Ahead of his LI show, Harry Connick Jr. talks Frank Sinatra, 'When Harry Met Sally...,' more

Harry Connick Jr. may be from New Orleans but he has significant roots in New York. A graduate of Hunter College, the singer/pianist made his mark as a musician when he provided the soundtrack for Long Beach-raised Billy Crystal’s Manhattan based romantic comedy, "When Harry Met Sally …" in 1989 at the age of 21. Like the movie, the album was a hit selling over two million copies and earning Connick a Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.

Throughout the years, Connick, 54, has enjoyed continued success with his musical career spawning more than 30 albums. He gained popularity acting in films such as "Memphis Belle," "Hope Floats," "Copycat" and "Dolphin Tale" plus TV roles as Leo Markus on "Will & Grace" and Executive A.D.A. David Haden on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He even spent three seasons as a judge on "American Idol" from 2014-2016. However, his proudest accomplishment is his family with wife, model Jill Goodacre and their three daughters, Georgia, Sarah and Charlotte.

Newsday’s David J. Criblez spoke with Connick ahead of his Feb. 5 concert at LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville about his latest Grammy nominated album, "Alone With My Faith," landing the "When Harry Met Sally …" gig and being compared to Frank Sinatra.

This marks your first concert on Long Island in over 25 years. The last time you were here was at Jones Beach in 1994. What’s your plan for the show?

That’s really hard to believe and it’s embarrassing but I’m glad to be back! I will be doing a little bit of everything. This is more of a "It’s nice to be playing again" type of tour. I plan on having fun with the crowd and seeing where things go instead of having a strict set list. I believe in living in the moment. It’s the way I am.

What was the moment when you knew you were going to be a professional musician?

I’ve been playing in public since I was 5, making records when I was 9 and performing in orchestras at 11. It’s simply something I’ve always done. I never really thought about anything else. I’ve been very fortunate that I always knew what I wanted to do. There wasn’t a particular moment, it’s just been something I’ve wanted to do forever.

You recently portrayed the role of Daddy Warbucks in NBC’s "Annie Live!" which was shot at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage. Were you nervous about taking on such an iconic role?

I’m not really the nervous type. I love performing and feel confident in who I am and what my abilities are. I’m respectful of the material but I like to start from scratch and pretend it was written for me, then go from there.

You recently released an album called "Alone With My Faith." What drew you to do a record with religious and spiritual themes?

I always wanted to do a record like that and never got around to it. When the pandemic happened, I was home thinking about a lot of faith-related things and it felt like the natural thing to do. I went ahead and wrote some songs that articulated how I was feeling.

How did you land the soundtrack to "When Harry Met Sally …" at such a young age?

There was a guy named Bobby Colomby who was the drummer for Blood, Sweat and Tears and later in life he became a record executive at Columbia Records where I was. He was the brother of Harry Colomby who was Thelonious Monk’s manager. At the time Monk was a huge influence of mine and Bobby was a fan because he recognized that influence. He was really good friends with Rob Reiner who directed "When Harry Met Sally …" When it came time to do the soundtrack Bobby suggested me to Rob who called me and asked me to do it.

Back in the day, the press had deemed you the next Frank Sinatra. How did you break out of that mold?

That was something people said and it was great but I never had any intention of following in anyone’s footsteps. Sinatra was an influence but so was Freddie Mercury. I was such a young kid when I made that album. I just wanted a chance to keep doing what I loved to do. Over time I think people realized there was a little bit more to me than just one particular thing.

Do people on the street call you Leo from your role on "Will & Grace?"

It happens everywhere. I had a lady come up to me on a plane in Switzerland and say, "How could you cheat on your wife?" I said, "What are you talking about? Ma’am you must have the wrong person." She said, "GRACE! You cheated on Grace!" I laughed and was like, "You’re right, I did!"

Did you enjoy your time on "American Idol" or was it hard for you to judge another artist?

I had a great time doing "Idol." It wasn’t hard as an artist, it was hard for me because that’s just not who I am. I don’t like judging people. Had I been a mentor, I probably would have enjoyed that more. But that wasn’t the job. The job was to be objective and analyze what I heard. I did my homework so I’d be educated enough to respond. But I had a blast.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.