89-year-old Tony Bennett just released his 45th LP (The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern), but the time-proof musical legend is already planning his next big thing: A follow-up to 2014’s chart-topping record Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga.
This time around, the duo will cover songs by the great Cole Porter. “He was the best writer of all of them in the Great American Songbook,” said Bennett to Vulture. “Highly intelligent. We’re going to have a lot of fun doing that.”
Bennett and Gaga wrapped up a summer 2015 tour in support of Cheek to Cheek at the beginning of August. “Gaga is a gorgeous singer, and when she sings a great ballad, I get goosebumps,” Bennet said. “She helped me and I helped her by doing Cheek to Cheek. Through her telling her audience how much she likes me, all of them became fans of mine, all these young teenagers. On the other hand, by her singing these beautiful songs on the album, the audience I have, all of them said, ‘God, I never knew she sang that wonderfully.’ So we both helped one another.”
It may be some time before we hear another record from the busy duo, though. As mentioned, Bennett just released a new record in order to work with the ”magnificent jazz artist,” pianist and bandleader Bill Charlap. In the interview, the singer explained that Charlap made the decision to cover the songs of Jerome Kern because he influenced many writers on the canon of influential American songs known as the Great American Songbook.
As for Lady Gaga, she just began her first season on FX hit American Horror Story: Hotel as owner of the sinister hotel. She’s also in the early stages of recording her fifth studio record, which will also be her first solo effort since 2013’s Artpop. Gaga has said her time on Amercian Horror Story will “inform” her upcoming songs.
