Michael Feinstein's American Songbook
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: The first of three episodes in this very welcome series’ second season is shown tonight, following performer – and now music archivist – Feinstein as he travels across the country finding and sharing rare musical compositions, performances and treasures. Among his stops in this opening show: a visit to the Playboy Mansion and Hugh Hefner, where Hef shares not only his old jukebox song collection, but rare footage of jazz singer-pianist Bobby Short and British crooner Al Bowlly, whose 1930s recordings will be familiar to every hard-core fan of Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective. (That would be me, and maybe 12 other people, but still…)