(Jay )
(b Columbus, OH, Sept 7, 1956). American Singer, pianist, and music archivist. He has been one of the premier interpreters of American standards. More than an entertainer, he has been dedicated to preserving the repertoire of the great American songbook. Feinstein first studied piano at the age of five but soon quit his lessons, preferring to play by ear. As a teenager he performed at weddings and parties in Columbus, Ohio, and after high school he played in local piano bars. In 1976 he moved to Los Angeles and met Ira Gershwin, who hired Feinstein to help catalog his phonograph collection and organize archival materials. For the next six years, Feinstein was Gershwin’s musical assistant, working with him to preserve the Gershwin family’s musical legacy. Through his relationship with Gershwin, Feinstein earned access to many unpublished songs by Gershwin, several of which he has since performed and recorded. After Gershwin’s death in ...
