Connick’s ‘25’ and ‘Eleven’ Dragged Down by His 88s

HARRY CONNICK JR. “25” Columbia * * 1/2 HARRY CONNICK JR. “Eleven” Columbia * * 1/2

Connick just doesn’t get it. He still seems to think he’s an exceptional jazz pianist, but he’s really just adequate. His real strength is his 1940s-style crooning. But his new album “25” too often showcases his solo piano playing at the expense of his crooning.

His other new one, “Eleven,” also features Connick the jazz pianist. This one, though, was recorded when he was 11, in 1978. He was a great pianist for an 11-year-old. That album is obviously a novelty.

The significant release is the newly recorded “25” (referring to his current age), which has an intimate, piano-bar feel. Connick croons romantic standards like “Stardust” (featuring his mentor Ellis Marsalis on piano) and “On the Street Where You Live” with just piano accompaniment. His vocal style recalls the best band singers of the ‘40s, combining the caressing tone of Mel Torme with the breezy phrasing of Frank Sinatra.

When Connick isn’t crooning he’s laboring through piano solos and instrumentals such as Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” in a fractured version of the great Erroll Garner’s style. You can feel Connick straining to be creative, and his ideas don’t flow naturally from the basic structure of the song. The instrumentals nearly sink the album, but his dreamy crooning keeps its afloat.

Connick’s jazz-pianist aspirations date back to his boyhood in New Orleans. He was a veteran by the time he made “Eleven,” which had limited release in the late ‘70s, with a combo featuring trumpeter Teddy Riley and trombonist Jim Duggan. It’s a bouncy, toe-tappin’ collection of well-executed New Orleans jazz, including “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Tin Roof Blues.” Connick’s role is really secondary and he’s awkward in places, but it’s still a marvel that a such a youngster could hold his own with these excellent musicians.