An Evening with Harry

michele@seymourherald.com I decided to make it a girl’s night out. I left the men at home (hubby and son) and myself and my seven-year-old daughter Angela, set out for an evening with Harry Connick Jr. We arrived just before 8:00 pm when show time was to begin. By 8:15 the crowd was getting anxious. When the lights finally dimmed the crowd erupted with applause. I’ve always liked the music of Harry Connick Jr. A good mixture of Big Band, New Orleans funk, classic American standards, straight ahead jazz, and devilishly clever original songs. The curtain rises, the band starts playing then out walks Connick in his laid back almost strolling way. He greats the crowd, breaks into song then plays a few tunes on the piano. The music was wonderful but when Connick stopped singing and began talking with the audience another side of the entertainer came across. One that was witty, funny and interesting. He had the crowd in laughter. Then continued singing with one great jazz song after another welcoming members of his 16-piece band to join with solos along the way. If you weren’t a Harry Connick Jr. fan before the concert began you definitely were before the evening ended. Keeping the attention of a seven-year-old through a two and half hour concert would seem like a hard thing to do but Angela was memorized by his voice and his antics. About half way through the show we decided to leave our balcony seats for a closer look down below. The auditorium was packed without an empty seat in the house, except for two in the front row. When Connick invited someone to come fill the seats pandemonium broke out and two lucky ladies snatched them up. Angela decided at that point to just go ahead and walk to the front of the stage area. I decided to let her. After another song or two another little girl joined her. I think they were the only two kids in the audience. Connick ended a wonderful children’s classic Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious done in the big band style. It was fantastic and had the kids (and the audience) tapping their toes. His recent CD release Songs I Heard contain many great songs for kids because as Connick put it, “It’s a way to expose kids to the style of Big Band songs.” He then reached over and asked Angela and the other girl their names, shook their hands and asked if they would like a chair while he sang them a special song. “No” they replied, “the floor was fine”. Connick then sat on the end of the stage, feet dangling over the edge and sang “Over the Rainbow” to Angela and the other little girl. Angela was in seventh heaven. She finished the evening by having her Harry Connick Jr. teddy bear autographed by Connick. Besides being an awesome singer and entertainer it appeared Connick was just a really sweet guy. But who would have guessed any less? Connick’s new album 30 promises to be as great as the concert. Full of life and beat. As if that golden voice was not enough, the opening of “Thou Shalt Not” this fall marks Connick’s debut as a composer of lyrics and music, orchestrator and arranger for a Broadway production. For those of you who aren’t jazz fans you may have seen Connick in one of several films. His acting career has continued to flourish. In 1998, he co-starred with Sandra Bullock in the hit romantic comedy Hope Floats, which earned him a 1999 Blockbuster Award nomination for Favorite Actor-Drama/Romance. In 1995, Connick co-starred with Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver in Copycat,” portraying a maniacal serial killer, and earning him some of the best reviews of his career. He also appeared in the 1996 box office champion Independence Day, and Connick lent his voice to one of the lead characters in the Warner Bros. animation feature, The Iron Giant, and the independent film My Dog Skip. Most recently he appeared in the 2001 release The Simian Line. He also mentioned that he had just finished filming a flick with actor John Travolta. So what’s next for Connick? I’ll guess we will have to wait to find out. In his early thirties, there is still plenty of time for Connick to share his magic with many more awaiting fans. When he returns to Knoxville again, I’d recommend not letting the event go by without checking out what this talented entertainer has to offer. I can guarantee, Angela and I will the first in line.