Greece Hotels Travel - Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway
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List Price: $24.98
greece-hotels-travel.com Price: $22.99
Your Save: $ 1.99 ( 8% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Concord Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0013431490128
Label: Concord Records
Manufacturer: Concord Records
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Concord Records
Release Date: 2000-10-10
Studio: Concord Records
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Editorial Reviews:
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Cabaret singer turned crooner Michael Feinstein continues to pay tribute to the American popular standard in his two-disc set Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway. The first disc features Feinstein in front of a live audience singing mostly well-worn ballads from classic films (exception: you may not immediately associate Michel LeGrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman's "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with the 1982 Burt Reynolds-Goldie Hawn vehicle Best Friends). The second disc is a studio recording filled with ballads and the occasional swinger ("Taking a Chance on Love") from Broadway shows. Accompanied by different combinations of horns and rhythm, Feinstein often stretches a song out to six or seven minutes, thus allowing for relaxed tempos, granting solo opportunities to his first-rate instrumentalists (including pianists Alan Broadbent and Marian McPartland), and indulging his fondness for what he calls the "sighing moment"--when he puzzles the audience with an unknown verse to a song, and then gives them the familiar, satisfying, well-loved chorus. Feinstein might rely a bit too much on his falsetto and there isn't the same sense of wit and adventure of his cabaret years, but this is a classy, enjoyable album for late-night listening. --David Horiuchi
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Feinstein's the One
Comment: Listening to this double album of "American classical music" (which is what I call recitals of Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers and the like), I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra. And in turn I'm reminded of Bing Crosby's immortal quip regarding Sinatra: "Sinatra was a singer who comes along once in a lifetime. Why did it have to be my lifetime?"
Indeed - but not just Bing's. Since the passing of Sinatra (and Torme, IMO), there just hasn't been a male popular singer really to take up his (their) mantle. In the next generation you had Steve Tyrell and Harry Connick, Jr., but neither made it to that level, IMO. In the generation after that, you have "Jamie Cinsarble" (my moniker for the mix of Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti, Tony DeSare, and Michael Buble), but the jury is out.
But after listening to this two-c.d. set, I'm convinced that Michael Feinstein is the one.
I don't mean that the two singers are exactly alike. Sinatra was a bass-baritone, while Feinstein is a lyric baritone. But I would say that Sinatra was to Sherrill Milnes as Feinstein is to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Which is to say, both popular singers are classically trained in the bel-canto style, both hit every note square on, and both interpret material like nobody's fool.
And, IMO, where Feinstein's brilliance really shines through is on disc #1, the live set. Mr. Feinstein has a naturally light voice; yet, he is perfectly in balance with such great musicians as Marian McPartland, Alan Broadbent, Bucky Pizzarelli and Gary Foster. No studio tricks here. He can sing loudly without singing loudly - much like Fischer-Dieskau, or Caetano Veloso.
But both c.d.'s sound glorious. As I said re. the recent release of Roberta Gambarini and Hank Jones, there is no new ground tread here; but there are plenty of beautiful flowers planted in the ground that is there.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of intelligent-sounding cabaret. RC
(p.s. - My great thanks to my friend and music-lover, Rebecca Preciado, for alerting me to this great set!)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Cocktail Piano
Comment: This is a 3 album set with a great deal of live material recorded at Feinstein's Regency show. All the great romantic songs from film/broadway with nice commentary by Michael. Is it really necessary to list songs? Favorites of mine are "As Time Goes By", "The Way You Look Tonight" (possibly one of the Top Ten American songs), "I've Never Been In Love Before", "The Song Is You", etc. As far as other musicians in this set, if I mention Marian McPartland and Bucky Pizzarelli, do you really need to know any of the other great names assisting Feinstein? Just pour yourself a pitcher of martinis (or your cocktail of choice), turn on your stereo, put on these discs and be prepared to be entertained.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Please Keep The Music Playing . . .
Comment: This wonderful 2-CD set is an absolute musical gold mine filled with the most romantic songs from motion picture films and Broadway productions and penned by the finest songwriters: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Sammy Cahn, Jim Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer, Harry Warren, Mack Gordon, Dorothy Fields, Victor Young, Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Vernon Duke, among many others.
According to the liner notes: "I've always been a sucker for a love song. My favorite kinds of songs to sing are romantic songs, so it seemed a natural idea to put together a collection of songs of the heart." Yes, indeed, he did a fantastic job not only in selecting the most beautiful love songs from early 1920s to the '80s, but also interpreting them in his own unique style with some help from his talented musician friends namely: Marian McPartland (piano), John Oddo (piano/arranger), Alan Broadbent (piano/arranger), Bucky Pizzareli (guitar), Page Cavanaugh (piano/arranger), George Rabbai (flugelhorn/trumpet), Mark Vinci (sax/clarinet/flute), Dan Block (sax), Jay Leonhart and Chuck Berghofer (bass), Joe Cacuzzo and Peter Erkstine (drums). Warren Vaché played the solo cornet (I just love the sound of this trumpet-like brass band instrument) with Bucky Piazzarelli on guitar on "Darn That Dream," one of the nicest tracks on Disc 2.
For me, the most ear-catching track on Disc 1- "Romance On Film" is Harry Warren and Mack Gordon's "The More I See You," which Mr. Feinstein thinks (and I do, too) as the pair's most famous song. This is also one of my all time favorites. Warren's style was greatly influenced by his idol, Giacomo Puccini, the creator of famous operas, "La Boheme" and "Madame Butterfly." Warren and Puccini are two great composers in my long list of favorites. Alan Broadbent superbly arranged this track and he also played the piano. Great piano playing! I must admit I listen to this song repeatedly before I listen to the rest of the tracks.
On "Romance On Broadway" - Disc 2, the standout in my opinion, is a very old song with very nice melody and lyrics written in 1930s by two of my favorite great composers, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, "The Song Is You." I've been hearing it from my father's record (Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra) when I was growing up and considering the music in my soul, this beautiful song never left me since then. It's like a haunting refrain to me. This is one of the main reasons why I bought this lovely set of CDs. I know of only few recordings of this song, those of Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Doris Day and The Andrews Sisters. It's so nice a song to be completely forgotten! I'm so glad that Mr. Feinstein included it in his repertoire. Accompanying Michael in this performance is one remarkable pianist, Alan Broadbent.
All the performances in this 2-CD set are equally superb and outstanding. You'll never skip any track, and you'll get a double delight with his great voice and exceptional piano playing skills on the last track of Disc 2 "Every Time We Say Goodbye." The credit also goes to the exceptional line-up of back-up musicians who have helped Mr. Feinstein in making these recordings great that everyone, not only his fans, can truly enjoy listening to.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money
Comment: Mr. Feinstein used to delight us with his renditions of the music he loved. Alas, he's found a new love - his own voice. The lyrics are way too slow, the album is over orchestrated, and the 14 "featured" presentations serve as a further distraction. It's the auditory equivalent of watching someone viewing themselves in a mirror.
Customer Rating:
Summary: He ca nsing, but he doesn't seem to have a style
Comment: Before you get all worked up, let me say that he has a voice, but he really doesn't have a style. he sings songs way too straight, he makes even Bobby Short sound like an improviser! He also doesn't seem to be in touch with his masculine side, his vocie is very, well if ying is male, and yang is female, he sounds very yang. He needs to take some liberties with the songs he sings and then he won't sound so obnoxious, then he needs to take some vocal lessons and try to bring out the ying(masculine side) in his voice. He needs to hear a few Billy Eckstine lp's. I don't think he can change but here's hoping he'll take my advice. As far as you buying this cd it is your decision, this is just my honest opinion.
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