Harry Connick, Jr. - Songs I Heard (2001)

This is a very entertaining session by Harry Connick, Jr., covering his favorite songs from movies and the stage. Although his vocals are the primary focus, he also plays piano, wrote all of the arrangements, and conducted both the orchestra and big band. The film Mary Poppins introduced "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "A Spoonful of Sugar," both of which are recast as lively New Orleans struts, featuring trumpeters (and fellow New Orleans natives) Kermit Ruffins and Leroy Jones, respectively, as well as a lush "Stay Awake," with Connick's vocal backed by strings and brass. Several songs from The Sound of Music are included: a delightful, well-crafted arrangement of "The Lonely Goatherd," the waltzing take of "Edelweiss" with a very formal orchestral setting, and a fun-filled "Do-Re-Mi" that starts off with duet bassist Neal "Sugar" Caine and gradually introduces additional soloists to the mix as the piece progresses until the full big band joins in, and then wraps with several amusing false endings. The Wizard of Oz is the source for the hilarious interpretation of "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (primarily an instrumental feature with an imaginative Connick arrangement), a dramatic but nearly over-produced "Over the Rainbow," a campy but obscure song, "The Jitterbug" (which was dropped during the editing of the original film), and a rather laid-back version of "The Merry Old Land of Oz." It's easy to tell that Connick enjoyed making this CD, as the enthusiasm of everyone involved comes across in every track.