The Gershwins and Me and the Gershwins’ music together provide a warm and comfortable place to spend a few quiet days.
High Point: The personal stories about Ira Gershwin about his lyrics, his partnership with brother George, and influence on Feinstein.
Low Point: None
Author: Michael Feinstein
Publication Date: 2012
Genre: Biography
Project Gutenberg: Not available
LibriVox: Not available
Movie/TV Adaptation: None
If you appreciate the old musicals from the 1930s and 40s, Michael Feinstein’s book, The Gershwins and Me, provides a rich background to many of those great numbers. His time as an employee and close friend of Ira Gershwin yields captivating personal stories about George and Ira as well as other composers, lyricists and performers of that era. If you’re a Feinstein fan, the book also provides insight into Feinstein himself as he developed his career and was influenced by Ira.
An Easy Book to Get Into
Feinstein’s writing style is much like his singing—rich, easy and comfortable. He intersperses the text with fascinating photos, drawings, sheet music covers, movie posters and more. In fact, almost every page has something.
He structured The Gershwins and Me by basing each of the 12 chapters on a Gershwin song. The first page of each chapter features Ira’s marvelous lyrics. It’s a creative and effective method for generating interest in each new chapter.
Read and Listen
If you plan to read this book, consider including a companion piece while you read: The Essential George Gershwin (available on the Sony Classical/Legacy label on some streaming services). The Gershwins’ tunes and lyrics are performed by stars of their age, such as Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Ethel Waters, Fred Astaire and Oscar Levant. A couple pieces, such as Rhapsody in Blue, are performed by George Gershwin himself.
Feinstein’s book and the Gershwins’ music together provide a warm and comfortable place to spend a few quiet days.
