Harry Connick, Jr.'s 30 was recorded during 1997 around the time of his 30th birthday, though it wasn't released until shortly after his 34th birthday in 2001.
Primarily a solo release featuring his piano and vocals, Connick returns to his jazz roots with a vengeance, though he doesn't stick exclusively to jazz repertoire; examples include his down-home vocals accompanying a strutting take of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'," a campy, Monk-like waltz treatment of "Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme)" (from the film Dr.
Zhivago), and an imaginative reworking of the usually nauseating pop hit "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." Connick salutes Louis Armstrong by singing and playing "The Gypsy" and a romping "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans." He revives two songs that have fallen from favor: a rollicking take of Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" and the moody ballad "Don't Like Goodbyes," a collaboration between Harold Arlen and Truman Capote.
The guest spots are a special treat.
Connick's former bassist, Ben Wolfe, joins him for a stripped-down, slower-than-usual take of "If I Were a Bell" and Reverend James Moore (in one of his last recordings prior to his death) adds his organ and vocal on Doc Pomus' gospel-flavored "There Is Always One More Time." The big surprise is that Wynton Marsalis is featured on piano, initially accompanying Connick's vocal on "I Only Miss Her When I Think of Her" before giving up the bench to the singer and finishing this lovely ballad on trumpet.
Jazz fans attracted to Connick in his early days will greatly appreciate this very fine effort, but will wonder why it took so long for it to be released.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I'm Walkin'Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 2 | Chattanooga Choo ChooMack Gordon, Harry Warren | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 14 MB |
| 3 | Somewhere My LoveMaurice Jarre | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 07:09 | 16 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | The GypsyBilly Reid | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | If I Were a BellFrank Loesser | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 06:55 | 15 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Way Down Yonder in New OrleansHenry Creamer, Turner Layton | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | There Is Always One More TimeKen Hirsch, Doc Pomus | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | New OrleansHoagy Carmichael | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | Speak Softly LoveNino Rota | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 15 MB |
| 10 | Junco PartnerRobert Shad | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 06:10 | 14 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | Don't Fence Me InRobert Fletcher, Cole Porter | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 17 MB |
| 12 | Don't Like GoodbyesHarold Arlen, Truman Capote | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 13 | Tie A Yelllow Ribbon | Harry Connick, Jr | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 13 MB |
| 14 | I'll Only Miss Her | Harry Connick, Jr | Play | 08:51 | 20 MB | 33 MB |
| 68 mins | 156 MB | |||||
| 68 mins | 269 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 2 | Christopher Austopchuk | Art Direction |
| 3 | Dave Bartholomew | Composer |
| 4 | Maria S. Betro | Production Coordination |
| 5 | Alice Butts | Art Direction |
| 6 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 7 | Truman Capote | Composer |
| 8 | Hoagy Carmichael | Composer |
| 9 | Harry Connick, Jr. | Arranger, Liner Notes, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 10 | Henry Creamer | Composer |
| 11 | Fats Domino | Composer |
| 12 | Robert Fletcher | Composer |
| 13 | Tracey Freeman | Producer |
| 14 | Mack Gordon | Composer |
| 15 | James Van Heusen | Composer |
| 16 | Ryan Hewitt | Assistant Engineer |
| 17 | Ken Hirsch | Composer |
| 18 | Maurice Jarre | Composer |
| 19 | Steven Kadison | Assistant Mastering Engineer |
| 20 | Palma Kolansky | Photography |
| 21 | Turner Layton | Composer |
| 22 | Irwin Levine | Composer |
| 23 | Frank Loesser | Composer |
| 24 | Wynton Marsalis | Guest Artist, Piano, Trumpet |
| 25 | Vladimir Meller | Mastering |
| 26 | Vlado Meller | Mastering |
| 27 | Rev. James Moore | Guest Artist |
| 28 | James Moore | Organ, Vocals |
| 29 | Doc Pomus | Composer |
| 30 | Cole Porter | Composer |
| 31 | Billy Reid | Composer |
| 32 | Nino Rota | Composer |
| 33 | Gregg Rubin | Engineer, Mixing |
| 34 | Robert Shad | Composer |
| 35 | Harry Warren | Composer |
| 36 | Ben Wolfe | Bass, Guest Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |