Tony Bennett Teams With Jazz Pianist Bill Charlap for New LP
Tony Bennett has teamed with jazz pianist Bill Charlap for a new album, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, which celebrates the title composer’s catalog of pop and musical theater tunes. The LP, out September 25th via RPM/Columbia Records, is available for pre-order at Amazon and iTunes.
The prolific Kern, who died in 1945 at age 60, wrote over 700 songs, many of which appeared in major Broadway productions and Hollywood movies. The Silver Lining, part of Bennett’s ongoing exploration of the Great American Songbook, will feature renditions of 14 Kern compositions, including Oscar-winning film songs “The Way You Look Tonight” (from 1936’s Swing Time) and “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (from 1941’s Lady Be Good).
The Silver Lining is comprised of single piano pieces (“All the Things You Are”), piano duets with Charlap’s wife, Renee Rosnes (“Look for the Silver Lining”) and trio tracks featuring Charlap’s longtime bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. All the selections have been arranged by Bennett and Charlap.
Bennett, 89, collaborated with Lady Gaga last year for the Grammy-winning jazz-pop crossover LP, Cheek to Cheek, which features tributes to Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, among others.
“I think something I was craving for myself was a truly authentic collaboration; a true artistic exchange,” Gaga told Rolling Stone at the 2015 Grammys, where Cheek to Cheek won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. “With Tony, I found not only that, but I found a friend. Not only do we spend a lot of time together and make music, but we talk. It’s been an incredible experience all the way around.”
The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern Track List (in alphabetical order)
“All The Things You Are”*
“Dearly Beloved” (trio)
“I Won’t Dance” (trio)
“I’m Old Fashioned” (trio)
“Look For the Silver Lining”**
“Long Ago and Far Away”**
“Make Believe”*
“Nobody Else But Me” (trio)
“Pick Yourself Up” (trio)
“The Last Time I Saw Paris”**
“The Song Is You”**
“The Way You Look Tonight”*
“They Didn’t Believe Me” (trio)
“Yesterdays” (trio)
*Bill Charlap
**Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes