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I’ve spent the last few days listening closely to Cheek to Cheek, the ambitious new recording by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. It debuted September 23 and soared to #1 on the Billboard 200 list. It also topped the Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums charts. Cheek to Cheek sold 131,000 copies in the week ending September 28, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Bennett is 88 and Lady Gaga is 28, yet they found common ground in exploring the Great American Songbook, which has always been Bennett’s forte. Gaga has also loved it, to a larger degree than most of her fans knew or appreciated.
Bennett-Gaga duets are the heart of the session, which teams them on various tracks with Bennett’s longstanding quartet or a Gaga quintet. At times, a full orchestra with strings or a rich jazz brass section also supports them. Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano solos on “Anything Goes,” “I Won’t Dance” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” Flautist Paul Horn, who passed away in late June, soloed on “Nature Boy.”
Bennett performs solo on “Don’t Wait Too Long” and “Sophisticated Lady,” while Lady Gaga performs solo on “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” and “Lush Life.” Bennett’s take on Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” glimmers in its simplicity – with the singer backed only by pianist
Bennett is 88 and Lady Gaga is 28, yet they found common ground in exploring the Great American Songbook, which has always been Bennett’s forte. Gaga has also loved it, to a larger degree than most of her fans knew or appreciated.
Bennett-Gaga duets are the heart of the session, which teams them on various tracks with Bennett’s longstanding quartet or a Gaga quintet. At times, a full orchestra with strings or a rich jazz brass section also supports them. Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano solos on “Anything Goes,” “I Won’t Dance” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” Flautist Paul Horn, who passed away in late June, soloed on “Nature Boy.”
Bennett performs solo on “Don’t Wait Too Long” and “Sophisticated Lady,” while Lady Gaga performs solo on “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” and “Lush Life.” Bennett’s take on Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” glimmers in its simplicity – with the singer backed only by pianist
Mike Renzi
piano1946 - 2021
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