Michael Feinstein
Encyclopedia
Michael Jay Feinstein is an American
singer, pianist
, and music revivalist
. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist
for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook
. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award
for celebrating American musical theatre
songs. Feinstein is also a multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated recording artist.
, the son of Florence Mazie (née Cohen), an amateur tap dancer, and Edward Feinstein, a sales executive for the Sara Lee Corporation and a former amateur singer. At the age of five, he studied piano for a couple of months until his teacher became angered that he wasn't reading the sheet music she gave him, since he was more comfortable playing by ear. As his mother saw no problem with her son's method, she took him out of lessons and allowed him to enjoy music his own way.
when he was 20. Through the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant
, in 1977 he was introduced to Ira Gershwin
, who hired him to catalogue his extensive collection of phonograph records. The assignment led to six years of researching, cataloguing and preserving the unpublished sheet music
and rare recordings in Gershwin's home, thus securing the legacy of not just Ira but also that of his composer brother George Gershwin
, who had died four decades earlier. Feinstein's extended tenure enabled him to also get to know Gershwin's next-door neighbor, singer Rosemary Clooney
, with whom Feinstein formed an intensely close friendship lasting until Clooney's death. Feinstein served as musical consultant for the 1983 Broadway
show My One and Only
, a musical
pastiche
of Gershwin tunes.
By the mid-1980s, Feinstein was a nationally known cabaret singer-pianist famed for being a dedicated proponent of the Great American Songbook
. In 1986, he recorded his first CD, Pure Gershwin
(1987), a collection of music by George and Ira Gershwin. He followed this in quick succession with Live at the Algonquin (1986); Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin
(1987); Isn't It Romantic (1988), a collection of standards and his first album backed by an orchestra; and Over There (1989), featuring the music of America and Europe during the First World War. Feinstein recorded his only children's album, Pure Imagination, in 1992.
By 1988, Feinstein was starring on Broadway in a series of in-concert shows: Michael Feinstein in Concert (April through June 1988), Michael Feinstein in Concert: "Isn't It Romantic" (October through November 1988), and Michael Feinstein in Concert: Piano and Voice (October 1990). He returned to Broadway in 2010, in a concert special duo with Dame Edna titled All About Me (March through April 2010).
In the early 1990s, Feinstein embarked on an ambitious songbook project wherein he performed an album featuring the music of a featured composer, often accompanied by the composer. These included collaborations with Burton Lane
(two volumes: 1990, 1992), Jule Styne
(1991), Jerry Herman
(Michael Feinstein Sings the Jerry Herman Songbook
, 1993), Hugh Martin
(1995), Jimmy Webb
(Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb
, 2003) and Jay Livingston
/Ray Evans
(2002). He has also recorded three albums of standards with Maynard Ferguson
: Forever (1993), Such Sweet Sorrow (1995), and Big City Rhythms
(1999).
In the late 1990s, Feinstein record two more albums of Gershwin music: Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins
(1996) and Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin
(1998). Feinstein's albums in the 21st century have included Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway
(2000), Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
(2001), Hopeless Romantics
(2005, featuring George Shearing
), and The Sinatra Project
(2008).
In 2000, the Library of Congress
appointed Feinstein to its newly formed National Recording Preservation Board
, an organization dedicated to safeguarding America’s musical heritage.
In 2008, the Feinstein Foundation for the Education and Preservation of The Great American Songbook located its headquarters in Carmel, Indiana
. In 2009 Feinstein became the artistic director of the Carmel Performing Arts Center.
In 2009, Feinstein teamed up with Cheyenne Jackson
to create a nightclub act titled "The Power of Two". The show was hailed by the New York Times as "passionate," "impeccably harmonized" and "groundbreaking". Variety
acclaimed it as "dazzlingly entertaining". Their act became one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2009, and the duo created a studio album from the material, The Power of Two
.
In 2010, PBS
aired Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, a three-part television documentary that depicts the history of the American popular song up to 1960, as well as Feinstein's own life and career.
Feinstein is the owner of the Manhattan
nightclub Feinstein's at the Regency, a showcase for cabaret
performers. He performs there for a sold-out Christmas holiday stint each year, and at other times as well. Feinstein was also a part owner of the now-closed Speakeasy Supper Club in Chicago. In 2008, he opened his own London
venue, Feinstein's at the Shaw.
into a Broadway musical. He is also scoring his second movie, The Big Valley.
, also known as Judge Judy
. Feinstein and Flannery have homes in New York, Los Angeles and Indiana.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and music revivalist
Revivalist artist
A revivalist artist or revivalist band is a musical group, singer, or musician dedicated to reviving interest in a musical genre from an earlier era....
. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award
Drama Desk Special Award
The Drama Desk Special Award is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It is a non-competitive award that honors an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway,...
for celebrating American musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
songs. Feinstein is also a multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated recording artist.
Early life
Feinstein was born in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, the son of Florence Mazie (née Cohen), an amateur tap dancer, and Edward Feinstein, a sales executive for the Sara Lee Corporation and a former amateur singer. At the age of five, he studied piano for a couple of months until his teacher became angered that he wasn't reading the sheet music she gave him, since he was more comfortable playing by ear. As his mother saw no problem with her son's method, she took him out of lessons and allowed him to enjoy music his own way.
Career
After graduating from high school, Feinstein worked in local piano bars for two years, moving to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when he was 20. Through the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.-Life and career:...
, in 1977 he was introduced to Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
, who hired him to catalogue his extensive collection of phonograph records. The assignment led to six years of researching, cataloguing and preserving the unpublished sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
and rare recordings in Gershwin's home, thus securing the legacy of not just Ira but also that of his composer brother George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, who had died four decades earlier. Feinstein's extended tenure enabled him to also get to know Gershwin's next-door neighbor, singer Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, with whom Feinstein formed an intensely close friendship lasting until Clooney's death. Feinstein served as musical consultant for the 1983 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show My One and Only
My One and Only
My One and Only is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer and music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin.Written to incorporate classic Gershwin tunes from Funny Face and other popular shows into one evening of entertainment, the plot, set in 1927 America, revolves around Capt...
, a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
of Gershwin tunes.
By the mid-1980s, Feinstein was a nationally known cabaret singer-pianist famed for being a dedicated proponent of the Great American Songbook
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
. In 1986, he recorded his first CD, Pure Gershwin
Pure Gershwin
Pure Gershwin is a 1987 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein of songs composed by George Gershwin. This was Feinstein's debut studio recording....
(1987), a collection of music by George and Ira Gershwin. He followed this in quick succession with Live at the Algonquin (1986); Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin
Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin
Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin is a 1987 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein of songs written by Irving Berlin.-Reception:...
(1987); Isn't It Romantic (1988), a collection of standards and his first album backed by an orchestra; and Over There (1989), featuring the music of America and Europe during the First World War. Feinstein recorded his only children's album, Pure Imagination, in 1992.
By 1988, Feinstein was starring on Broadway in a series of in-concert shows: Michael Feinstein in Concert (April through June 1988), Michael Feinstein in Concert: "Isn't It Romantic" (October through November 1988), and Michael Feinstein in Concert: Piano and Voice (October 1990). He returned to Broadway in 2010, in a concert special duo with Dame Edna titled All About Me (March through April 2010).
In the early 1990s, Feinstein embarked on an ambitious songbook project wherein he performed an album featuring the music of a featured composer, often accompanied by the composer. These included collaborations with Burton Lane
Burton Lane
Burton Lane was an American composer and lyricist. His most popular and successful work is the musical Finian's Rainbow, "the score for which Lane will always be most remembered."-Biography:...
(two volumes: 1990, 1992), Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
(1991), Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
(Michael Feinstein Sings the Jerry Herman Songbook
Michael Feinstein Sings the Jerry Herman Songbook
Michael Feinstein Sings the Jerry Herman Songbook is a 1993 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein of songs written by Jerry Herman.-Reception:...
, 1993), Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...
(1995), Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
(Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb
Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb
Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb is a 2003 studio album by Michael Feinstein, recorded in tribute to the songwriter Jimmy Webb. -Track listing:# "After All the Loves of My Life"/"Only One Life" – 7:01# "Didn't We" – 4:21...
, 2003) and Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
/Ray Evans
Ray Evans
Raymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films...
(2002). He has also recorded three albums of standards with Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
: Forever (1993), Such Sweet Sorrow (1995), and Big City Rhythms
Big City Rhythms
Big City Rhythms is a 1999 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein accompanied by the Maynard Ferguson big band. It was Feinstein's second album for the Concord label, and his first with Maynard Ferguson.-Reception:...
(1999).
In the late 1990s, Feinstein record two more albums of Gershwin music: Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins
Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins
Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins is a 1996 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein of songs composed by George Gershwin....
(1996) and Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin
Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin
Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin is a 1998 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein of songs composed by George Gershwin. It was Feinstein's third album of Gershwin's music, following Pure Gershwin and Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins .-Reception:The Allmusic...
(1998). Feinstein's albums in the 21st century have included Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway
Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway
-Track listing:Disc One# "The More I See You" - 6:16# "The Second Time Around" - 5:32# "As Time Goes By" - 6:28# "Isn't It Romantic?" - 4:44...
(2000), Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is a 2001 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with arrangements by Alan Broadbent...
(2001), Hopeless Romantics
Hopeless Romantics
Hopeless Romantics is a 2005 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein accompanied by pianist George Shearing, recorded in 2002 and released on the Concord label. The album is a tribute to the American composer Harry Warren, who Feinstein met in his twenties...
(2005, featuring George Shearing
George Shearing
Sir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
), and The Sinatra Project
The Sinatra Project
The Sinatra Project is a 2008 studio album by the American singer Michael Feinstein, recorded in tribute to the singer Frank Sinatra...
(2008).
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
appointed Feinstein to its newly formed National Recording Preservation Board
National Recording Preservation Board
The United States National Recording Preservation Board selects recorded sounds for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. The National Recording Registry was initiated to maintain and preserve "sound recordings that are culturally, historically or aesthetically...
, an organization dedicated to safeguarding America’s musical heritage.
In 2008, the Feinstein Foundation for the Education and Preservation of The Great American Songbook located its headquarters in Carmel, Indiana
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest....
. In 2009 Feinstein became the artistic director of the Carmel Performing Arts Center.
In 2009, Feinstein teamed up with Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
to create a nightclub act titled "The Power of Two". The show was hailed by the New York Times as "passionate," "impeccably harmonized" and "groundbreaking". Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
acclaimed it as "dazzlingly entertaining". Their act became one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2009, and the duo created a studio album from the material, The Power of Two
The Power of Two
-Track listing:# "I'm Nothing without You" - 3:20# "Me and My Shadow" - 3:31# "Old Friend" - 4:17# "A Foggy Day" - 3:04...
.
In 2010, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
aired Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, a three-part television documentary that depicts the history of the American popular song up to 1960, as well as Feinstein's own life and career.
Feinstein is the owner of the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
nightclub Feinstein's at the Regency, a showcase for cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
performers. He performs there for a sold-out Christmas holiday stint each year, and at other times as well. Feinstein was also a part owner of the now-closed Speakeasy Supper Club in Chicago. In 2008, he opened his own London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
venue, Feinstein's at the Shaw.
Other media appearances
Feinstein was a judge at the 2007 Miss America Pageant. In addition to doing more than 150 live performances per year, he has also appeared on a number of television series, documentaries, and talk shows.Future projects
As of June 2011, Feinstein has written the score for two new stage musicals, The Night They Saved Macy’s Parade and The Gold Room. He is working with MGM to turn The Thomas Crown AffairThe Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1999 American heist film directed by John McTiernan. The film, starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo and Denis Leary, is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name....
into a Broadway musical. He is also scoring his second movie, The Big Valley.
Personal life
In October 2008, Feinstein married his longtime partner Terrence Flannery. The ceremony was performed by famed family court and television judge Judith SheindlinJudith Sheindlin
Judith Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, is an American lawyer, judge, television personality, and author. Since 1996, Sheindlin has presided over her own syndicated courtroom show, Judge Judy, and is well known for her no-nonsense legal style and powerful personality, sharpness, and quick...
, also known as Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
. Feinstein and Flannery have homes in New York, Los Angeles and Indiana.
External links
- Official website
- Michael Feinstein's American Songbook
- Official fan club
- http://www.michaelfeinsteinfoundation.org
- http://www.thecenterfortheperformingarts.org