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| Singer, pianist, conductor, and music archivist Michael Feinstein. |
Tonight, I saw Michael Feinstein at the Dakota Jazz Club in
Minneapolis. I’ve been a fan of Feinstein’s since I was a little kid, and his
music was the way I was introduced to the Great American Songbook. Which is only
fitting, since Feinstein is such an advocate and proponent of those songs.
For this concert, Feinstein was backed by Tedd Firth on
piano, Phil Palombi on bass, and Mark McLean on drums. They were an excellent backing
group and provided superb accompaniment on both ballads and swingers. I’ve
never seen Feinstein sing with a small backing group like this—I’m
pretty sure every time I’ve seen him he’s either been on his own, just
accompanying himself on piano, or with an orchestra.
Michael looked and sounded great—it doesn’t look like he’s aged
a day since the last time I saw him in person, which was back in 2012. (I also
reviewed his 2011 concert here.) He was sharply dressed in a dark blue suit and
a black dress shirt. Feinstein’s voice sounds great, and it even seems like his
voice has gotten more powerful, as he held some ending notes for a very long
time. And he hasn’t lost any of his upper range. Feinstein remains a fun and
vibrant nightclub entertainer, as he brings a warm and engaging personality to
the stage. It’s hard to imagine someone not having fun at a Michael Feinstein
concert.
Feinstein performed several medleys of songs, and the opener
was the great song made famous by Nat King Cole, “L-O-V-E,” combined with “Almost
Like Being in Love.” It was a fun opener, and it was followed by a superb
version of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues,” written in 1914. As Michael said, “I
like to keep it current.” Another highlight was a medley of the 1959 Frank
Sinatra song “All My Tomorrows” with the 1969 hit single by the Spiral Staircase,
“More Today than Yesterday.” It was an inventive pairing that worked very well
together.
Feinstein is a fount of pop culture knowledge, and I laughed
very hard when he said that drummer Mark McLean would be playing Buddy Rich to
Michael’s Sammy Davis during the song “Come Back to Me.” Feinstein then added, “But
he’s much nicer than Buddy Rich!” (There are lots of stories about Buddy Rich
being, um, not so nice to work with.)
A surprise guest was singer and cabaret performer Lynne
Rothrock, who performed a fun version of “Teach Me Tonight.” Other highlights of
the evening included an exuberant version of “Hooray for Hollywood,” and of
course, the Gershwin medley. Michael Feinstein worked as an assistant for Ira
Gershwin for the last six years of Ira’s life, helping to catalogue Ira’s music
collection. Feinstein was audibly emotional during the intro to “Our Love is
Here to Stay,” as he recounted how George had written the music, but Ira didn’t
put words to it until after George’s death. Thus, the song became Ira’s moving
tribute to his dead brother.
And Feinstein saved some of the best music for the last, as
he performed a 12-song tribute medley to Frank Sinatra. It was a fitting way to
end the evening, from one interpreter of the Great American Songbook to another.
Set list: (P=Michael Feinstein on piano)
L-O-V-E/Almost Like Being in Love
St. Louis Blues
Old Friend-p
All My Tomorrows/More Today than Yesterday
Wish You Were Here/So Far Away
Come Back to Me
When I Fall in Love/My Foolish Heart
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight/One Less Bell to Answer
Hooray for Hollywood
Blame it On My Youth-p
Gershwin Medley:
How Long Has This Been Going On?-p
Someone to Watch Over Me-p
Our Love is Here to Stay-p
Frank Sinatra medley:
Come Fly with Me
Witchcraft
A Foggy Day
I’ve Got the World on a String
Summer Wind
All or Nothing at All
I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
Angel Eyes
That’s Life
Night and Day
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
You Make Me Feel So Young
Encore:
Isn’t it Romantic?-p
