What a Night! A Christmas Album
| What a Night! A Christmas Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Harry Connick Jr. | |||||
| Released |
 November 4, 2008 | ||||
| Recorded | 2008 | ||||
| Genre | Jazz, Christmas | ||||
| Label | Sony/Columbia (U.S.) | ||||
| Producer | Tracey Freeman | ||||
| Harry Connick Jr. chronology | |||||
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| Harry Connick Jr. Christmas albums chronology |
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| Singles from What a Night! A Christmas Album | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Metromix |  [2] |
| Windsor Star | [3] |
| Mercury News | (Favorable)[4] |
| Eye Weekly | [5] |
What a Night! A Christmas Album, by American singer, pianist and bandleader Harry Connick Jr., was released on November 4, 2008.,[6] being his third Christmas album, since 1993's When My Heart Finds Christmas and 2003's Harry for the Holidays. The album consists of new recordings of Christmas classics, and new songs written by Connick.[7]
The first public mentioning of recording the album, came in an interview in The Times-Picayune in June 2008.[8]
The album was first called Christmas Day, but the title was changed in September 2008, to What a Night! A Christmas Album.
The track "Song for the Hopeful", is a duet with Kim Burrell. The song was written by Connick for the 2008 television film Living Proof.[9] Burell is also featured on "Let There Be Peace On Earth".
Connick has three daughters with his wife Jill Goodacre, and their middle daughter Sarah Kate, sings a duet with him on the track "Winter Wonderland".[10]
When the track list was first announced, the songs "Christmas Time is Here" and "Trinity", was part of the album. In early October, those two tracks were replaced with two new tracks: "Christmas Day", and an instrumental version of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".[10]
Track listing
- "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (Edward Pola, George Wyle) – 3:28
- "What a Night!" (Harry Connick Jr.) – 3:24
- "Christmas Day" (Connick) – 3:24
- "Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) – 4:05
- "Please Come Home for Christmas" (Charles Brown, Gene Redd) – 4:26
- "O Come All Ye Faithful" (traditional) – 4:15
- "Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairies" (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) – 2:46
- "Let There Be Peace On Earth" (Sy Miller, Jill Jackson) – 3:30 – feat. Kim Burrell
- "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 3:50 – feat. Sarah Kate Connick
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (Meredith Willson) – 3:30
- "Santariffic" (Connick) – 3:58 – feat. Lucien Barbarin
- "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 5:28
- "Zat You Santa Claus" (Jack Fox) – 3:40
- "We Three Kings" (Reverend John Henry Hopkins Jr.) – 4:45
- "Song for the Hopeful" (Connick) – 4:35 – feat. Kim Burrell
iTunes bonus track
- "Auld Lang Syne" (traditional) – 2:16 (album only)
- Digital Booklet (album only)
Barnes & Noble Exclusive Version
- "Deck the Halls" (traditional) – 2:57
- "Christmas Time is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) – 5:06
- "O Christmas Tree" (traditional) – 3:22
- Disc 2 (DVD)
- Holiday interview with Harry
- Photo gallery
- "(It Must Have Been) Ol’ Santa Claus" [*]
- "I Pray on Christmas" [*]
- "The Happy Elf" * [*]
^ [*] also found on the Harry for the Holidays DVD
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[11] | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Holiday Albums[12] | 5 |
Personnel
Arrangement by Harry Connick Jr.
- Harry Connick Jr. – vocals, piano
- Lucien Barbarin – vocals, trombone
- Kim Burrell – vocals
- Kate Connick – vocals
- James Hall & Worship & Praise – background vocals
- Neal Caine – vocals, bass instrument
- Jonathan DuBose Jr. – guitar
- Charles "Ned" Goold – alto saxophone
- Jerry Weldon – tenor saxophone
- Dave Schumacher – baritone saxophone
- Roger Ingram – trumpet
- Tony Kadleck – trumpet
- Joe Magnarelli – trumpet
- Jeff Bush – trombone
- Dion Tucker – trombone
- Joe Barati – bass trombone
- Arthur Latin – drums, percussion
Tour
| Tour by Harry Connick Jr. | |
| Harry Connick Jr. concert chronology |
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A Holiday Celebration Tour 2008, is a concert tour with his big band to support the album. The tour was confirmed by the official Harry Connick, Jr. website in September 2008.
One of their stops included the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
Tour dates
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Metromix review
- ↑ Windsor Star review
- ↑ Mercury News review
- ↑ Eye Weekly review
- ↑ What a Night! A Christmas Album, Amazon.com
- ↑ Harry Connick, Jr/What a Night! A Christmas Album, elusivedisc.com
- ↑ Harry Connick Jr.'s new Lifetime movie raises money for breast cancer research, The Times-Picayune, June 22, 2008
- ↑ What a Night! A Christmas Album, Barnes & Noble
- 1 2 Harry Connick Jr. Celebrates the Holidays With Seasonal Favorites and New Songs on 'What A Night! – A Christmas Album', The Earth Times, October 6, 2008
- ↑ 'Twilight' soundtrack opens at No. 1, Variety, November 12, 2008
- ↑ Top Holiday Albums, Billboard.com, December 24, 2008
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Harry Connick Jr. – Tour Dates & Info". A Holiday Celebration Tour 2008. harryconnickjr.com. Retrieved 2008-10-26.