There was a time when Harry Connick Jr. would walk out of interviews if asked about his mother.
He worried that even talking about the woman born Anita-Francis Livingston Connick- affectionately known as "Babe" – would disrupt his memories, fragile retentions he stored since her death when he was 13 years old.
For years, the intensely private Connick tried to figure out the root of his reluctance until finally getting to the point of telling himself, “Hey, man. It’s OK.”
Connick, 59, has done an emotional U-turn this year. In May, he made his Carnegie Hall debut – yes, one of the preeminent musicians, composers and songwriters of modern music had never played the storied New York venue – to honor Babe on what would have been her 100th birthday.
This month, he’s unveiled the orchestral album, “Babe: Elaboratio,” a three-act movement that chronicles his mother’s experiences in New York, Morocco and New Orleans, which he recorded in Australia with more than 70 musicians from Orchestra Victoria and his Harry Connick Jr. Big Band.
The musical narrative is accompanied by the book, “Babe: Elaboratio: A Tribute to My Mother,” also out now (a five-city book tour commenced Sept. 29). The handsome collection features personal photos, measures from the score and Connick’s colorful recollections, including when, as a 10-year-old, he called Carnegie Hall to ask if he could play there. Babe had recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and it was her wish to see her son play the renowned stage.
Harry Connick Jr. wept through his Carnegie Hall performance
Connick recalls the emotional wallop when, almost five decades later, he sat at his piano in the performance hall, having shunned rehearsals so that the first time he walked on stage, it would be to perform.
“I’ve cried on stage, but it’s been in Broadway shows, or maybe I’ve been at the piano and quietly wept. But this was openly sobbing onstage throughout the evening,” the affable Connick tells USA TODAY. “I remember asking (oldest daughter) Georgia, ‘What am I doing?’ and she said, ‘You’re celebrating your mom.’ And for the woman who said, ‘I want to be known as Beethoven’s mother,’ she would have loved to be center stage in this. So that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s not about me and what I think is super personal. My mom’s like, ‘Go to the rooftop and tell everybody who I am!’ So that’s what I’m doing.”
For the “Elaboratio” album, Connick inserted himself into his mother’s world at specific times in her life. His parents met in Morocco. Father Joseph (Harry) Connick Sr. worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and his mother, who became one of the first female judges in New Orleans, was traveling for her insurance company job.
Connick’s musical interpretation of her time there – presented as "Part II: Nouasseur" – doesn’t draw from traditional Moroccan music.
“That’s not the point,” Connick says. “The point was, what did I think it sounded like had there been music when she was walking around Morocco. The same with the book. It was about my memories. My sister had different memories and my dad had different stories. But that’s why it’s called 'Elaboratio' – it’s an elaboration because there was so many blanks I had to fill in.”
Connick and Georgia, one of the three daughters (Kate, Charlotte) he shares with Jill Goodacre, his wife of 32 years, are also working on a documentary about the conception of the “Elaboratio” album and book. It’s another full-circle experience that doesn’t escape him.
“We traveled to Morocco and New Orleans, we retraced her steps, so there was a ton of old footage about my mom,” Connick says. “So when I go into the edit bay and see my daughter editing footage of my mom or emotional times that I had during filming, it’s this profound combination of love and pride and nostalgia.”
What Harry Connick Jr. would say to his mother today
Throughout his nearly 40-year musical career (earning three Grammy Awards), along with his well-regarded acting turns (two Emmys, numerous films, writing for and performing on Broadway), advising as a judge on “American Idol” (2014-2016) and hosting the talk show “Harry” (2016-2018), Connick has been synonymous with New Orleans.
His loyalty is unbowed – “We are freaking out!” he says of the New Orleans Saints fan base of the team’s resurgence – and the seeds of his love for the city were planted by his mother.
“She made sure that I had the opportunity to see and love and learn as much as I possibly could. She was adamant about bringing me to hear musicians almost every weekend from the time I was a small child. It's an amazing display of dedication and love as a parent. And she did the same for my sister with her interest, which was languages. She was just an amazing mom,” Connick says.
If he could have five more minutes with his mother today, Connick says he wouldn’t say anything.
“I would sit facing her, holding her hands. We would just look at each other and smile, because she’s been with me every part of the way,” Connick says. “My dad died (in 2024) when he was 97 and I was super tight with him all through his life. But there's something unique about this relationship I have with my mom. I just feel like she's very present in everything that I'm doing.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harry Connick Jr. lost his mom at 13. Now, he's found a way to immortalize her.
