Remembering Orrin Keepnews, GRAMMY-Winning Jazz Producer (1923–2015)

We mourn the loss of legendary jazz producer and record executive Orrin Keepnews, who passed away Sunday morning, 3/1/15. Keepnews, who died one day short of his 92^nd birthday, was a creative force behind some of the greatest jazz recordings ever produced , including such seminal albums as Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners, Monk’s Music and Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, Chet Baker’s Chet Baker in New York, Sonny Rollins’ Freedom Suite, Wes Montgomery’s Boss Guitar, and Clark Terry’s In Orbit.

Born in the Bronx, NY, in 1923, he began his career as a music journalist. As co-founder and producer at Riverside Records in 1953, he would soon become a staple of the modern jazz scene, producing new works by future jazz giants such as Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins, and Cannonball Adderley and also become credited for discovering famed jazz pianist Bill Evans. Keepnews went on to found the renowned jazz labels Milestone (1966) and Landmark Records (1985). He was the Director of Jazz A&R at Fantasy Records in 1972 and in more recent years was the producer and annotator of Concord Music Group’s acclaimed reissues series Keepnews Collection, beginning in 2007.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Announce "Cheek to Cheek LIVE!" DVD and Blu-Ray Release

This summer with great anticipation, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga took to the stage for their first full live concert appearance in New York City and performed a special evening of songs, many of which from their Grammy nominated, #1 album, Cheek To Cheek. 

The DVD and Blu-Ray of "Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga:  Cheek To Cheek LIVE!" will be released on January 20, 2015 and will feature 72 minutes of music and 19 songs; showcasing both vocal duets and solo performances by these two legendary artists.

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE! was taped at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on July 28, 2014 and premiered on PBS's award winning series, THIRTEEN's Great Performances this fall.  The concert featured classic selections from the Great American Songbook, each handpicked by the artists, including "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "Sophisticated Lady," "Lush Life," "Anything Goes," and "Cheek To Cheek."  The DVD and Blu-Ray editions include additional songs not originally aired on television including, "They All Laughed,"  "Lady's In Love With You," "Goody Goody," "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Don't Wait Too Long," and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye."

Throughout the concert, Bennett and Gaga demonstrate a strong camaraderie and affection belying the six-decade age differential, inspiring widespread critical praise upon its initial airing.

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE! was filmed in stunning 4K Ultra High Definition (HD) before a live audience of fans and invited guests, with set and lighting design by Robert Wilson, the stars are joined by a 39-piece orchestra conducted by Jorge Calandrelli, soloists Chris Botti on trumpet and David Mann on tenor sax, and jazz musicians associated with both artists including members of Bennett's quartet, Mike Renzi, Gray Sargent, Harold Jones and Marshall Wood, and Lady Gaga's quintet, including Brian Newman, Paul Francis, Steven Kortyka, Michael Scott Ritchie, and Alex Smith.

 

The album, Cheek To Cheek, debuted in September at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and also hit #1 on the Jazz Album and Traditional Jazz Album charts. Cheek To Cheek was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal" category. With the release of "Cheek To Cheek," Bennett broke his own record, set in 2011 when "Duets II" debuted at #1 at the age of 85.  Now at 88, Mr Bennett remains the oldest artist in music industry history to have an album at the #1 spot on the Billboard charts. "Cheek To Cheek" marks Lady Gaga's third consecutive #1 album release in just over three years, making her the only female artist this decade to achieve this feat; this is the second time in Bennett's career that he has had an album debut at #1 in both Billboard's Pop and Jazz Album charts.

 

 

"Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE!"  DVD and Blu-Ray editions feature the following musical performances:

1. Anything Goes
2. Cheek To Cheek
3. They All Laughed
4. Lady's In Love With You (Tony Bennett Solo)
5. Nature Boy
6. Goody Goody
7. How Do You Keep The Music Playing? (Tony Bennett Solo)
8. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Lady Gaga Solo)
9. Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered (Lady Gaga Solo)
10. Firefly
11. I Won't Dance
12. Don't Wait Too Long (Tony Bennett Solo)
13. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
14. Lush Life (Tony Solo)
15. Sophisticated Lady (Tony Bennett Solo)
16. Let's Face The Music And Dance
17. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (Lady Gaga Solo)
18. But Beautiful
19. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)