When Michael Feinstein takes the stage at The Music Center at Strathmore this Friday, he'll pay tribute to one of America's most iconic singers: Frank Sinatra. It's an auspicious date. Ol' Blue Eyes would have turned 100 years old Saturday.
If anyone is qualified to honor the “Chairman of the Board" on the eve of such a momentous occasion, it's Feinstein. He could be considered something of a Sinatra expert. The consummate and award-winning performer recorded two albums of Sinatra songs (The Sinatra Project, which earned him a Grammy nomination, and The Sinatra Project, Volume II: The Good Life) and filmed an Emmy-nominated TV special, Michael Feinstein—The Sinatra Legacy.
Sinatra is one of the best-selling musical artists of all times, with a singing career that spanned nearly 50 years, from the swing era of the 1940s through his last performance in the mid-1990s. Also known for his successful acting career, outsized personality and style, Sinatra is still a legend more than 17 years after his death.
To Feinstein, one of Sinatra's greatest skills as a performer was his ability to touch and connect with people through his music. It's why he's still relevant today, Feinstein said.
“All of these songs are from this classic period of American popular music that produced a body of work that is timeless," Feinstein said. "These songs are perfect gems. Sinatra was the first to elevate them to classic status. He considered them the greatest examples of American culture and art.”
Feinstein built his own career around classic American popular music. A multi-platinum selling artist, he is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards.
“You have to interpret them," Feinstein said. "You have to make them your own, otherwise they are bloodless."
At Strathmore, a 17-piece swing band will back Feinstein, who hopes to evoke a sense of Sinatra, but not to imitate him. And just like the legend whose songs he'll be singing, he hopes to help his audience experience—more than just hear—each song.
“Each song I perform is one I sing because I connect to it. It’s always fresh to me,” Feinstein said. “It’s my job to make the audience feel the piece and it’s a delightful challenge.”
EU Film Showcase brings international movies to Silver Spring
The AFI European Union Film Showcase continues this month at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring. The 28th annual showcase, in partnership with the European Union Delegation to the United States, presents a selection of more than 50 films from countries across Europe. Many of the movies are film festival award winners, Academy Award submissions for Best Foreign Language Film, and U.S. premieres. Genres run the gamut from comedy to romance to thriller. Some films—such as Mediterranea, about African refugees in Italy, or A War, about a Danish commander deployed in Afghanistan—tell stories of lives touched by timely current events. Others, such as dramas 45 Years, about a couple about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, and My Golden Days, a coming-of-age story, look at romantic relationships.
The European Union Film Showcase runs through Dec. 20 at the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center, www.afi.com/silver
Reggae and klezmer Hanukkah performances this week
Hanukkah started Sunday and this week Strathmore offers two musical options to mark the holiday. Festival of Light: An Intimate Evening with Matisyahu should be a wonderfully offbeat way to celebrate. As an Orthodox Jewish rapping reggae artist, Matisyahu (born Matthew Paul Miller) gained notoriety over a decade ago. With a full beard and yarmulke, he performed reggae songs with religious themes and lyrics laced with Yiddish and Hebrew. He’s gone through many transformations through the years and today both his sound and appearance are more stripped down. He’ll be performing songs that span his career at the Music Center. Meanwhile at The Mansion at Strathmore, Washington Area Music Award-winning musician Seth Kibel gets the Hanukkah party started with a klezmer ensemble, playing a jazzy, swingy holiday mix—or as he’s calling it, a Hanukkah Hodge Podge.
Seth Kibel and Friends, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 9, The Mansion at Strathmore, $25, www.strathmore.com
Matisyahu, 8 p.m., Dec. 9, The Music Center at Strathmore, $38-$48, www.strathmore.com
