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New Orleans-based jazz musician and crooner Harry Connick, Jr. has suffered a fair degree of criticism from jazz aficionados for his commercially oriented vocal outings. Borrowing a great deal from the style of Frank Sinatra, Connick's vocal ... Full Descriptionalbums are well crafted and listenable, if not always adventurous. Those critics will have cause to button their lips, however, because Connick has released OCCASION: CONNICK ON PIANO, VOL. 2 (the follow-up to 2003's OTHER HOURS: CONNICK ON PIANO, VOL. 1), a dazzling instrumental outing that emphasizes the artist's improvisational chops.
To make matters even better, Connick has collaborated here with fellow New Orleans native and saxophonist extraordinaire Branford Marsalis. One of the finest horn players of his generation, Marsalis has a bold tone, broad range, and an admirably adventurous approach to the tenor and soprano sax. Marsalis contributes two tunes here, the lightly swinging title track and "Steve Lacy," a lovely, plaintive tribute to the great soprano saxophonist. The rest of the compositions are by Connick, and reveal his too-often-overlooked technical expertise and keen ear for melody. The rapport between the two is intelligent, sensitive, and never less than engaging, making OCCASION one of the best offerings in Connick's discography.
Personnel: Harry Connick Jr. (piano); Branford Marsalis (saxophone).
Recording information: Hayti Heritage Center, Durham, NC (03/2005).
Down Beat (p.86) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]t has significant entertainment value since both musicians are engaging instrumental conversationalists." JazzTimes (p.63) - "Simultaneously cerebral and playful, and with hands chock full of inventiveness, Connick uses this release to explore space and harmony with a wonderfully sympathetic partner..." Hide Description Harry Connick, Jr Occasion Songs Purchase Occasion CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Harry Connick, Jr Only You CD (2003)
Occasion album
$7.65 In the liner notes of ONLY YOU, crooner Harry Connick tells how the impetus for the album was Columbia honcho Donny Ienner's request for the singer to record some songs from Ienner's youth (1950s/'60s hits). Whether this was an entreaty or an ultimatum, Connick sagely turned it to his advantage, inching up a decade or two from his usual selection process and cherry-picking some of the finest tunes from that era (even if a couple were originally written decades earlier). Connick breaks some new stylistic ground too, dipping into the country songbook ("You Don't Know Me") and even slipping into doo-wop territory ("I Only Have Eyes for You" and the title track").
The most impressive thing about ONLY YOU is that instead of twisting himself into a stylistic pretzel in order to accommodate these varied modes, Connick artfully reinvents these tunes (not only as vocalist, but as arranger/conductor) to suit his own Sinatra-influenced pop/jazz style. His treatment of the aforementioned "I Only Have Eyes for You," for example, brings out the inherent spectral qualities of the song, turning it into an ethereal tour de force for his moody arrangement and cool vocal. Throughout the album, Connick ...
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