Michael Feinstein plays the newly-renovated
Hawaii Theatre on Saturday, May 11.

The cabaret singer turned concert performer's knowledge and devotion of music from the classics to the obscure of the 1930s and 1940s is encyclopedic. His sincerity appears genuine; his desire to acquaint younger audiences with the songs admirable; his attitude, cocksure.

Asked why he has recorded so many albums in the last decade - 15 - Feinstein, 39, says simply "Because I can and I have been asked to."

"It's like that terrible joke about why dogs lick themselves: Because they can."

His performance goal, he explains, is to be "very clear" in the interpretation of the songs he sings, to bring through the intentions of the writer, and to connect individually with the audience.

"Music is healing for me," he said. "I can feel lousy all day and when I go on stage I am going to feel better. I don't think I have ever given a bad show."

"When I perform I always try to connect with people so they feel like I am communicating individually just to them. And TV certainly is a way to strengthen that bond."

In 1977, Ira Gershwin hired Feinstein, then 20, to help organize the Gershwin archives, and he continued to work with the lyricist until Gershwin's death in 1983.

Feinstein launched a career in 1984 as a pianist and singer, playing at private parties in the Los Angeles area. He lived for seven-months at the Mondrian Hotel, during which Liza Minelli threw a party in his honor that got his name circulated. In January 1986, he opened at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, where a six-week engagement stretched to 16 weeks.

Feinstein says his music "touches me in a very deep way that satisfies my soul."

"It's an emotional reaction to something that really carries me away, captures me."

The facts

Who: Michael Feinstein
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hawaii Theatre
Cost: $35-$50
Call: 528-0506