European audiences.
Alongside the Bennett project, the interview also touches on For Dreamers and Their Dreams, Eddie’s first full big band album, recorded with the Ed Vezinho and Jim Ward Big Band. He talks about how years of guest spots with the band gradually built a library of bespoke charts, how arranger Ed Vezinho tailored the writing to his phrasing and dynamic range, and how the final track list brings together Newley/Bricusse material, standards, Jimmy Webb, Mancini and his own “Philly Is the City” into a cohesive statement. The piece offers a rare chance to hear directly how the album and the Bennett show grew out of the same core impulses: a love of great songs, a respect for arrangers, and a desire to keep this repertoire alive in a way that feels honest and contemporary.
Jazz In Europe Magazine | Eddie Bruce Feature Opening Spread
The feature on Eddie Bruce appears in the Winter 2026 print edition of Jazz In Europe, in the digital magazine, and as an in-depth article on the Jazz In Europe website, making it accessible to readers across formats. For us here at Jazzmedia & More, it is a timely spotlight on an artist whose new big band recording and Tony Bennett centennial project we are honoured to support in Europe. We warmly encourage presenters, journalists and fans to seek out the Winter 2026 issue or read the piece online to get the full story behind Eddie’s homage to Tony and the making of “For Dreamers and Their Dreams”.
If you would like more information on Eddie Bruce, his Tony Bennett centennial show or the For Dreamers and Their Dreams album and live project, or if you are interested in bookings and media opportunities in Europe, please get in touch with us at Jazzmedia & More.