THE SONGBOOK LIVES ON

Feinstein’s Carnegie Hall “On the Town”
concert celebrates classic songs and those who wrote
and performed them with style, wit, and swing

Like a party that keeps going and on, the granddaddy concert auditorium in Carnegie Hall and its in-house smaller “cousin,” Zankel Hall, are having a ball this calendar year with celebration after celebration of America marking its 250th birthday. And, of course, the venue’s way of doing that is to look back at—and have primo presentations of—some of the music that has kept the country humming over the decades. When the “party” entertainment musical mission involves the category of interpreting the well-crafted classic standards of the (mostly) mid-20th century, Michael Feinstein is the logical and perfect performing host. In his popular series of shows titled Standard Time, the man who has long championed and embraced this material as a national treasure has become a national treasure himself, making each concert a natural pleasure.

Michael Feinstein performs “Standard Time with Michael Feinstein” at Zankel Hall on February 25, 2026.

The February 25 program in New York City had the city itself as a recurring subject, in one way or another, had Feinstein talking about venues of yore—The Cotton Club, The Oak Room at the Algonquin—where he made his debut—and a posh venue on the East Side that just so happened to be named for him, among others. While he is a walking encyclopedia of that other metaphorical tome—the Great American Songbook—the background info he delivers, while radiating admiration or even awe, never comes off as a dry, stuffy, professorial lecture or as condescending to an audience member who might not know Billy May from Billy Austin. (The first Billy was a favorite arranger who worked with Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee; the other Billy was a janitor who co-wrote “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby.” All of the above people were mentioned; it was that not-very-grammatical but very swinging number which was sung.) Did we mention that Mr. Feinstein sounds great and his manner is gracious?

The Carnegie Hall Big Band.

If a new song were being written about this program, the lyric would have to go something like this:

A ton of wonderful songs from America’s past
All were sung to the hilt. They were built to last.
A wave of favorites and memorable hits
Take “Heart,” for a start, then “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”
“Night and Day” and “Maybe This Time,”
With views on music, lyrics, and rhyme.
A chic “Cheek to Cheek” and “Isn’t It a Pity,”
Cabaret nights and gay nights in New York City.
Lots of boîtes where icons held court,
Like the able Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short.
And this and that and Nat King Cole,
Piano bars and stars and Billy Joel,
And the songs that we like that sweet Michael sings
Which everyone knows, such as “One of Those Things.”
And so, good to know—on April 15 he
Takes a musical path to Mathis and Mancini.

Michael Feinstein

The powerful blasts of the Carnegie Hall Big Band seemed to buoy the singer, who had energy galore and delivered lots of strong, sustained notes for bravura endings that brought much applause. The sensational Tedd Firth conducted the musicians and commanded the keyboard, except for some occasions when he stepped away and the vocalist accompanied himself on ballads. A favorite of his, “My Favorite Year” (Michele Brourman/Karen Gottlieb), came up, recalling his early years. He recorded it back in 1988 on an album titled Isn’t It Romantic, a rhetorical question that could sum up so much of the atmosphere of most Michael Feinstein evenings. This one was such a night.

The next concert with the singer/musical historian at the venue is Wednesday, April 15, turning to music of Mancini and Mathis.

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photos by Stephanie Berger

Standard Time with Michael Feinstein—On the Town
part of Carnegie Hall’s Standard Time Series
Zankel Hall, 881 7th Ave., New York, NY
reviewed on February 25, 2026
upcoming Standard Time with Michael Feinstein
April 15 2026 | 7:30 | Johnny Mathis and Henry Mancini
October 28 2026 | 7:30 PM | Crosby and the Great Crooners
February 17 2027 | 7:30 PM | Would-Be Oscar-Winning Songs
April 07 2027 | 7:30 PM | Enduring Songs by Sammy Cahn
for tickets, visit Carnegie Hall
keep up with Michael Feinstein

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