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Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook

Cultural History, Intimate Biography, and a Front Row Seat to Great Live Performances!

Season 1

 

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This three part series that aired nationally on PBS is a dynamic, documentary-style road trip and cultural primer, with Michael Feinstein as the leader of an expedition through the glorious history of American popular song. Viewers follow him both on stage and back stage, hear him interpret great standards, listen in on personal stories about the songwriters and entertainers he’s known and worked with over three decades, and accompany him on his quest to find and preserve the treasures of classic American popular music. Rare archival audio and film footage combine to reveal the social and historical forces behind the music that helped shape the style, attitude, and self-image of America for more than a century. Filled with generous portions of live performance, this series offers both an intimate portrait of a unique entertainer, and a history of 20th Century pop culture.

 
 

Episode One, Putting On the Tailfins, focuses on the 1950s and ‘60s, when the Great American Songbook was in competition with new forms like rock ‘n’ roll, and rhythm & blues.  As Feinstein crisscrosses the country performing with big bands, symphony orchestras and jazz combos, viewers learn how iconic singers like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney kept the Songbook alive by reinventing pop standards of the 1930s and ‘40s.

 
 

Episode Two, Best Band in the Land, examines how popular songs provided emotional solace and patriotic inspiration during World War II.  While preparing an original patriotic song, Michael weaves in the history of 1940s big bands, USO shows, V-disks, war bond rallies and the powerful role popular music played in boosting morale.

 
 

Episode Three, A New Step Every Day, explores the fast and furious 1920s and ‘30s, when jazz was hot, credit was loose, and illegal booze flowed freely in underground speakeasies.  Between performances, Feinstein illustrates the impact of talking pictures, the dawn of radio, and the fledgling recording industry.  Additionally, it introduces us to collectors and musicians who keep the spirit of the Jazz Age alive today.