Music to Discover - Harry Connick Jr's 'Songs I Heard'

by Gareth Hemmings




Harry Connick Jnr is one of those Renaissance men; actor, composer, arranger, conductor, singer and pianist.  And he is pretty talented at all these things.  I wanted to share with you a great album of his that I have been listening to lately; listen to it whilst you are cooking dinner, it’s a tour de force in arranging and breathes new life into old classics in a tasteful and insightful way.

Songs I Heard is one for all the family. A collection of classic Disney songs played by superb jazz musicians and truly stunning arranging.  Share it with your parents/children/ grandparents - these are timeless tunes given creative and interesting twists.

The album opens with a high octane performance of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (amazingly Google Docs has this in its spelling dictionary).  Given a New Orleans Dixieland feel this has the feel good factor!

The Lonely Goatherd has a sophisticated Big Band feel with tight sax ensemble playing at the start and some classy reharmonising before moving into a more modal riff based style.


Ding-Dong! The witch is dead has a bebop infused drive and is largely instrumental with  virtuosic soprano sax solo-ing and stratospheric trumpet playing.  In typical Connick tongue-in-cheek style the vocals feature only in last two lines of the song!

Maybe is given a tender treatment, arranged for orchestra with a Hollywood-style string section.  Some beautiful wind playing too.

Pure Imagination / Candy Man opens with a smooth relaxed swing style reminiscent of classic Dean Martin, Sinatra crooning and is the start of a sequence of songs from Charlie and Chocolate Factory.  The two songs are cleverly juxtaposed here.

Golden Ticket / I Want it Now offbeat sax riffs, subtle muted trumpet textures bubble under the smooth vocals as Golden Ticket moves into I Want in Now with screaming trumpets and saxophones mirroring Veruca Salt’s spoilt impetuousness.

Oompa Loompa starts with a slightly sinister double octave piano riff in an off beat extended triplet pattern that completely disguises the pulse. The whole piece has a somewhat claustrophobic, “pent up” feel to it, intensified by the scoring for voice and piano alone.

A Spoonful of Sugar brings back the Mardi Gras feel of New Orleans; a joyous celebration for jazz quintet with voice.

Stay Awake is a given an orchestral treatment that is reminiscent of Englebert Humperdinck’s fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel evoking a warm nostalgia.

Subtle string shades gentle colour Something Was Missing from Annie, leading to the slightly “wonky” introduction to You’re Never Fully Dressed Without  a Smile. Enjoy those moments when the band suddenly let rip between each line of the song and then return immediately to subtle accompaniment mode!

A stormy orchestral soundscape clears to reveal sunshine as the melody of Over the Rainbow breaks through the dissonance with sighing strings and shimmering harp. 

The Jitterbug is treated with playfulness and features Connick on piano again as well as voice.  Merry Old Land of Oz is the last in the set of Wizard of Oz tracks.

Edelweiss features lush orchestral textures with responsive and expressive string accompaniment, before Do-Re-Mi finishes this album with warm wit.  I love the clear affection that is held for these classic songs and the reworking of them which pushes the material to the edge of tastefulness without going over it.  These charts are played with effortless ease by a stella line up of musicians who are clearly having a ball together.

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