Harry Connick Jr. & Orchestra

Editorial

One of the most successful crooners of all time, Harry Connick Jr started his career early, first picking up a keyboard aged three. The New Orleans native took to the ivories like a fish to water, and the child prodigy was soon playing publicly. All of nine-years-old, he performed a Beethoven concerto with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra and was featured in a Japanese documentary about jazz.

While he's known for his silky vocals these days, it may surprise many that his self-titled debut album was actually instrumental. That all changed with his second release, 1988's 20, which introduced his distinct crooning. Connick has released 23 studio albums since that breakthrough. He's listed as one of the top male musicians in the US, has sold over 16 million albums, and has landed more number one albums than any other US jazz musician. He's also leant his musical talents to film soundtracks like When Harry Met Sally and Godfather III, appeared in several movies and has three Grammys under his belt. All very impressive. In any case, Connick is back in Australia, playing throughout the country with his 12-piece big band. Just don't mention the Jackson Jive.
Paige X. Cho, February 2010