SCOTT TADY
PITTSBURGH — Harry Connick Jr. felt a bit intimidated Wednesday playing in Pittsburgh.
Not because of the people; Connick assured a full-house Heinz Hall audience he finds Pittsburghers to be soulful and delightful.
But for his first Pittsburgh appearance in four years — and first non-Christmas concert in the Steel City in 13 years — Connick said he felt nervous playing piano in the city that produced piano-playing jazz trailblazers like Earl “Fatha” Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal and his personal hero, Erroll Garner.
Seated at a Steinway piano, Connick, the famed pop crooner/jazz singer/Hollywood actor, then went off-script, demonstrating to Pittsburgh fans the dexterous and groundbreaking piano technique of Garner, involving one hand playing slightly ahead of the beat and the other hand playing slightly behind the beat.
Concertgoers savored Connick’s piano lesson, laughing at his punchlines about how there’s no way he could duplicate such brilliance.
Maybe not, but Connick indisputably delivered a masterful night of piano playing paired with his warm and clear voice, all backed by a five-man horn section, upright bass player, keyboardist and a drummer striking beats more with brushes than typical drumsticks.
Hitting the stage at 7:30 p.m. sharp, this “An Evening With Harry Connick Jr.” concert launched with the upbeat swing of Johnny Mercer’s “That Old Black Magic.” Interspersed with a piano interlude, Connick then crooned his biggest hit “It Had to Be You,” featured prominently in the film “When Harry Met Sally.”
The jazz band got numerous opportunities for solos that earned mid-song applause from the seated crowd.
Connick, 58, professed his love for the compositions of Cole Porter ahead of a peppy “I Love Paris.”
Connick told a moving story about his mom, Anita, a lawyer and New Orleans judge, who died from ovarian cancer in 1981 when the musician was a mere 13 years old. From the early days of his childhood when he first started singing, Anita told everyone her son would one day sing at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall. Connick honored her legacy and fulfill that lifelong dream by performing at Carnegie Hall — the first time he ever walked into that building — this past May 22, on what would have been his mom’s 100th birthday.
He has detailed her life and their bond in his tribute book, “Babe: Elaboratio: A Tribute to My Mother,” and told the Pittsburgh crowd they can pre-order the symphonic album he composed specifically for that Carnegie Hall show.
His loose and carefree 100-minute Heinz Hall concert featured a lovely “Georgia (On My Mind)” and a spiritually uplifting “How Great Thou Art.”
For his final few selections, Connick whisked listeners to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras music showcasing Connick’s wiggling dance moves that earned appreciative hoots and hollers from spectators.
A little eye candy never hurts, though Connick’s adept piano playing and voice were the primary dazzlers.
For more on the concert, here’s what reviewer Scott Tady said on his Thursday morning show on WBVP-WMBA (Beaver County Radio):