(Billboard) The main G.U.Y. in Lady Gaga’s life these days? Tony Bennett.
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett made their long-in-the-works project official on Tuesday, announcing that the album ‘Cheek to Cheek’ — a collection of jazz standards including “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Lush Life,” and more — will be released on September 23. A concert special on PBS will follow later this fall.
Recorded in New York City, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ features jazz musicians associated with both artists, including Mike Renzi, Gray Sargent, Harold Jones and Marshall Wood as well as pianist Tom Lanier and jazz trumpeter Brian Newman. Jazz soloists on selected tracks include tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and flautist Paul Horn, who passed away earlier this month, per a press release.
Billboard caught up with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett on Monday night on the red carpet prior to the taping of the ‘Cheek to Cheek’ concert special. To kick things off, the duo released a video for “Anything Goes.”
Psst, in case you missed it: This whole collaboration between the two unlikely friends began in 2011 when Gaga recorded “The Lady Is A Tramp” with Bennett for his album ‘Duets II’. Fans have been clamoring for a longer release ever since.
Perhaps Mr Bennett lives for the applause as well.