Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Feinstein: Big City Rhythms

196

Michael Feinstein: Big City Rhythms

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
piano and vocals

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

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.