An Evening With Scott Hamilton & Friends by Michael Feinstein

04 Feb

Written by Donna Kimura
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An Evening With Scott Hamilton & Friends features an all-star cast skating to standards and other songs performed by singer-pianist Michael Feinstein.

A presentation of an NBC television special, the 90-minute DVD includes interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

During the show, Feinstein and his band perform on a stage adjacent to the ice rink. Make no mistake: This is an evening of ice skating with live music and not a jazz concert. Scenes cuts from skater to Feinstein and back again. Still, Feinstein fans should enjoy his performance. He ties the show together. Different skaters take to the ice during the evening, but Feinstein is there for almost every number. He introduces songs, sings, plays piano and exchanges meaningful looks with the skaters.

He performs a strong set of material, including "Alexander’s Ragtime Band," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," and "It Don’t Mean A Thing." In a bit of a surprise, Feinstein also displays a little rock ’n’roll prowess on "Great Balls Of Fire," complete with a few Jerry Lee Lewis moves on the piano. His most recent CD is "Only One Life - The Songs of Jimmy Webb." On the DVD, he sings the title track from that recording. It serves as music for Olympic gold medalist Hamilton as he skates. Feinstein also performs Webb’s "Up, Up And Away" with skaters Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.

Singer Darlene Love makes a guest appearance. Best known for several pop hits in the 1960s, Love shows she has plenty to more to offer with strong renditions of "Cry Me A River" and "A Sunday Kind of Love." Love and Feinstein perform together on "You and I" and the show’s closing number, "Ac-cen-tchu-ate The Positive."

Other skaters in the show include Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Yuka Sato, Jason Dungjen, Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Rory Flack Burghart and Jozef Sabovcik.

This DVD won't appeal to everyone, but it has lots of skating and enough Feinstein to satisfy their fans.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Michael Feinstein
CD Title: An Evening With Scott Hamilton & Friends
Genre: Jazz Vocals
Year Released: 2004
Record Label: Concord
Tracks: I Love A Piano, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Where Do You Start, Smile, Up Up and Away, Cry Me A River, The Best Is Yet To Come, Johnny One Note, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Chopsticks, Great Balls Of Fire, Stormy Weather, Pig Foot Pete, My Favorite Year, A Sunday Kind Of Love, You And I, Someone To Watch Over Me, It Don’t Mean A Thing, Only One Life, Ac-cen-tchu-ate The Positive
Musicians: Michael Feinstein, vocals, piano; Matt Catingub, conductor, keyboards, alto sax; Tony Kadleck, trumpet; Mark Vinci, woodwinds; John Oddo, piano; Kevin Axt, bass; Stephen Moretti, drums
Label Website: http://www.concordrecords.com
Rating: Three Stars