Review: STANDARD TIME WITH MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: FEVER-CELEBRATING PEGGY LEE Delivers on All Levels at Carnegie Hall

When you go to see an evening featuring Michael Feinstein, it is a given that you will hear some well-crafted performances of classics from The Great American Songbook as well as some more obscure gems. What is less well known is what an educational experience any appearance by Mr. Feinstein is. There is probably no one who knows more about American popular music from the golden age than Michael Feinstein.

This week he turned his illuminating spotlight on one of the giants of American music, Peggy Lee in his series "Standard Time with Michael Feinstein" at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. Peggy Lee had an astonishing 70-year recording career. Feinstein pointed out that the only singer more prolific might have been Frank Sinatra. Ms. Lee had the advantage on Sinatra in that she is also the writer of over 270 songs, including the score of Disney's iconic animated film Lady and the Tramp. Did you know Miss Piggy of Muppet fame was named after Peggy Lee? The character's original name was Miss Piggy Lee. This was one of the dozens of pieces of trivia Feinstein shared with us in the course of this entertaining look at Ms. Lee's diverse oeuvre.

He had some help along the way from some very talented and classy company. Allyson Briggs, frontwoman of the group Fleur Seule raised the tone of the evening with her beautiful soprano and her impeccable fashion sense, singing Lee classics like "Why Don't You Do Right,"" I Only Have Eyes For You," and "He's a Tramp." Broadway star Ciara Renée brought a smoldering sensuality to "I Don't Know Enough About You" and "Fever," a song that is almost synonymous with Peggy Lee. Country singer Molly Brown was the only person who sang a song not associated with Peggy Lee. However, she sang her own wonderful tune, "White Horses" which just won the 2nd Annual Peggy Lee Songwriting Award. In fact, the award was presented to her during the performance by Lee's granddaughter, Holly Foster Wells.

As for Michael Feinstein, he was thoroughly engaging in tried and true Lee hits like "Mañana," "I Love Being Here With You," "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," and "You Gotta Have Heart." But the real treat was a series of more obscure songs including the unabashedly romantic " Where Can I Go Without You?" and "When He's Singing 'Cause He Wants to Sing," a delightful tune cut from Lady and the Tramp. We were honored with the debut of an original Michael Feinstein tune, "All That I See," which he wrote to one of Ms. Lee's unpublished lyrics. It was a touching and heartfelt moment. The highlight of the night was a pair of tunes. First a film clip of Peggy Lee singing Leiber & Stoller's song "Is That All There Is?," the song that won her a Grammy Award. Michael Feinstein paired it with a performance of "There Is More." The optimism of the latter song was a perfect complement to the former song's world-weariness.

Feinstein was supported by a quartet of amazing musicians including the always brilliant Tedd Firth on piano, David Finck on bass, James Chirrillo on guitar, and Ray Marchica on drums. Molly Brown was also accompanied by violinist Camilla Hartman, who was wonderful. It is such a pleasure to hear this level of musicians at work. But after all, it's Carnegie Hall, the home of world-class musicians. This evening did not disappoint. Kudos to Mr. Feinstein and company for a tribute equal to the memory of the great Peggy Lee.

For more information about Michael Feinstein, visit michaelfeinstein.com or follow him @MichaelFeinstei on Twitter or michaelfeinsteinsings on Instagram. For more on Allyson Briggs and Fleur Seule, go to fleurseule.com. Check out Ciara Renée at officialciararenee.com. For more about Molly Brown, go to mollybrownmusic.com. For more great artists at Carnegie Hall, see their website, carnegiehall.org.

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