20

Harry Connick Jr. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: SBME SPECIAL MKTS.
• ASIN: B0012GN3ZK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,308 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Avalon

2. Blue Skies

3. Imagination

4. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

5. Basin Street Blues

6. Lazy River

7. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone

8. Stars Fell on Alabama

9. 'S Wonderful

10. If I Only Had a Brain

11. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hear Where It All Started, July 4, 2000

By 

Andrew Day (Long Island City, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20 (Audio CD)

In 1988, Columbia Records took a chance on a kid from New Orleans named Harry Connick Jr. And very soon into the album you'll understand why. His blend of good ol' New Orleans jazz and ragtime in "Avalon", will make your jaw drop. His rendition of "Blue Skies" sounds like it is impossible to play but easily rolls off the keyboard. His carefree style is refreshing and relaxing. It gives you the same feeling as sitting on a porch or by the pool with a tall glass of lemonade on a hot, lazy afternoon. The third track, "Imagination", introduces us to the voice that drove crowds to the record stores to pick up "When Harry Met Sally".

One of the standout tunes on this album is "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans." On this tune Harry is joined by one of the greatest Creole musicians, Dr. John. Not only does the good doctor lend his singing talents to this piece, but he also gives a soulful organ solo.

For those of you who love Harry's big band sound, I'm warning you, you won't find it here. It's just Harry on piano joined by Robert Leslie Hurst III on bass. But even without the big band, this album is a winner. Pick up this album, sit back, relax and enjoy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Harry, December 24, 2003

By 

Ayn McLaurin (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 20 (Audio CD)

I like Harry Connick's big band work, and even some of his more experimental pieces, but this is essential Harry. I was born and raised near New Orleans, and good jazz and blues were standard fare for us growing up -- other people had nursery rhymes;we had Jelly Roll Morton. This album is vintage jazz/blues -- all you need to add is a smoke filled room and someone to snuggle with. It includes the classic "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" featuring the inimitable Dr. John, making this Crescent City favorite a standout piece. Mr Connick takes several standards, like "Avalon" and "Blue Skies" and makes them his own, using amazing piano work. His version of "If I Only Had a Brain" is almost tear jerking in its heartfelt halting phrasing, while "Imagination" is beautifully done -- you can hear the longing and insecurity in his voice. This is the album you want to slow dance to next to the fireplace with your one true love. If I were told I was going deaf next week, this would be the last album I would listen to, to imprint its rich and yet sparingly simple tunes on my memory.

I actually wrote this review in 2003, before Katrina. After the storm, pieces like "Basin Street Blues" and "Do You know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" mean even more than they did before. Many good albums have been recorded to benefit the city and its musical community; please purchase them and support a good cause. But please also listen to this album with a new understanding of what we as Americans (as well as the rest of the world) stand to loose if this city and its priceless musical heritage are lost. Vive la Nouvelle Orleans!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 20 Out of 10!, August 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 20 (Audio CD)

This is still one of my favorite albums from Harry Connick, Jr. My other favorites are Songs I Heard, We Are In Love, and When Harry Met Sally.

For me, Harry sounds best playing a New Orleans swing sound, rather than the fusion and guitar stuff on his later albums. Harry is at his best when he sounds more like Louis Prima or Louis Armstrong, two of my all time favorites for the genre. I wish he would recognize that he has a fan base that looks to him for this kind of music.

I recently saw Harry at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, and he put on a great show, although he did linger a bit too much on some of the guitar based stuff. I can listen to anybody play guitar, but no one can play good jazz and make it swing like Harry - when he wants to!