Ten years after his first holiday-themed album, When My Heart Finds Christmas, pianist/vocalist Harry Connick, Jr. found the spirit again with Harry for the Holidays.
Still centered on Connick's vocals, this foray into "tinsel tunes" is more jazz oriented than his 1993 release and allows for his growth as a performer, arranger, and conductor.
Like a Brooks Brothers' suit worn at Mardi Gras, Connick's writing for his big band and full orchestra mixes New Orleans rhythms with crisp, swinging arrangements that call to mind '60s Michel Legrand and Quincy Jones.
Nothing Connick has done before can quite prepare you for the screaming trumpets and rollicking second-line-style swing of his leadoff take on "Frosty the Snowman." In fact, most of the classic standards here, including "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Silver Bells," get highly unexpected treatments as on "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town," which is worked up into a funky, brass-band "go-go" dance number.
Similarly tasty is "I'll Be Home for Christmas," which not only features some of the best crooning the Will and Grace star has ever done, but also a beautifully modest Count Basie-inspired piano solo.
There is also an appealing balance to Harry for the Holidays between songs of Christmas nostalgia and heartfelt ruminations on what the season means in a deeper sense.
Throw in four original compositions that touch on Scott Walker-esque orchestrated pop, Tin Pan Alley songcraft, and country -- yes, that is the George Jones dueting with Connick on "Nothin' New for the New Year" -- and not only do you have one of the best holiday albums in years, but easily the best album of Connick's career.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frosty the SnowmanSteve Nelson, Jack Rollins | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | Blue ChristmasBill Hayes, Jay Johnson | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | The Christmas WaltzSammy Cahn, Jule Styne | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 4 | I Wonder as I WanderTraditional | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 5 | Silver BellsRay Evans, Jay Livingston | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Mary's Little Boy ChildJester Hairston | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 05:10 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | Santa Claus Is Coming to TownJ. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | The Happy ElfHarry Connick, Jr. | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | I'll Be Home for ChristmasKim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 05:57 | 13 MB | 34 MB |
| 10 | I Come With LoveHarry Connick, Jr. | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Nature BoyEden Ahbez | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | O Little Town of BethlehemLewis Redner, Traditional | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 13 | I'm Gonna Be the First OneHarry Connick, Jr. | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 14 | This ChristmasDonny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 15 | Nothin' New for New YearHarry Connick, Jr. | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 16 | Silent NightFranz Grüber, Joseph Mohr | Harry Connick, Jr. | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 64 mins | 147 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 385 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eden Ahbez | Composer |
| 2 | John Alfred | Trombone |
| 3 | Chris Ashburn | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Joe Barati | Trombone (Bass) |
| 5 | Lucien Barbarin | Soloist, Trombone |
| 6 | Russell Bartmus | Copyist |
| 7 | Maria S. Betro | Assistant Producer |
| 8 | Alice Butts | Package Design |
| 9 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 10 | Neal Caine | Bass |
| 11 | Stephen Cirona | Wardrobe |
| 12 | Harry Connick, Jr. | Arranger, Bass, Composer, Conductor, Drums, Orchestration, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 13 | J. Fred Coots | Composer |
| 14 | Martial Corneville | Hair Stylist |
| 15 | Sandy De Crescent | Orchestra Contractor |
| 16 | George Doering | Guitar |
| 17 | Ray Evans | Composer |
| 18 | Paul Franklin | Pedal Steel |
| 19 | Phil Frazier | Soloist, Tuba |
| 20 | Tracey Freeman | Producer |
| 21 | Kim Gannon | Composer |
| 22 | Derrick Gardner | Trumpet |
| 23 | Haven Gillespie | Composer |
| 24 | Ned Goold | Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 25 | Mark Graham | Copyist |
| 26 | James Greene | Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 27 | Franz Grüber | Composer |
| 28 | Jester Hairston | Composer |
| 29 | Donny Hathaway | Composer |
| 30 | Bill Hayes | Composer |
| 31 | Roger Ingram | Trumpet |
| 32 | Jay Johnson | Composer |
| 33 | George Jones | Vocals |
| 34 | Leroy Jones | Soloist, Trumpet |
| 35 | Sam Jones | Cover Photo, Photography |
| 36 | Mike Kam | Sax (Tenor) |
| 37 | Walter Kent | Composer |
| 38 | Craig Klein | Soloist, Trombone |
| 39 | Marie Josee Lafontaine | Make-Up |
| 40 | Scott Landis | Photography |
| 41 | Arthur Latin | Drums |
| 42 | Jay Livingston | Composer |
| 43 | Joe Magnarelli | Trumpet |
| 44 | Nadine McKinnor | Composer |
| 45 | Vlado Meller | Mastering |
| 46 | Joseph Mohr | Composer |
| 47 | Mark Mullins | Soloist, Trombone |
| 48 | Steve Nelson | Composer |
| 49 | Leo Nocentelli | Guitar |
| 50 | Charles Paakkari | Assistant Engineer |
| 51 | Trenora Parker | Choir Director |
| 52 | Buck Ram | Composer |
| 53 | Lewis Redner | Composer |
| 54 | Leslie Richter | Assistant Engineer |
| 55 | J.R. Rodriguez | Engineer |
| 56 | Jack Rollins | Composer |
| 57 | Gregg Rubin | Engineer, Mixing |
| 58 | David Schumacher | Sax (Baritone) |
| 59 | Sylvia St. James | Choir Conductor |
| 60 | Jule Styne | Composer |
| 61 | David Swope | Assistant Engineer |
| 62 | Traditional | Composer |
| 63 | Biff Watson | Guitar |
| 64 | Jerry Weldon | Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 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). |