The holiday season is nigh upon us, which means jazz pianist/vocalist/actor/superstar Harry Connick Jr. must take a break from his duties on Will & Grace to take on Santa Claus and get some of his own Christmastime exposure, thanks to NBC, which airs Will & Grace.
Connick will begin his assault on all media starting this week with a walk-on appearance during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (televised on NBC from 9 a.m. to noon). On Thanksgiving night Connick gets his own primetime special, Harry for the Holidays, also airing on the Peacock (check your local listings for time). The special will feature Connick playing and singing holiday tunes like “Silver Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman,” as well as a few comedy sketches. NBC’s Web site states that “the holiday celebration also boasts traditional and untraditional performances that reflect Connick’s New Orleans jazz and funk roots.” So maybe we’ll get some real jazz from it too. Star Latin singer Marc Anthony, comic Whoopi Goldberg and happy show-tune guy Nathan Lane will be Connick’s featured guests on the program.
Connick will keep himself busy next week performing Christmas tunes on the Today Show December 3, a promotion for his new Harry for the Holidays CD and a warm up for his performance that night at NBC’s annual Christmas tree lighting. The following day, he’ll perform two songs for those lovely ladies of The View.
The Harry For The Holidays album, released on October 28, is Connick’s second holiday themed disc and a collection of 16 Christmas songs in Connick’s swinging jazz style. It landed at number one on the Billboard jazz chart last week and even reached as high as number 30 on the Billboard top 200, up 15 spots from the previous week, earning our boy the distinction of “Greatest Gainer.” It’s the first time he’s been at the top of the jazz charts since 1999’s Come By Me. Here’s a track list:
1. Frosty The Snow Man
2. Blue Christmas
3. The Christmas Waltz
4. I Wonder As I Wander
5. Silver Bells
6. Mary’s Little Boy Child
7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
8. The Happy Elf
9. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
10. I Come With Love
11. Nature Boy
12. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
13. I’m Gonna Be The First One
14. This Christmas
15. Nothin’ New For New Year
16. Silent Night
For a limited time, Target stores are offering the album with a Target-only bonus track, “Jingle Bells.” And you should find a flyer inside any copy of the album you buy that tells of a forthcoming Connick release, Only You, featuring standards from the ’50s and ’60s.
The suave renaissance man is also on tour promoting Harry for the Holidays. The shows are almost all sold out but supposedly there are still some tickets available through VH1’s Save the Music at www.harryconnickjr.musictoday.com. There are also “Special Guest” tickets still available (with their proceeds benefiting VH1’s Save The Music) for the shows in Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Boston, Hartford, Pittsburgh and Chicago. With this ticket you’ll be able to meet Connick backstage after the show. Here are the tour dates:
11/25/03 • New York, NY • Bloomingdales
11/28/03 • New York, NY • City Center
11/29/03 • New York, NY • City Center
12/01/03 • Washington, DC • Kennedy Center
12/02/03 • Washington, DC • Kennedy Center
12/06/03 • Rochester, NY • Eastman Theatre
12/07/03 • Cincinnati, OH • Cincinnati Music Hall
12/08/03 • Detroit, MI • Opera House
12/09/03 • Pittsburgh, PA • Benedum Center
12/11/03 • Columbus, OH • Palace Theatre
12/12/03 • Cleveland, OH • Playhouse Square Center
12/13/03 • Indianapolis, IN • Murat Theatre
12/15/03 • Saint Louis, MO • Fox Theatre
12/16/03 • Chicago, IL • Chicago Theatre
12/17/03 • Chicago, IL • Chicago Theatre
12/19/03 • Buffalo, NY • Shea’s Perf. Arts Ctr.
12/20/03 • Boston, MA • Colonial Theatre
12/21/03 • Boston, MA • Colonial Theatre
12/22/03 • Wallingford, CT • Careerbuilder.com Oakdale Theatre
12/23/03 • Philadelphia, PA • Kimmel Center
For more information on Harry Connick Jr. or to listen to an Internet stream of Harry for the Holidays, visit www.harryconnickjr.com or his special holiday Web site www.hconnickjr.com.
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