It is no secret Sinatra was a formative influence on Feinstein. Yet, rather than just re-do everything Sinatra already did so well, Feinstein takes a wider approach to the “Voice’s” canon. He does indeed tackle an iconic Sinatra staple like “Fly Me to the Moon,” but Feinstein re-arranges it back into the romantic ballad first conceived by songwriter Bart Howard under the original title “In Other Words”. Conversely, Feinstein gives the full Nelson Riddle treatment to Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” a song Sinatra only performed early in his career.
Appropriately, Feinstein also follows a Sinatra-like approach to orchestrations in general, employing a big reasonably swinging band and a considerable string section behind him. He even allows for a few brief solos. While essentially embellished melody statements, the spotlighted musicians still get enough camera time for their families to recognize them, which is cool. Feinstein even displays his piano chops a bit, starting several tunes at the ivories (before handing off to musical director Bill Elliott) and even showing off somewhat on the pure instrumental rendition of Ary Barroso’s “Brazil” (famously featured in Disney’s Saludos Amigos, clip here). In fact, it is arguably the highlight of the concert, particularly for jazz and samba listeners.
(Photos: Zach Dobson)
