Nice Work If You Can Get It: My Life in Rhythm and Rhyme [Hardcover]

Michael Feinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

Looking back on his beginnings as a performer, one of America's most popular cabaret singers pays tribute to the Gershwins and the other composers who inspired him, reflecting on what made their music great. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1977, Feinstein, who had since childhood been a passionate collector of records, sheet music and other material relating to classic American popular music, went to work for Ira Gershwin, cataloguing his private collection of rare recordings. This led to a close relationship with the aged lyricist during which he acted as the older man's archivist and formed a friendship that lasted until Gershwin's death in 1983. In his entertaining book, Feinstein tells of those years, his reverence for Gershwin and his subsequent career as a cabaret artist specializing in the interpretation of the music of the Gershwins and other American songwriters. He includes the story of the 1982 discovery, in a warehouse in Secaucus, N.J., of a cache of unpublished music manuscripts that included works by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart and Jerome Kern. Feinstein also relates the saga of his friend Harry Warren, a prolific songwriter who suffered lack of name recognition; and he offers a chapter on the art of writing song lyrics and a description of life as a piano-bar performer. Feinstein's enthusiasm for the music of the golden age of American popular songwriting is infectious. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Prior to emerging as a popular tuxedoed cabaret artist, Feinstein worked as Ira Gershwin's personal archivist. This book affords a fascinating glimpse into the bizarre Gershwin household late in Ira's life. We get a picture of Ira as a sweet, insecure, and weary old man, still obsessed with, and devoted to, his more famous, long-dead brother George. Ira's wife, Leonore, appears as a pill-popping and manipulative former flapper. It is strange that in this work, ostensibly an autobiography, we learn far more about the Gershwin family than about the author. Still, Feinstein's love of the American songbook is evident, and even if he is cagey about his personal life, the book is literally stuffed with interesting anecdotes about Harry Warren (for whom he also worked briefly), Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Irving Caesar, and others. And there is an insightful chapter on the art of writing and singing lyrics. Recommended for public libraries.
Michael Colby, Univ. of California, Davis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786860936
• ISBN-13: 978-0786860937
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read, a must read, July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Nice Work If You Can Get It: My Life in Rhythm and Rhyme (Paperback)

If you are a lover of good music and equally good writing, then "Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a must. The light and breezy style of Mr. Feinstein makes this one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. I literaly couldn't put it down and once I finished reading it, I started reading it again. Each reading provides me with new insite into this most talented of performers. His stories are fresh and informative. It's hard to believe that Michael didn't personally know the great songwriters and composers of the golden age. His writes about George and Ira Gershwin as if they were beloved members of his family, particularly his love for Ira who became almost a second father to him. If you are a lover of good music and good writing then "Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a must. Sit back, open the book and prepare yourself for a wonderful time, again and again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Feinstein's Fascination with American Songs, July 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Nice Work If You Can Get It: My Life in Rhythm and Rhyme (Hardcover)

Once you stop wondering why you should read an autobiography by someone still in his late 30's, you'll find that "Nice Work If You Can Get It" isn't really an autobiography at all, but rather a story about a young man's fascination with the standard American songbook,and where this interest has led him.

You've got to admire a young kid in the rock era who gets himself involved with one of the great lyricists of our song legacy, for Feinstein's enthrallment with popular songs led to a working and personal relationship with Ira Gershwin. That all came about via Oscar Levant. Feinstein became engrossed with the story of Levant, and when a spiritualist told him that in an aura around Michael, she saw a man in a rumpled suit who chain-smoked, Feinstein decided it was Levant. He called Oscar's widow, June Levant, and eventually she agreed to let him help catalogue much of her husband's record collection. Instead of pay, Michael asked to be introduced to Ira Gershwin.

And that was the start of a beautiful friendship, a mentorship, and the priceless opportunity to meet other premier songwriters like Harry Warren and Burton Lane. Just as Michael Feinstein entertains on stage with infectious enthusiasm, this same energy and youthful pride in his own achievement comes through in his book. His admirable knowledge of our popular music makes for informative reading; his love for the music makes one appreciative that this young kid followed his dream.

-Elizabeth Ahlfors

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful...Fantastic...I Loved it!, April 13, 2000

By 

Robert D. Glover Jr. "robert-g-near-nyc" (Linden, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nice Work If You Can Get It: My Life in Rhythm and Rhyme (Paperback)

This is my favorite auto-biography in the whole world bar none. I savored every delightful page. I would make this required reading at every music school in the country if I had my way. It is as honest and no-holds-barred as any book I have ever read. He tells all about himself and about George and Ira Gershwin, Harrey Warren, etc. etc. I live for the day Feinstein releases his *next* book. (He says in this book that another book will be forthcoming). I should mention that I sing and play piano myself (just for fun, not profit) and this probably made this book much more meaningful to me than it might to a normal lay reader. Having said that, I consider this book a classic that will be savored and enjoyed for many centuries to come. I bought every CD Michael ever made after reading this book.