Songs I Heard

Performer: Harry Connick Jr.
Artist: Branford Marsalis
Engineer: Gregg Rubin
Producer: Tracey Freeman
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Harry Connick, Jr. (vocals, piano); Branford Marsalis (vocals, soprano saxophone); James Greene, Jon Gordon (alto saxophone); Jerry Welson, Charles "Ned" Good (tenor saxophone); Dave Schumacher (baritone saxophone); Roger Ingram, Tony Kadleck, Leroy Jones, Joe Magnarelli (trumpet); Mark Mullins, Dave Miller, Craig Kelin (trombone); Joe Barati (bass trombone); Neal Caine (bass); Arthur Latin (drums); Lucien Barabarin (percussion) Recorded at Manhattan Center Studios, New York, New York from July 23-26, 2001. Includes liner notes by Geoff Burke. SONGS I HEARD won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Never content to rest on his laurels, Harry Connick, Jr. wrapped up the end of 2001 simultaneously releasing the mostly solo 30 and the more complexly arranged SONGS I HEARD. The theme for the latter collection of songs can be traced to material heard by Connick as a youth that he decided to pay tribute to and have some fun with a little later in life. Not surprisingly, children's films prove to be an excellent source of material. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (from Mary Poppins) becomes an infectious, whiz-bang shuffle that sounds as if a party was going on during the recording session, while "Oompa Loompa" (of WILLY WONKA fame) is given an off-kilter solo turn. The Wizard Of Oz's "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" gets a be-bop treatment, and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" arrives with an ominous timpani-soaked intro before Connick eases it into its lush arrangement. The New Orleans native also has a ball with songs from THE SOUND OF MUSIC, including a gorgeous reading of "Edelweiss," and "Do-Re-Mi" swings hard with accompanists dropping in throughout the song.

Down Beat (2/02, p.52) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[He] takes the sing-song qualities of these tunes and makes them his own, naturally blending his casual way with a lyric with the musicians around him..."

Harry Connick, Jr. is an accomplished singer, pianist, and actor who emerged in the late 1980s as a Sinatra-style crooner for a new generation. As a musician, his influences include bebop, New Orleans jazz, and big-band swing. His score for the film WHEN HARRY MET SALLY brought him national acclaim and an Oscar. He subsequently appeared in a number of films, and made forays into pop music.

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