What would the holiday season be without the modern day counterpart to Bing, Andy, and Frank? I label Harry Connick, Jr. as a contemporary counterpart to those classic three because he tends to create in a timeless style. He’s not as present-day-centric as Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, or Sufjan. He plays jazz with some swing {and swagger} and he doesn’t care who knows it. Personally I find some of his songs a bit too much, and I prefer Harry’s acting career to his music, but it still wouldn’t be a true holiday season without some of Harry for the Holidays (iTunes).
mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - Frosty The Snowman
mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - Jingle Bells
mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - The Christmas Waltz
I chose these three tracks because they showcase the breadth of Harry’s trademark swing. This will be one of the last remaining Christmas posts I do as I’m working on BOTM vol 3, BOTR vol 1, and my year ending list of best albums {you’ll probably be surprised what my top ten are} for next week.
I’m a big fan of Harry. I love anything that reminds me of the Rat Pack actually. I spent most of middle school obsessed with them - which was weird for a 7th grader, much less a girl. The phase has lessoned somewhat, but I still love listening to Frank, Dino, and Sammy. So even though I think Michael Buble would probably be an ass in person, I still will listen to most anything he does.
I LOVE Harry! I finally got a chance to see him perform this year on his “oh my Nola” tour and it was fantastic. Yes, some of his stuff is a bit too swingy - but that’s b/c it’s supposed to be. I love it when he performs w/ his Big Band…but to see him live in concert is unbelievable! (one of the BEST shows I’ve ever been to and I’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of shows!)