Going Gaga over Tony!

Apropos my most recent post about crossover:  Did you happen to hear Scott Simon's interview on Saturday with Tony Bennett about Duets II?  That's the new album wherein the ageless crooner harmonizes on pop standards with several singers better known for other styles.

What really knocked me out was the excerpt of Bennett's duet with one Lady Gaga on Rodgers & Hart's "The Lady is a Tramp" (whole thing here).  Anthony Dominick Benedetto, meet Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta!  It sounds to me as if Ms. Gaga, as the New York Times would call her, could make quite a mark on jazz singing if she chose.  Though I understand from my confidential sources that she already enjoys a modicum of success in her present field.

We now return to our regularly scheduled classical blog.