Tony Bennett: Defying age and still creating

8 p.m. May 31. $29-$125. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.

This summer, Tony Bennett turns 87.

And he’s doing spot dates with Jackie Evancho, the classical-pop powerhouse discovered on “America’s Got Talent” who just graduated into teenhood.

Odd pairing? Maybe. But then so are Bennett and Lady Gaga, whom he raves about at the first mention of her name and becomes noticeably animated when discussing their upcoming collaboration.

So yes, after more than 60 years in the business as one of the premiere jazz-pop vocalists in music history, Bennett has earned the right to be unconventional.

He’s also released more than 70 albums, a staggering number that will increase this year with the Gaga alliance and the recently unearthed “Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962,” which arrives Tuesday. Bennett’s travel itinerary this year is also exhausting: Dates in Indonesia and Japan are nestled among shows in Alaska, Colorado and New York; but after having a few months off earlier this year to paint and visit museums, he’s ready to roll.

The iconic singer called recently from his Manhattan abode to talk about music, his fight against gun violence and his show with Evancho, which comes to Alpharetta May 31 (she performs with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra).

Q: How do you like sharing a bill with such a young co-star?

A: She's just wonderful, it's a very good experience. When I go onstage, my own reaction is, 'How the heck am I going to follow that?'

Q: How did this pairing even come about?

A: Agents decided to have a double show with another artist, and they came up with this idea. We've done it twice already. It's very friendly backstage. We do one number together and it works out OK.

Q: So this long-lost concert with the late Dave Brubeck is being released soon. What was your reaction when they found the recording?

A: I was thrilled about it, but I had forgotten what happened during the show. Listening to the record, it taught me an awful lot about the beauty of being a jazz singer. It sounded exactly like I sound today – still that touch of improv – that made it happen properly. It was a completely spontaneous show. I even told the audience, I don't know what's going to happen, but wish me luck!

Q: You and your son Danny have spearheaded the Voices Against Violence campaign to promote discussion about gun control.

A: I've been around a long time, and I remember a time for many years when I lived in the suburbs of New York and New Jersey, the doors were open and you didn't have to be afraid of somebody coming in. You could trust everybody and it was rare when something happened. This is such a magnificent country that we live in and we should get back to respecting it.

Q: What do you, and your peers who have joined, plan to do with the organization?

A: We had all the celebrities like Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen and many others all make statements through their own congressmen and suggest to slow down on the assault weapons. I know the public is for it, every poll says that, but it's strange because the (politicians) we voted in don't want to listen. It's such a great country and we've got to get back to learning about our own roots. We should be the shining example of how the rest of the world should live.

Q: You won another Grammy this year (for “Duets II”), so what’s next?

A: I'm doing a swing album with Lady Gaga. They're going to be surprised at how wonderful she sings. We're doing some of the great standards and some original songs she wrote. We're good friends, we get along great. She said to me, "I think we're going to sell a lot of records." When she said that, I couldn't help but remember when I was in Berlin, I saw a big skyscraper and the whole side of the building was selling her perfume. I told my son I never saw a poster like that in my life. My son said she sold 1 billion bottles of perfume!

Q: Sounds as if she’s recovered from her surgery?

A: She's fine now. We'll get together in June to record and will probably release the album in the fall. She's really a fine singer.

Q: So what do you want your legacy to be?

A: You know, I'm in top health, so I'm trying to prove that if you take care of yourself, and stay in shape, it can get better as you get older. Whatever profession anyone is in, you need to realize not to give up. Everybody has this thing where they can't wait to retire and when they do that, they die. It quickens their life because they're sitting around looking at a wall. If you stay creative your whole life, you have something to live for.