Lady Gaga brings some Las Vegas to ‘Harlequin’

Lady Gaga’s new “Harlequin” release kicks off with the jazzy, vintage Hollywood classic “Good Morning.”

But some of this album was recorded over good nights in Las Vegas.

Gaga’s backing band and more than 20 Vegas musicians and singers assembled at Studio at the Palms this past June and July.

Gaga’s bandleader and trumpet great Brian Newman led the core band, with Alex Smith on keys, Steve Kortyka on saxophone, Daniel Foose on bass and Donald Barrett on drums.

Newman and Foose have most recently been booking the bands and (in Foose’s case) performing fairly regularly at Bruno Mars’ The Pinky Ring at Bellagio. They are joined by the wildly talented guitarist Tim Stewart, who has performed at Dolby Live and NoMad Library.

Gaga and Grammy-winning studio wizard Ben Rice co-produced “Harlequin.” Rice produced “A Star Is Born - Soundtrack.”

“I can’t say enough about what a fun record this was to make,” Newman said in a phone chat from New York on Saturday. “It was amazing. I hate to use the word ‘organic,’ but it all came together very naturally.”

Most of the Vegas players in the “Harlequin” sessions were part of Gaga’s “Jazz + Piano” orchestra at Dolby Live. They alternated sessions at Palms Studio while performing at Dolby Live or, for Newman’s band, at “After Dark” at NoMad Library.

Local players credited on “Harlequin” who have also performed in “Jazz + Piano” are Lauren Cordell and Rahmaan Philip on violin; Tianna Heppner and John Pollock on viola; Moonlight Tran on cello; Danny Falcone, Gil Kaupp and Jason Levi on trumpet; Curt Miller, Nathan Tanouye and Isrea L. Butler on trombone; and Rob Mader, Eric Tewalt, Rick Keller and Adam Schroeder on sax.

Outside of the formal “J+P” cast, violinist Rebecca Sabine, trombonists David Phillippus and Kirby Galbraith, and trumpet player Tom DeLibero are also featured on “Harlequin.”

The Vegas musicians played on “Get Happy,” “That’s Entertainment,” “Folie à Deux” (a Gaga original) and “Close to You.” Vegas vocalists Skye Dee Miles and Jon Morgan are credited backing singers on “Folie à Deux,” along with the Love Community Choir.

Newman asked Miles to bring in the choir after the ensemble joined him one late night at “After Dark.”

“I just thought then, ‘We need these voices,’” Newman said. “That’s kind of how it was, we moved pretty fast when we had an idea.”

That was true especially for Gaga, who seems to envision songs instinctively.

“We had a lot of the songs and the titles, she would come in with ideas, and we would just work it out from there,” Newman said, referring to the superstar with whom he has worked for more than a decade. “She’s just amazing at that kind of stuff, which you hear on the album.”

History in the venue

Studio at the Palms dates to the hotel’s opening in with the Fantasy Tower in 2005. Over the years, such recording stars as Beyonce, Maroon 5, Eminem, The Killers, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Imagine Dragons and Jamie Foxx have recorded there.

Those sessions were headed up by then-Studio at the Palms Director Zoe Thrall, who in 2021 moved on to The Hideout Studios in Henderson.

You can also spot Thrall in “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple,” the documentary about the legendary guitarist/actor released in June.

Thrall had worked for Van Zandt for 11 years, dating to his first solo album, 1982’s “Men Without Women,” as engineer and as a musician. She was featured in the studio and on tour. And nobody rocks the oboe harder than Thrall.

What Works in Vegas

David Spade and Nikki Glaser on the Strip. The dual comic headliners are coming back to The Venetian Theatre for six dates in 2025, covering March 21-22, May 16-17, and Sept. 5-6 (tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday Pacific time at Ticketmaseter.com, VenetianLasVegas.com or at The Venetian box offices).

Spade and Glaser are among the many stand-up stars who have moved on after The Mirage and its Aces of Comedy series shut down. But that brand is reportedly reopening at Palazzo Theater, toggling with Shin Lim’s new show, entering next year.

Carry on?

Classic-rock outfit Kansas called out of its show at Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center hours before it was to take the stage Saturday. The performance was part of the band’s 50th anniversary tour.

The Smith Center cited “multiple factors” in the show’s cancellation. At least they didn’t go with “unforeseen circumstances,” or “scheduling conflicts.” No word if or when the band will return.

Cool Hang Alert

The great singer/songwriter Michael Grimm, backed by Jimmy Tripi on guitar and Bill Zappia on keys, plays Dispensary Lounge at 2451 East Tropicana Ave. from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday. The group appears under The Mr. Nobody Project banner.

There will be musical virtuosity, and Zappia has developed some funny stage shtick. No cover, two-drink minimum. Go to TheDispensaryLounge.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.