Michael Feinstein - Gershwin Country

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:18
Size: 95,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:27) 1. Love Is Here To Stay
(3:15) 2. I've Got A Crush On You
(4:46) 3. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:19) 4. I Got Rhythm
(3:16) 5. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(3:35) 6. Clap Yo' Hands
(4:33) 7. How Long Has This Been Going On?
(3:10) 8. Fascinating Rhythm
(3:31) 9. Soon
(3:48) 10. Oh! Lady Be Good
(4:32) 11. Embraceable You

Though Michael Feinstein remained in the public eye throughout the latter half of the 2010s, performing live and appearing intermittently as a presenter on the Turner Classic Movies network, the onetime Ira Gershwin archivist went nearly a decade without releasing any albums. It was his first gap of more than two years since his 1987 studio debut, Pure Gershwin. He comes back to key influences George and Ira Gershwin, for more than the first time, on his return, 2022's Gershwin Country. A set of 11 duets, each with different guests, it navigates timeless romantic ballads and what prove to be playfully old-fashioned, vaudeville-esque takes with giants of country music (and one with album executive producer Liza Minnelli). It opens with perhaps the most country-forward arrangement of the set, "Love Is Here to Stay," featuring Dolly Parton. The song's gentle steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, and rhythm section, alongside Parton's sincere, timeworn vocals, add just the right rustic touch to the swing-era love song, which, like the rest of the selections, sees Feinstein trade lines with his guest.

Generally speaking, the ballads work best here: a lovely vocal performance by Alison Krauss highlights "Someone to Watch Over Me," and Amy Grant helps deliver a graceful, straightforward version of "They Can't Take That Away from Me," while the more complex chord progressions and key changes of "I've Got a Crush on You" with Rosanne Cash fall more in the category of "twangy jazz." A song-appropriate slinkiness adds nuance to Feinstein and Mandy Barnett's version of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Far from sentimental throughout, the album sees Brad Paisley deliver a rousing, stick-clacking "I Got Rhythm," including a memorable guitar solo that kicks off a series of rotating band solos and includes a quote of The Andy Griffith Show theme ("The Fishin' Hole"). Elsewhere, "Fascinating Rhythm," performed by Feinstein with Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, even includes jump blues-style group response parts. However, the record leaves listeners on an elegant, only vaguely twangy edition of "Embraceable You" by Feinstein and Minnelli. Since, taken together, the set lands in crossover territory, only swaying toward traditional country from show tune jazz, (pun opportunity aside) the album perhaps should have been titled Country Gershwin, as the balance tips toward the songwriters.~Marcy Donelsonhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/gershwin-country-mw0003652456

Gershwin Country

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Michael Feinstein & Maynard Ferguson - Big City Rhythms

Styles: Piano Jazz, Bop
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:03
Size: 149,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:58) 1. Close Your Eyes
(5:31) 2. The Very Thought of You
(3:34) 3. Let Me Off Uptown
(5:08) 4. Girl Talk
(4:34) 5. You Can't Lose 'Em All
(3:55) 6. One Day at a Time
(5:54) 7. The Rhythm of the Blues
(5:26) 8. The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else
(4:30) 9. Ev'rything You Want Is Here
(2:28) 10. Johnny One Note
(2:39) 11. Swing Is Back in Style
(3:27) 12. Love Is Nothin' But a Racket
(3:26) 13. Lullaby in Rhythm
(5:00) 14. Medley: When Your Lover Has Gone/The Gal That Got Away
(3:40) 15. New York, New York
(2:44) 16. How Little We Know

Michael Feinstein steps out from behind his piano to front a big band, and not just any band, but Maynard Ferguson's. Extending the jazzy course he started in his first Concord album, Michael & George, Feinstein sounds at ease whether the swing is light ("Girl Talk") or hard ("Let Me Off Uptown"). He also contributes two of his own songs ("The Rhythm of the Blues", "Swing Is Back in Style"). While occasional piercing trumpet lines remind us who the bandleader is, Ferguson doesn't spend that much time in the stratosphere partly because he's now over 70 and partly because this crack band works beautifully in support of Feinstein. Released shortly after the singer opened his New York club, Feinstein's, Big City Rhythms will get your fingers snapping. ~David Horiuchi https://www.amazon.ca/Big-City-Rhythms-Michael-Feinstein/dp/B00001ZSTC

Personnel: Piano – Earl MacDonald, Michael Feinstein; Alto Saxophone – Gary Foster, Matt Catingub; Baritone Saxophone – Sal Lozano; Bass Trombone – Bryant Byers; Drums – Albie Berk, Dave Throckmorton; Flugelhorn – Bobby Shew, Maynard Ferguson ; Guitar – Dennis Budimir; Leader – Maynard Ferguson; Tenor Saxophone – Dan Higgins, Jim Brenan; Trombone – Alex Iles, Reggie Watkins, Tom Garling; Trumpet – Adolfo Acosta, Bobby Shew, Brian Ploeger, Maynard Ferguson, Wayne Bergeron; Tuba – Jim Self

Big City Rhythms

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Michael Feinstein - With a Song in My Heart

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:48
Size: 82,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:21) 1. The Summer Knows
(2:34) 2. You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
(4:15) 3. With a Song in My Heart
(2:52) 4. Real Live Girl
(3:13) 5. Moon River
(2:31) 6. Dance a Little Closer
(4:50) 7. Thanks for the Memory
(2:49) 8. More I Cannot Wish You
(3:32) 9. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(3:57) 10. I'll Never Fall in Love Again
(4:14) 11. Two for the Road
(3:28) 12. Here's That Rainy Day
(3:40) 13. My Blue Heaven
(2:11) 14. Hallelujah
(3:20) 15. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

Singer/pianist Michael Feinstein was both a prime motivator and a beneficiary of arenewed interest in pre-rock popular music that started in the 1980s, a trend that also found Linda Ronstadt selling millions of copies of albums of traditional pop made with conductor Nelson Riddle and that fueled the success of Harry Connick Jr. In Feinstein's case, it allowed him to establish a career as a nightclub entertainer and then move up to theaters while releasing major-label albums; his background as a musical archivist also enabled him to bring a scholar's knowledge to his performances of classic pop music.

He was born Michael Jay Feinstein on September 7, 1956, in Columbus, Ohio. His father, Edward Feinstein, was an executive in the meat business, but had been a band singer, while his mother, Mazie Feinstein, was an amateur tap dancer. Beginning to play the piano by ear at age five, Feinstein grew up fascinated by the pop music of generations preceding him and amassed a large record collection. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1976, and there began to come in contact with the people who created the music he adored. He was hired by Ira Gershwin to catalog the veteran lyricist's archives, a job he performed until Gershwin's death in 1983. (He also worked for Harry Warren in 1981-1982.) At that point, he turned to performing as a cabaret artist full-time, beginning in Los Angeles. In 1985, he released his debut album, Pure Gershwin, on Parnassus Records. A 1986 engagement at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in New York was extended for four months and resulted in the LP Live at the Algonquin (Elektra, 1987). After releasing Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin (1987), he was able to take his act to Broadway, opening Michael Feinstein in Concert: Isn't It Romantic at the Lyceum Theatre on April 19, 1988. The same year, he released his third album, also called Isn't It Romantic. During 1989, he released two thematic albums, Over There (Angel), devoted to the music of World War I, and The M.G.M. Album (Elektra).

For Elektra's Nonesuch imprint, Feinstein launched a series of "songbook" albums recorded with the participation of the veteran songwriters themselves, the first of them devoted to Burton Lane (August 1990, with a second volume in November 1992), followed by Jule Styne (October 1991), Jerry Herman (October 1993), and Hugh Martin (September 1995). Back at Elektra, Feinstein devoted an album to children, Pure Imagination (April 1992). Forever (March 1993) found him balancing contemporary material with the usual standards. He then switched labels, landing at Atlantic Records for Such Sweet Sorrow (March 1995) and Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins (February 1996) before moving to Concord Records, beginning with an album to mark the centenary of George Gershwin, Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin (September 1998).

In 1999, Feinstein lent his name to a new nightclub in New York located in the Regency Hotel, as Feinstein's at the Regency became a venue for sophisticated cabaret entertainers including its namesake. (A second Feinstein's later opened in Hollywood.) The same year, he released Big City Rhythms, fronting the Maynard Ferguson Big Band. Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway (October 2000) was a two-CD set, the first disc recorded live. It was followed by Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2002. In the fall of 2002, Concord announced the formation of Feinstein's own custom subsidiary label, Feinery, intended to "present hidden gems from the American Popular Songbook." It was launched with a new album, Michael Feinstein Sings the Livingston & Evans Songbook, on October 8, 2002. Feinstein's 2003 album, Only One Life, was devoted to the songs of Jimmy Webb. In 2005, he and George Shearing teamed up for Hopeless Romantics. The Sinatra Project appeared in 2008. In 2009, Feinstein and Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson made The Power of Two for Harbinger Records. Fly Me to the Moon (September 2010) on the Duckhole label found him accompanied by jazz guitarist Joe Negri. In 2011, Feinstein followed up his 2008 homage to Sinatra with The Sinatra Project, Vol. 2: The Good Life. ~ William Ruhlmann https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-feinstein/269030

With a Song in My Heart

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Michael Feinstein - The Sinatra Project Vol. 2: The Good Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:05
Size: 94.1 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Thirteen Women
[2:44] 2. Hallelujah I Love Her So
[2:51] 3. C’est Comme Ça
[3:15] 4. Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby
[3:31] 5. Sway
[3:52] 6. Luck Be A Lady/All I Need Is The Girl
[4:23] 7. I’ll Be Around
[4:01] 8. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:22] 9. The Lady Is A Tramp
[3:12] 10. For Once In My Life
[3:04] 11. The Good Life
[2:44] 12. Once In A Lifetime

Following up 2008's The Sinatra Project, Michael Feinstein's 2011 The Sinatra Project, Vol. 2: The Good Life features more of the urbane and polished singer/pianist's takes on Ol' Blue Eyes' catalog. Featuring both large and small ensembles, here Feinstein takes on a nice selection of both well-known and lesser-known cuts that Sinatra tackled at some point in his storied career. Included are such stand-out numbers as the big-band rhumba piece "Sway," the swinging medley "Luck Be a Lady/All I Need Is the Girl," and the romantic orchestral ballad "The Way You Look Tonight." While Feinstein is a pleasant vocalist, he's less of a dynamic crooner than Sinatra and not surprisingly, the best tracks here are the more intimate ones that find him accompanying himself on piano, as with the autumnal "C'est Comme Ca" and the poignant "I'll Be Around." Longtime Feinstein fans should find much to enjoy on this impeccably crafted homage to Sinatra. ~Matt Collar

The Sinatra Project Vol. 2: The Good Life

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Barbara Cook & Michael Feinstein - Cheek To Cheek

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:17
Size: 131.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Standards, Show tunes
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. I’ve Got The World On A String
[3:23] 2. Cheek To Cheek
[3:43] 3. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
[3:21] 4. The World Keeps Changing/There’ll Be Some Changes Made
[6:05] 5. The Very Thought Of You Tea For Two
[3:36] 6. Ac-Cent-Tchuate The Positive
[3:35] 7. Ever After
[3:26] 8. Where Do You Start
[3:25] 9. You Could Drive A Person Crazy
[4:49] 10. Without A Song
[4:59] 11. Here's To Life
[5:03] 12. You're Gonna Hear From Me
[3:14] 13. Give Me The Simple Life
[5:27] 14. Shine On Harvest Moon

Bass – David Finck; Drums – Warren Odze; Piano – John Oddo, Lee Musiker, Michael Feinstein, Zina Goldrich; Reeds – Aaron Heick; Trumpet – George Rabbai. Recorded live September 30 to October 2, 2010 at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.

Michael Feinstein hosts Barbara Cook, the reigning queen of New York cabaret, at his own club, Feinstein's at Loews Regency, in this album recorded during their joint appearance in the fall of 2010. Feinstein may count himself a nightclub veteran of a quarter-century's standing by now, but of course he has nothing on the octogenarian Cook, who remains in excellent voice and was vigorous enough to have made her return to Broadway earlier in the year in the musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim. From that show, she borrows the duet arrangement of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" to give her and Feinstein something to joust about here. Most of the time, however, they are of like minds and in warm harmony when they sing together. The set has no particular theme, simply consisting of a batch of quality songs and standards. If there is any overall message, it seems to be a celebratory and upbeat one, with songs such as "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and "Here's to Life" (Cook solos) and "Without a Song" and "You're Gonna Hear from Me" (Feinstein solos), as well as joint efforts like "Give Me the Simple Life." Different accompanists (including Feinstein himself) slide onto the piano stool at different times, and sometimes a reed (Aaron Heick) and a horn (George Rabbai) join a rhythm section (David Finck, bass, and Warren Odze, drums) for a Dixieland flavor. Cook and Feinstein turn out to be complementary performers, both capable of belting or burning a torch by turn, and displaying considerable rapport that makes the age difference between them disappear. ~William Ruhlmann

Cheek To Cheek

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Lee Lessack - In Good Company

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:21
Size: 170,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:35)  1. Lee Lessack With Nita Whitaker - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(3:50)  2. Lee Lessack With Susan Egan - The Look Of Love
(3:09)  3. Lee Lessack With Jon Philip Alman - Sweet Mystery
(4:39)  4. Lee Lessack With  Mary Jo Mundy - Never Saw Blue Like That
(4:56)  5. Lee Lessack With  Brian Lane Green - Opens Arms
(6:15)  6. Lee Lessack With Ann Hampton Callaway - Bring Back Romance
(3:50)  7. Lee Lessack With Johnny Rodgers - Here's To You
(5:13)  8. Lee Lessack With Joanne O'Brien - Summer Wine
(4:54)  9. Lee Lessack With Franc D'Ambrosio - Vincero Perdero
(4:54) 10. Lee Lessack With Maureen McGovern - If You Go Away
(4:05) 11. Lee Lessack With Stephen Schwartz - For Good
(3:15) 12. Lee Lessack With Susan Werner - Blue Guitar
(3:58) 13. Lee Lessack With David Burnham - Let It Be Me
(3:31) 14. Lee Lessack With Amanda McBroom - The Rose
(4:42) 15. Lee Lessack With Ken Page - Vincent
(3:54) 16. Lee Lessack With Stacy Sullivan - Stay the Night
(4:34) 17. Lee Lessack With Michael Feinstein - May I Suggest

No one is working harder than Lee Lessack to keep the increasingly fragile art of cabaret singing on life support. To date, he has released more than 100 discs by some 70 artists (including himself) on his L.A.-based LML label. But never before has Lessack launched so overt an assault as with this 17-track collection that pairs him with a brigade of the genre's top singers and players. The results are uniformly lovely, especially when Lessack joins forces with Susan Egan on "The Look of Love," Maureen McGovern on "If You Go Away," David Burnham on a slow-roasted "Let It Be Me" and composer Stephen Schwartz on the magical "For Good" from his score for Broadway's Tony-winning Wicked.

Trouble is, despite the accuracy of its title, In Good Company lacks cabaret's most essential spice-variety. The all-ballad assortment is like a damask table runner: beautiful and tasteful, but ultimately just passively decorative. The one notable-indeed, soaring-exception is his teaming with keyboardist Johnny Rodgers (who coproduced the album with Lessack and whose band backs each track) on the Rodgers-penned "Here's to You" that pays superlative homage to Simon and Garfunkel. ~ Christopher Loudon  http://jazztimes.com/articles/16099-in-good-company-lee-lessack

Personnel: Lee Lessack (vocals); David Burnham , Franc d'Ambrosio, Joanne O'Brien, Ken Page, Michael Feinstein, Amanda McBroom, Nita Whitaker, Ann Hampton Callaway, Stacy Sullivan, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Egan, Susan Werner, Maureen McGovern, Jon Philip Alman, Mary Jo Mundy, Johnny Rodgers, Brian Lane Green (vocals); Joe Ravo (guitar); Una Tone (violin); Wolfram Koessel (cello); John F. Rodgers (piano, organ); Danny Colfax Mallon (drums); Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn).

In Good Company

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John Proulx - The Best Thing For You

Styles: Vocal and Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:27
Size: 164,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:56)  1. The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me)
(5:36)  2. Sing
(4:31)  3. Jogger Chronicles
(5:17)  4. Love Is For Dreamers
(4:50)  5. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(5:56)  6. Angel
(5:24)  7. Wabash
(5:33)  8. Before We Say Goodnight
(4:38)  9. Push Hands Anna
(5:29) 10. And So It Goes
(4:12) 11. Two of a Kind
(5:04) 12. In the Days of Our Love
(3:46) 13. Here's to the "Chuckster"
(5:07) 14. Proulx's Blues

While female jazz vocalists outnumber male jazz vocalists five to one, it would be a fallacy to believe there is not a wealth of talent among the men singers. With Louis Armstrong and Chet Baker now memories, and Mark Murphy and Jon Hendricks in twilight, as Kurt Elling ascends their throne, there exists a vocal diaspora of the most refined and sonically appealing voices singing, and they are all men. Andy Bey, Beat Kaestli, Henry Darragh and John Proulx all have beautifully sweet and slightly androgynous voices that are able to flatter a broad range of song types. Proulx, who has previously released the uniformly excellent Moon and Sand (2006) and Baker's Dozen: Remembering Chet Baker on Maxjazz, proves again, on The Best Thing For You, that he is the leader of this pack.

The Best Thing For You weighs heavier with Proulx originals than standards and the entire assembly hangs as if born together. Proulx has great empathy with Irving Berlin, spinning his title tune into a tale that can only be described as delightful. Proulx channels Berlin's stage spirit in his own tunes, like the "Push Hands Anna," which is almost a throwback to the wartime Andrews Sisters, but sings perfectly now. Proulx programs the McHugh/Fields chestnut "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" with his own "Love Is For Dreamers," which he duets with Sara Gazarek. His excellent vocals and piano smooth the two rather different songs together into a homogenous whole, making perfect sense.

Proulx's core trio includes bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Joe LaBarbera, who also supported the singer on his two previous outings. Guitarist Larry Koonse, trumpeter Ron Stout and reed multi-instrumentalist Bob Sheppard all appear in different contexts. Pianist Bill Cunliffe shares production and song arrangement services with Proulx, while playing piano on Marian McPartland's "In The Days of Our Love." Proulx sings Peggy Lee's lyrics like they were penned yesterday. The duet between Cunliffe and Proulx is very effective. He also duets with the Berghofer on "Here's to The Chuckster," a song Proulx penned in honor of the bassist. Proulx is not a blues singer per se, but does demonstrate his affinity for the style on the piano, rendering a swinging "Proulx's Blues," which closes this most excellent recital. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-best-thing-for-you-john-proulx-maxjazz-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: John Proulx: vocals. piano; Chuck Berghofer: bass; Joe La Barbera: drums; Sara Gazarek: vocals (4, 6, 8); Michael Feinstein: vocals (11); Bill Cunliffe: piano (12); Bob Shepphard: soprano, tenor saxophone & flute (1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11); Larry Koonse: guitar (2, 4, 7-9); Ron Stout: trumpet (1, 3, 7, 11); Jeremy Boersma: cello (6).

The Best Thing For You

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Michael Feinstein - Livingston & Evans Songbook

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:37
Size: 172,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:24)  1. You're So Right For Me
(4:56)  2. Mona Lisa
(2:57)  3. What Fools These Mortals Be
(2:40)  4. Buttons and Bows
(3:49)  5. The Late Scene
(1:59)  6. Bonanza / Mr. Ed
(3:01)  7. All the Time
(3:37)  8. How Much Will I Love You
(2:39)  9. His Own Little Island
(2:58) 10. Silver Bells
(2:57) 11. Ya' Got Class
(4:51) 12. Never Let Me Go
(4:33) 13. Jubilie-Jubilo
(3:18) 14. Tammy
(3:03) 15. Through Children's Eyes
(4:20) 16. To Each His Own
(3:26) 17. Almost in Your Arms
(2:32) 18. Henriette
(3:07) 19. The Mating Season
(2:12) 20. Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
(2:37) 21. As I Love You
(3:36) 22. Anywhere But Here
(2:54) 23. Wish Me a Rainbow

There are major songwriters whose names are as well known as those of the singers of their songs, and there are others who are largely unknown, requiring a list of their biggest hits to bring their accomplishments into focus. The team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans fits into the latter category, probably because they wrote primarily for the movies rather than the Broadway stage and because their heyday occurred from the late '40s to the late '50s, instead of during the perceived golden age of the 1930s. So, here's the list: "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," "Mona Lisa," and "Buttons and Bows" were their Oscar-winners, and among their other hits were "Silver Bells," "Tammy," and "To Each His Own." All those songs are featured on Michael Feinstein's tribute album, the flagship release on his new Feinery imprint for Concord Records. The album was made very much with the support of Livingston and Evans.

Livingston (who died of pneumonia on October 17, 2001, at age 86) sings along and plays piano on several songs, and he and Evans submitted to an extensive interview printed in the CD booklet. The songwriters have also provided a number of lost songs from aborted projects that add considerably to their catalog. Writing on assignment, Livingston and Evans were versatile to a fault, such that it's hard to find a consistent style to their work. Feinstein imposes his own style, however, singing the ballads with his exaggerated smoothness and the novelty songs with appropriate sprightliness. On occasion, one wishes for more instrumentation and fuller arrangements to do justice to songs written with Hollywood orchestras in mind, but the intimacy of the songbook approach brings out the songwriters' craftsmanship well. Melissa Manchester's torchy performance of "Never Let Me Go" is a particular standout. ~ William Ruhlmann  http://www.allmusic.com/album/livingston-and-evans-songbook-mw0000226773

Personnel: Michael Feinstein, Jay Livingston (vocals, piano); Melissa Manchester (vocals); Wayne Johnson (guitar); Warren Luening (trumpet); Shelly Markham, Page Cavanaugh (piano); Phil Mallory, Cliff Hugo (bass); Dave Tull (drums).

Livingston & Evans Songbook

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Michael Feinstein - A Michael Feinstein Christmas

Size: 142,3 MB
Time: 60:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Holiday
Art: Front

01. The Christmas Song (5:01)
02. Sleigh Ride (3:44)
03. There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays (4:38)
04. Winter Wonderland (2:48)
05. White Christmas (5:23)
06. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (3:17)
07. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (5:25)
08. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (3:09)
09. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (3:01)
10. A Christmas Love Song (4:55)
11. The Christmas Waltz (3:37)
12. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (2:31)
13. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (3:14)
14. I'll Be Home For Christmas (4:59)
15. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (4:52)

The Celebrated Singer/Pianist Covers Christmas Classics with GRAMMY® Award-Winning Pianist Alan Broadbent on A Michael Feinstein Christmas

Concord Records is delighted to announce the release of A Michael Feinstein Christmas. Feinstein, accompanied by venerable GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz pianist Alan Broadbent (Charlie Haden, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole), puts his signature styling on a selection of holiday standards. Now available digitally and in retail stores nationwide, these sought-after recordings were previously part of a limited release and out of print for over ten years. No stranger to spreading holiday cheer, Feinstein’s popular annual holiday concert in New York City is touted by the New York Times to be “as much a Christmas season ritual as catching the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall or visiting the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree,” making A Michael Feinstein Christmas a true gem for Feinstein fans as it is the only recorded collection of yuletide songs by the singer.

Long recognized as one of the world’s finest singers and pianists, Feinstein is also celebrated for his tireless efforts to preserve, protect and promote the songs and songwriters that shaped the Golden Age of American music. Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, which strives “to bring the music of the Great American Songbook to young people today and to preserve it for future generations.” The foundation is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana at The Center for the Performing Arts, where the Midwest-born Feinstein serves as Artistic Director.

Over the course of his non-stop, 30-plus year career, Michael Feinstein has wowed millions of fans with his cabaret and concert hall performances, earned five GRAMMY® nominations, two EMMY® nods, and has released nearly an album a year—the majority of which pay tribute to his heroes—Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Webb, the Gershwins and most recently, André Previn, with 2013’s Change of Heart: The Songs of André Previn on Concord Records. The prolific performer also hosts a nationally syndicated public radio show, Song Travels, and hosted the PBS show Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook. Last summer, Michael was honored to be named the Principal Pops Conductor at the Pasadena POPS in Southern California, where he will follow in the footsteps of the great Marvin Hamlisch—certainly a position in which Michael can continue to share his limitless passion for music with the world.

A Michael Feinstein Christmas

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Michael Feinstein & George Shearing - Hopeless Romantics

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:37
Size: 137,1 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:01)  1. I Had The Craziest Dream
(3:26)  2. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
(4:23)  3. This Heart Of Mine
(4:01)  4. At Last
(4:13)  5. I'll String Along With You
(4:04)  6. You're My Everything
(4:12)  7. The More I See You
(4:37)  8. Serenade In Blue
(4:37)  9. I Know Why (And So Do You)
(4:11) 10. September In The Rain
(3:43) 11. Shadow Waltz
(3:19) 12. There Will Never Be Another You
(4:45) 13. I Only Have Eyes For You
(3:52) 14. You'll Never Know
(3:05) 15. You're My Everything (Alternate Version)

It's a shame that songwriter Harry Warren's name is not as well known as some of his contemporaries like Cole Porter or Irving Berlin. For whatever reason, writing dozens of hit songs like "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and winning three Academy Awards wasn't enough to get the name recognition he deserved. Hoping to change that, Michael Feinstein pays tribute to the often-ignored composer on Hopeless Romantics, a collection of Warren songs performed by Feinstein and pianist George Shearing. With both musicians quite familiar with the Warren catalog, Feinstein and Shearing decided to focus their attention specifically on Warren's more romantic songs. Therefore, popular upbeat hits like "Jeepers Creepers" and "Lullaby of Broadway" were set aside in favor of softer tunes like "At Last" and "I Only Have Eyes for You." Of course, this approach is a perfect fit for Feinstein, who has crooned thousands of American standards in his subdued cabaret style. The bonus this time around, though, is to have famed jazz pianist Shearing provide the accompaniment. The pairing works fine, especially when Shearing gets to riff a little on slightly more midtempo songs like "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," but no matter how impeccable and gorgeous Shearing's work is, the album's low-key approach leaves little room for him to shine. Even one of Shearing's most famous snappy songs, "September in the Rain," is reduced to a maudlin ballad. It still works, but the magic of this pairing is something that would be more appreciated in a concert setting where each performer has room to move. As it is, working within the romantic theme and the confines of the studio provides little variety in either tone or tempo. But rising above it all are Warren's songs, and it is beneficial that Feinstein resurrects beautiful yet forgotten tunes like "Shadow Waltz." Of course, Feinstein is pitch-perfect and squeezes every ounce of good sentimentality out of each lyric, much in the way he did on his brilliant 2003 disc, Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb. This collection, however, is a little too quiet and mannered, but Feinstein and Shearing still do a great service by bringing these tunes back to the forefront. After hearing Hopeless Romantics, the name of Harry Warren should remain imbedded in the listener's memory.~ Aaron Latham  

http://www.allmusic.com/album/hopeless-romantics-mw0000168692

Hopeless Romantics

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