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Michael Feinstein: Big City Rhythms
Having created some of the best and most enduring musical catalogs of the composers of the Great American Songbook and some of the best cabaret sets ever heard, Michael Feinstein is breaking 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 this, 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 We 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. Taking 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
Personnel
Michael Feinstein- vocals, piano on "The Rhythm of the Blues," "Swing is Back in Style," "When Your Lover Has Gone / The Gal That Got Away" and "How Little We Know;" Maynard Ferguson- leader, trumpet, flugelhorn; Earl MacDonald- piano; Dennis Budimir- guitar; Brian Stahurski- bass; Dave Throckmorton, Albie Berk- drums; Larry Bunker- vibraphone, percussion; Wayne Bergeron, Adolfo Acosta, Brian Ploeger- trumpet; Bobby Shew- trumpet, flugelhorn; Tom Garling, Alex Iles, Reggie Watkins- trombone; Bryant Byers- bass trombone; Jim Self- tuba; Mike Dubaniewicz, Gary Foster- alto saxophone; Jim Brenan, Dan Higgins- tenor saxophone; Sal Lozano- baritone saxophone; Matt Catingub- alto saxophone on "Love Is Nothin
Album information
Title: Big City Rhythms
| Year Released: 2003
| Record Label: Concord Music Group
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