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Thursday, November 05, 1998 10:39:47 AM

(CNN) -- "George Gershwin was a man of tremendous ego," says performer Michael Feinstein, whose revival of Gershwin pieces, "Michael and George," has just hit music shelves. "And yet, even with his ego, I think even he would be surprised by the massive popularity his music has achieved."

Popular, indeed. With the 100th anniversary of Gershwin's birthday only a month past, a flock of musicians and producers have published their contemporary takes on his timeless works.

Among them is an album put together by producer Robert Sadin entitled "Gershwin's World," for which he and Herbie Hancock persuaded Joni Mitchell, Kathleen Battle, Stevie Wonder and even Chick Corea to contribute their voices and, in Stevie Wonder's case, his harmonica.

Another, from "Red Hot" Organization founder John Carlin, benefits AIDS research. "Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove" brings in musical contemporaries like Natalie Merchant, Morcheeba and Duncan Sheik to put their twist on classics like Gershwin and Cole Porter.

"The Gershwin legacy is extraordinary because George Gershwin died in 1937,(but) his music is as fresh and vital today as when he originally created it," says Feinstein.