Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek to Cheek

[Ron Thorne]

Tony and Lady: 'Cheek to Cheek'

Marc "JazzWax" Myers



About
_______________________

Marc Myers writes frequently
on music and the arts for the
Wall Street Journal. He is
author of "Why Jazz
Happened" (University of
California Press). In 2012,
JazzWax was named the
Jazz Journalists
Association's "Blog of the
Year."

September 23, 2014




Over the past few weeks, I've spent quite a bit of time with Cheek to Cheek (Interscope), the much-heralded Songbook album by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga that's out today. For some jazz fans, I suspect it will be difficult for them to go beyond preconceived notions about Lady and even Tony. In recent days, I've fielded emails from a bunch of readers who insist they won't be listening to the recording—accusing Lady of being a fraud and Tony a doddering legend who has been duped by a media-savvy icon playing to his fatherly instincts.

Nothing could be further from the truth, though it's easy to understand the reaction. Up until now, Lady Gaga has made a career out of parlaying superficiality into a fine art—from the pop-art runway outfits and revolving door hairstyles to the self-aggrandizing media swirls and arena concerts. With this as a backdrop, many jazz fans view her as a jazz interloper hoping to gain credibility with an older demograpic by putting on the Ritz.

Jazz does tend to have more partisan fans than any other form of music. As a result, it's not easy for non-jazz artists to slip through the door without being strip-searched for motive, chops and knowledge. Hence, many jazz fans have been left in shock, as if Tony brought home a date from the other side of the tracks.

[pig pen]

Kind of a non-story for me. The odds of me paying money for this is slim to none and I don't see the hype on this as having any impact on real jazzers.

I did skim through the article and some of his statements are just silly. Such as the following:

By contrast, fans of other forms of music don't normally engage in such bilious debates over who is allowed into the fold and who isn't. That's because jazz fans treat the music as a highly personal expression or a private club. To truly understand jazz, you do have to pay your dues, spending time listening to and reading about the music. It's an apprenticeship of sorts. Years are spent with books, articles, blogs and liner notes as well as listening to 10-decades worth of music before you can have anything close to a fine understanding of jazz and its soul. That's why jazz fans are among the hardest to win over. They know the difference between the real deal and a phony.

I think any genre other than bubble-gum pop is going to require some sort of "credibility" from its artists.

[ValerieB]

thank you so much, Mark, for your interesting and thorough review. Listening 30 times certainly sounds like you did your homework! truthfully, i wasn't very interested in this album, despite all of the hype. after reading your honest and knowledgeable article, i am ready to make the purchase. sounds very interesting and definitely worth a listen.

[rlfun]

I just saw, and read, Mark's excellent review and couldn't agree more. Lady Gaga has more baggage than a traveling circus but even at her young age, she's also paid some real dues. She explained in an interview that she was at a low point in her life, nearing depression, when she was approached by Tony. She talks about the opportunity in terms of saving her life and turning her life around. I understand the reluctance to giving it a try. I get it. But, the album is exceptional. It just is.

I've listened close to 30 times as well, and it's still fresh. Lush Life and But Beautiful stand out whether you've read Mark's review or not. Remarkable and moving.

[Ron Thorne]