He's a hugely gifted musician. A singer, a songwriter, an arranger. His unique approaches to songs old and new are always inspiring. In short, it's a good thing I'm much better looking than Harry Connick Jr., otherwise I might be jealous. :) Here's a couple of his songs that are a pleasure to sing. Enjoy!
Take the "way back" machine to 1990:
We Are in Love is an album by American artist Harry Connick Jr., released in 1990. The multi-platinum album features Connick on piano & vocal, Russell Malone on guitar, Shannon Powell on drums, Benjamin Jonah Wolfe on double bass, and Branford Marsalis on saxophone. Here's my take on it with the original crazy big band arrangement:
You remember (If you're over 50-ish). Tom Hanks and his boy, playing on the beach. Meg Ryan is across the street, silently watching from afar. You do know that Harry sang it. But it was composed by: Marc Shaiman and Ramsey Mclean.
While many of my recordings are with pre-recorded backing tracks, this next one is a collaboration with my longtime friend Jamie Saltman. A consummate jazz pianist, a great music teacher, and the owner of a terrific music and sports camp in Maine called Camp Encore/Coda. He and his wife Ellen, co-director of the camp, weren't able to open in summer 2020 due to COVID-19, but they're already making plans for summer 2021 (hint-hint). Check it out. You won't find a finer summer experience for young musicians.
Back to the music, below is a tune Connick wrote called "Nowhere with Love" for his celebrated album from the 90's, Come By Me. I like this tune for a couple reasons. It's got a great big, swaggering swing sound. An offbeat melody. And I like the message - all about a guy who has no idea what he's doing, but he's doing it anyway. Finding my voice as a jazz singer a couple of decades into my life, I can relate. Jamie recorded the piano part at his home in Massachusetts, and I added my vocal and edited it here in North Carolina. Give a listen.
Here's the title song from that 1992 album....
And finally, Harry's tune "One Fine Thing." I'm joined by Doug Largent on organ,
Casey Overton on guitar, and Donovan Cheatham on the drums. One Fine Thing from Michael Berliner on Vimeo. Music and lyrics by Harry Connick, Jr. Performed by Michael Berliner, vocals, with the Doug Largent Trio: Casey Overton, guitar, Donavan Cheatham, drums, and Doug Largent, organ. We love playing around town - get in touch if you're interested in having us: www.BerlinerJazz.com Comments are closed.
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Every now and then I'll post a new vocal recording. Enjoy! CategoriesArchives
July 2023
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