To See You

Performer: Harry Connick, Jr.
Artist: Reginald Veal
Engineer: Vince Caro
Producer: Tracey Freeman
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Harry Connick, Jr. Quartet: Harry Connick, Jr. (vocals, piano); Charles Goold (tenor saxophone); Reginald Veal (bass); Arthur "Bam Bam" Latin (drums). Additional personnel includes: David Boruff (alto saxophone); Joel C. Peskin (tenor saxophone); David Schumacher (baritone saxophone, flute); David Washburn (trumpet); Terry Cravens, Bruce Fowler (trombone); James M. Kanter (clarinet); Philip Ayling (oboe); Charles Coker (bassoon); Sid Page (violin, concertmaster); Eun-Mee Ahn, Richard L. Altenbach, Laurence Greenfield, Rene M. Mandel, Polly Sweeney (violin); Janet Lakatos, Robert L. Becker (viola); Dennis Karmazyn, Armen Ksajikian (cello); Gayle Levant (harp); Weldon Dean Parks (guitar); Wade Cullbreath (percussion). Recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, California from August 4-10, 1997. Includes liner notes by Harry Connick, Jr. Harry Connick is heard in three roles on this CD. As a jazz pianist, he makes some cameo appearances and shows that his playing has evolved a bit from his earlier years. Connick has matured as a vocalist, and he sounds fine backed by a string orchestra and his quartet, never stretching himself. All ten selections (ballads dealing with love) are his originals, and he displays some talent as a composer/lyricist/arranger, although it is doubtful that any of these numbers will become standards in the future. A more interesting set overall than his preceding pop date, To See You is a step in the right direction for Harry Connick, Jr., and also features brief, warm tenor solos from Charles Goold. ~ Scott Yanow Harry Connick, Jr. resolved to record an album of all romantic songs after a flight attendant asked him to recommend a CD that she could listen to for "romantic purposes" and he realized that none of his prior recordings were "all romantic." The result is TO SEE YOU, a collection of ten expertly-crafted love songs recorded with Harry's quartet and full orchestra. The smooth, unmistakable Connick voice combines with the quartet's relaxed performance and the lush orchestral background--arranged, orchestrated, and conducted by Harry--making TO SEE YOU an eminently listenable affair. The ten songs on TO SEE YOU--all penned by Harry--are of a calibre rarely encountered today and hearken back to the golden age of American popular song. The band interprets each tune with a high degree of expressiveness. Of particular note is the interplay between Connick's subtle piano work and Charles Goold's soulful, breathy saxophone.

Entertainment Weekly (11/21/97, p.137) - "Connick shows unusual restraint on this original set, cooking his voice to a cocktail croon and downplaying his piano for sinewy bass, muted trumpet, and cascading strings. The smoky arrangements shimmer like a freshly poured cosmopolitan, and the romantic sentiment never comes off as corny or forced..." - Rating: B+

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