a highly unlikely pairing in a succesfull attempt to revive Jazz
The jazz musical tradition is strongly rooted in history. The first names that come to mind when one is asked to list jazz musical artists include the names of singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. It was during the Jazz age, in the 1920s and 1930s, that Jazz was generally regarded to be the most popular music form in the United States. After this ‘pinnacle of Jazz’, the musical genres of Rhytm and Blues laid the groundwork for Rock and Roll, the music form that would dominate the 1950s. From the 1960s onwards, popular music was infused with several other distinct styles, accounting for a rather diversified scene. In today’s age, Jazz can be regarded as more of a subculture. The genres that dominate popular music these days include rock, hiphop, rap, EDM and dance.
In 2014, Tony Bennett teamed up with Lady Gaga to release their studio album entitled ‘Cheek to Cheek’ – the album consisted of sixteen tracks from the Great American Song Book. Although the pairing of a 88 year old Jazz crooner and a 26 year old pop superstar was a highly unlikely one, it succeeded in their collaborative attempt to introduce Jazz music to the new generation. On the night of the 2015 Grammy Awards, the iconic duo teamed up to perform the track ‘Cheek to Cheek’ in honor of their Grammy win for ‘Best Pop Traditional Vocal Album’ earlier that night. How did the pairing of Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett expose a new generation to Jazz music?
One can imagine the excessive amounts of headlines following Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s Grammy performance. The pop enigma who once wore a dress consisting of nothing but beef, was now performing with one of Jazz music’s biggest legends. Dressed up in a highly classic, black glitter-infused dress, the pop superstar defied all odds as she presented herself as the perfect counterpart for Tony Bennett. The theatrical elements, colossal stage designs and visually striking choreographies Gaga was always known for seemed to belong to a far, distant past as their collaborative stage consisted of nothing but a tiny jazz ensemble. This mutual, mesmerisizing minimalism was further established through the imprompt nature of their performance. The highly stylized, rehearsed nature that foregrounds popular music was substituted with a very simple, classical performance; the only aspect one should be concered with is the music, it seems.
The power of Gaga and Tony’s collaboration transcends this sole performance. The magic that was created on stage served as an agent; it was a sincere attempt to expose the younger generation to a musical tradition that once formed the foundation for the most luscious of parties. Their attempt succeeded as their collaboration accumulated into a sold-out world tour, plenty of public debate, as well as charting on the Billboard Hot 200. I still fondly remember the wonderful juxtapositon of the crowd at the North Sea Jazz festival. The thousands, long-standing middle-aged jazz fans co-existed in harmony with hundreds of loud, overly excited Gen-Z’s who were ready to catch a glimpse of Lady Gaga. Today - almost eight years later - Lady Gaga has a sold-out Jazz residency in Las Vegas. In 2021, MTV reintroduced their concept of ‘MTV Unplugged’ for a one-time special in honor of Gaga and Tony’s latest Jazz album ’Love for Sale’. The inclusion of Jazz music on (today’s) MTV and the mere presence of a sold-out Jazz show in Las Vegas indicate that Lady Gaga, with the help of Tony Bennett, has played a tremendous part in reviving Jazz music in popular consciousness.
It has become clear that Lady Gaga has succesfully made use of her platform in an attempt to bring back Jazz music to the masses. Her performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards marked the start of a long-standing collaboration between the personifaction of pop and the dying old-age tradition of Jazz crooners. In collaboration with Tony Bennett, Gaga has succeeded in bring back Jazz music to popular music platforms such as MTV. Being the first artist to launch a Jazz residency in Las Vegas, she has played a tremendous part in (re)popularizing Jazz shows for the masses.
Stating that Jazz has become popular again would perhaps be somewhat hyperbolic, but it is clear that thousands and thousands of young Lady Gaga fans like me and other young casual music fans have become emerged in the musical world of Jazz. If you ever have the time, you can come and join me and my gay friends at Lady Gaga's Jazz show. You can stand with us or you can sit with the rich elderly at the balcony. At first it was a wonderful juxtaposition; now it is an infused reality.
Lady Baba
20/03/2023
Don't forget to watch the performance through the link below!