We first saw Connick perform right here in South Jersey in the relatively small auditorium of Bunce Hall at Rowan University. He was only 18 years old but had already been performing since his public debut at age five. Indeed, Connick has been playing the piano since he was three years old and by the time he was nine he was playing Beethoven concertos.
But when we saw Connick in Glassboro almost nobody knew him. He arrived from New York with a small group of musicians in a single van (parked behind Bunce) and joked about the trip down the New Jersey Turnpike from New York. With a melodic accent that defined his native New Orleans, Connick charmed the audience while chuckling about his Jersey journey. From the moment he began performing, we knew we were witnessing history. He exuded confidence and the contagious enthusiasm of a natural entertainer.
A virtuoso pianist, he switched easily from pop to jazz to classical and all with his own inimitable style, which was already taking shape. Then he sang with a richness and phrasing that belied his age. And then he danced and made music simply by banging the sides of the piano, tapping his feet, slapping his knees and clapping his hands.
That night, talent just poured out of Harry Connick and that's the way it's been with him ever since.
We saw him again in Princeton at the McCarter Theater and then again in Philadelphia at the Mann Music Center. The venues got bigger and bigger but Harry still managed to conjure up a sense of intimacy by establishing and maintaining a unique rapport with his audience.
Gold and platinum records piled up and Hollywood and Broadway came calling as well, bringing stardom on the silver screen and the great white way.
Through it all, Harry Connick remained grounded -- returning again and again to his roots, marrying a gorgeous gal from Texas and raising three children.
When we saw Harry at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in Manhattan this past Saturday his wife and daughters who were in the audience and he sang to them and to every single person in the hall -- even those in the upper tiers.
You won't find any smoke and mirrors at a Harry Connick, Jr. concert. There's no elaborate set, no videos, no scantily-clad vixens or bare-chested hunks, no outlandish costumes -- none of that. And Harry doesn't rise onto the stage from below or attempt any type of grand entrance. In fact, he isn't even announced.
With Harry Connick, Jr. it's still simply all about the music. The members of his eight piece band take their places and then Connick follows them and simply begins performing. He acts as his own conductor and even plays the trumpet on a few numbers. And the music runs the gambit from The Great American Songbook (The Way You Look Tonight) to jazz (Down Bourbon Street) to country (You Don't Know Me) to gospel (a jazz-influenced How Great Thou Art). All along, Connick peppers it with clever stories and funny recollections.
This man takes such delight in performing that even after he's been on stage for two solid hours (without an intermission) it seems like he can go on into the night, and the audience is right there with him. And he presents the very best musicians, generously showcasing them throughout the night.
Now 47, Harry Connick, Jr. remains an exubrant entertainer without equal.
He is an American treasure!
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