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. This is a very entertaining session by Harry Connick, Jr., covering his favorite songs from movies and the stage. Although his vocals are the primary focus, he also plays piano, wrote all of the arrangements, and conducted both the orchestra and big band. The film Mary Poppins introduced "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "A Spoonful of Sugar," both of which are recast as lively New Orleans struts, featuring trumpeters (and fellow New Orleans natives) Kermit Ruffins and Leroy Jones, respectively, as well as a lush "Stay Awake," with Connick's vocal backed by strings and brass. Several songs from The Sound of Music are included: a delightful, well-crafted arrangement of "The Lonely Goatherd," the waltzing take of "Edelweiss" with a very formal orchestral setting, and a fun-filled "Do-Re-Mi" that starts off with duet bassist Neal "Sugar" Caine and gradually introduces additional soloists to the mix as the piece progresses until the full big band joins in, and then wraps with several amusing false endings. The Wizard of Oz is the source for the hilarious interpretation of "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (primarily an instrumental feature with an imaginative Connick arrangement), a dramatic but nearly over-produced "Over the Rainbow," a campy but obscure song, "The Jitterbug" (which was dropped during the editing of the original film), and a rather laid-back version of "The Merry Old Land of Oz." It's easy to tell that Connick enjoyed making this CD, as the enthusiasm of everyone involved comes across in every track. ~ Ken Dryden 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..."

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