  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 6.033 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Avalon
|
| 2. | Blue Skies
|
| 3. | Imagination
|
| 4. | Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
|
| 5. | Basin Street Blues
|
| 6. | Lazy River
|
| 7. | Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
|
| 8. | Stars Fell on Alabama
|
| 9. | 'S Wonderful
|
| 10. | If I Only Had a Brain
|
| 11. | Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
|
Jazz / Vocal
Traditional Pop
Swing
Recorded: May 4, 5 & June 28, 29, 1988, RCA Studios A & C, New York City
Harry Connick Jr. - Piano, Vocals
Carmen McRae - Vocals
Dr. John - Organ and Vocals
Robert Leslie Hurst III - Bass
A couple of weeks before the release of his second album, 20, Harry Connick, Jr. was in the rather heady company of Robin Williams, Bette Midler, Peter Allen, and Billy Crystal, performing at an all-star gala benefit concert for AIDS in New York City, sponsored by Metropolitan Home and Life magazines.
For the 20-year old pianist (hence the album title), who has appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, entertained at gala birthday bashes for the likes of Ted Kennedy, Peter Allen, and Lionel Hampton, whose self-titled debut album was a Critic's Choice in People magazine and was named one of the best new LPs of 1987 by the Boston Globe -- this first year on the scene has been all business.
In the 12 months that have elapsed since the release of that album, Harry has opened concerts for Branford Marsalis at Town Hall in New York and the Roxy in Los Angeles; Stan Getz at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston; Arthur Blythe at the Bottom Line in New York; Sonny Rollins at Wolf Trap; Jane Ira Bloom at the Blue Note in New York; and Al Jarreau at Great Woods. On his own, Harry has headlined Boston's Nightstage, Blues Alley in Washington, DC, Palace Court in Los Angeles, Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and numerous other "smart" venues.
He performed at a NOCCA (New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts) benefit with Bobby Short and Rita Collidge; at the "Wolf Trap Salutes the Piano": PBS special with Ellis Marsalis, Carmen McRea and others; at the Mellon Jazz Festival's "An Evening of American Music with Words" with Sylvia Sims; at the CBS/Epic-Sony "East Meets West" 6-night showcase at the Bottom Line; and numerous shows during the year with comedian Steven Wright.
Stephen Holden noted in the New York Times, Leonard Feather called Harry "a wild anachronism. While other youngsters were copying the latest solos by Chick Corea or McCoy Tyner, Connick was busy diving into Earl Hines and Erroll Garner. The lad simply refuses to go with the fashionable flow."
Feather's observation is evident on 20, the highly-evolved successor to Harry's 1987 debut. A year of standout performances, always expanding his craft, enabled the pianist to open up his songbook and include some of the vocal performances that have always been part of the act, but were held back form the first LP. After just one listen to 20, which was produced by Kevin Blancq, it is now nearly impossible to conceive of Harry Connick, Jr. as anything but an instrumentalist and vocalist.
Harry's offhanded liner notes provide an interesting triptych through 20, starting with the two opening instrumental chestnuts, "Avalon" (its "groove" inspired by James Booker, a major influence) and "Blue Skies" ("…for Mr. 100…Irving Berlin, Happy Birthday!"). The three vocals that follow meld seamlessly to close side one: "Imagination," "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?" ( the LP's centerpiece, with Dr. John on backup vocals and Hammond B-3 organ), and Harry's adaptation of the classic "Basin Street Blues."
Opening side two, Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy River" has a three-part inspiration: Harry's dad, Fats Waller, and Willie "The Lion" Smith (not to mention old 'Lazy Bones' himself). Carmen McRea (with whom Harry has appeared) steps in for "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." Harry's instrumental side takes over for "Stars Fell On Alabama" (dedicated to "Earl, Erroll, Monk and Tatum") and the Gershwins' " 'S' wonderful." He turns to another idol, Harold Arlen, for a surprising version of "If I Only Had a Brain" (from "The Wizard of Oz"). The LP closes with a tribute to Duke Ellington, as guest bassist Bob Hurst joins Harry on "Do Nothing 'Till Your Hear Form Me," a vocal identified with everyone from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Mose Allison.
There were several important radio appearances, including a co-hosting stint on "Connections" for New York's classical station WQXR; Marian McPartland's syndicated radio program; and NPR (National Public Radio) "Fresh Air" program. Harry could be found playing at the Citycorp Mardi Gras Festival, the New Orleans jazz & Heritage Festival, and Lincoln Center's Festival of Classic Jazz in New York. During the summer, he was seen by millions on CBS-TV's "Nightwatch" and "CBS News This Morning" shows, capped by an appearance at the Republican convention in New Orleans. |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
