Having created some of the best and most enduring musical catalogs of
Great American Songbook composers and some of the best cabaret sets
ever heard, Michael Feinstein breaks new ground with his first Big Band
album. Growing up in the personal attendance of the legendary Ira
Gershwin and in the comforting shadow of such standard bearers as
Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Irving Berlin, Feinstein has partnered his
smokey vocals with the fiery horns of the legendary Maynard Fergusion for
Big City Rhythms, his 18th album.
From the gentle small combos of Ray Noble’s "The Very Thought of
You" (which features an ear-singeing solo by Mr. Ferguson) and a piano
bar rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s "How Little Wqe Know" to the all-out
swings of Evans and Bostic’s "Let Me Off Uptown" and Rogers and Hart’s
"Johnny One Note," Feinstein mixes it up in the big city and rarely gets
lost. Though Feinstein’s "One Note" may not be his strongest and his
proclamation that "Swing Is Back In Style" may be a bit late, any original
song that can offer a comparative music lesson which combines a tribute
to Basie and Bing with a dig at Sting (and in similar rhyming style) is a
notable composition indeed.
Borrowing from his impressive mental musical archives, Feinstein
uses Benny Goodman’s "Lullaby In Rhythm" to demonstratre the wide
array of songs that used similar lyrical themes (including "Lullabye of
Birdland," "Lullabye of Broadway" and "Fascinatin’ Rhythm"). He also
takes a second stab at the composer’s desk with the repetetive but
appropriately-paced "Rhythm of the Blues." Though Feinstein’s choices
and voices vary widely on this album, it is an impressive departure which
looks back with Feinstein’s typical care and attention while looking
forward with promise.
Track listing: 1. Close Your Eyes
2. The Very Thought Of You
3. Let Me off Uptown
4. Girl Talk
5. You Can't Lose 'Em All
6. One Day at a Time
7. The Rhythm Of The Blues
8. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
9. Ev'rything You Want Is Here
10. Johnny One Note
11. Swing Is Back in Style
12. Love Is Nothin' But a Racket
13. Lullaby in Rhythm
14. When Your Lover Has Gone / The Gal That Got Away
15. New York, New York
16. How Little We Know
Style: Vocal
Published: January 21, 2003
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Having created some of the best and most enduring musical catalogs of
Great American Songbook composers and some of the best cabaret sets
ever heard, Michael Feinstein breaks new ground with his first Big Band
album. Growing up in the personal attendance of the legendary Ira
Gershwin and in the comforting shadow of such standard bearers as
Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Irving Berlin, Feinstein has partnered his
smokey vocals with the fiery horns of the legendary Maynard Fergusion for
Big City Rhythms, his 18th album.
