An archivist and ambassador of the Great American songbook, Michael Feinstein will be performing this Sunday, Oct. 7, at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre in what promises to be a dazzling performance. A top-shelf interpreter of our country’s jazz, Tin Pan Alley and mid-century popular music, Feinstein has been wowing crowds since he hit the scene more than 30 years ago.
Feinstein at the piano, along with his trio, will trace the history and great lyrics of some of the most enduring standards of the 20th century. The five-time Grammy-nominated performer has been preserving and promoting America’s popular songs since his early ’20s as an assistant to Ira Gershwin. Of course, he’s flourished in his own right as an unparalleled interpreter of music legends such as Irving Berlin, the Gershwins and Johnny Mercer, to name a few.
While he’s resting his voice in preparation for this week’s performance, Feinstein “spoke” with The Malibu Times by email to answer a few questions.
Immersed in the Great American Songbook since his youth, Feinstein took up piano at age five. Now regarded as a master of classic pop literature, TMT asked how as a performer and conductor he continues his mission promoting American standards. His answers included talk of his foundation, annual academy, museum and work as a conductor.
“When I first started singing and playing these ‘standards’ when I was a kid, even then they were old songs, comparatively speaking. But I had this deep attraction that has never waned and has given me the most wonderful life in music and beyond,” the musician wrote. “So, in addition to continuing to perform, I am involved in educating young people in the introduction and interpretation of the music of Gershwin, Ellington, Rodgers, Carmichael, etc. through my Great American Songbook Foundation. It’s something I’m very proud of and I hope people will check it out.
“We have an annual Songbook Academy for 40 high school students from all over the U.S. and they gather at our headquarters in Carmel, Ind. and their lives are changed,” he continued. “We are also building a museum for the Great American Songbook and have a fantastic research Archive with donations of precious materials from many songwriters and their families.
“I’ve also been conducting the Pasadena Pops for six years and that has become another passion.”
Feinstein said Pasadena Pops has grown immensely since he began in 2012.
“When I started, we had attendance of about 1,200 at our outdoor venue, The Arboretum, and now we play to capacity crowds of 5,000 or more and the audiences eat up this music, played so wonderfully by our great musicians,” he described. “It’s simply thrilling to take precious old scores by Nelson Riddle, Neal Hefti, Billy May, Skip Martin and Johnny Green that have not been heard in 50 or more years and bring them back to the public. I also have two nightclubs, in San Francisco (Feinstein’s at the Nikko) and New York (Feinstein’s 54/Below) that help to keep the music alive. So, there’s a lot going on!”
Asked what to expect at Pepperdine Sunday, Feinstein said he was looking forward to playing a town with roots in music.
“I’m looking forward to being at Pepperdine because Malibu has such an important musical history, being the place where so many of my idols lived and had beach homes, from Sinatra to Steve Lawrence, to Gordon Jenkins, Mort Lindsey, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mandel,” he said. “As a matter of fact, Hank’s widow Ginny is planning on being there and she is an amazing soul whom I love and adore.
“The show at Pepperdine will be more intimate than my big shows because this is a perfect jewel box of a theatre,” Feinstein continued, “so I chose to work with a trio of piano, bass and drums led by Sam Kriger at the piano, but I’ll also spend ample time at the keys. There will be some new things I’ve been working on and always surprises. There are hundreds of thousands of great songs out there so I’ll never run out of material, Lord knows. My shows are always interactive and I sometimes take requests from the audience. For me, music is about love, connection and gratitude, and I feel it the most when there are other hearts to share it with.”
Michael Feinstein will be performing at Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. Tickets begin at $40 for adults and are $10 for Pepperdine students. Visit arts.pepperdine.edu or call 310.506.4522 for more information.