A Tribute To Gershwin

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 25, 1998 / 12:04 PM EDT / CBS

An album spanning George Gershwin's entire career, including two of his last compositions, has been released, just in time for what would have been the composer's 100th birthday.

Vocalist Michael Feinstein released a new album called Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin for which a rare, original Gershwin piano roll is used to record one of the tunes, Swanee.

Also on this album, you can hear songs like Embraceable You and Shall We Dance?

Feinstein began his career as the personal assistant of George Gershwin's brother, Ira, and worked six years with him, starting as his discographer.

Recalls Feinstein, "But it became evident, after I'd been there a short time, that my relationship with him was far larger than that of writing catalogue numbers of old records on file cards. So I became his personal assistant.

"My big challenge," Feinstein continues, "was to keep Ira interested and attached to the physical world, because by the end of that 6-year period, he was, if not bedridden, spending much of his time in bed, just out of disinterest."

Feinstein says he has had a keen interest in the music of George and Ira Gershwin from the time he was a teen-ager, adding: "Gershwin's music affected me like no other music had."

George Gershwin died at the age of 38, leaving behind about 1,000 songs.