What a Night! A Christmas Album

'What a Night! A Christmas Album', by American singer, pianist and bandleader Harry Connick Jr., was released on November 4, 2008., 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.

The first public mentioning of recording the album, came in an interview in The Times-Picayune in June 2008.

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. 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".

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".

Track listing

 * 1) "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (Edward Pola, George Wyle) – 3:28
 * 2) "What a Night!" (Harry Connick Jr.) – 3:24
 * 3) "Christmas Day" (Connick) – 3:24
 * 4) "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) – 4:05
 * 5) "Please Come Home for Christmas" (Charles Brown, Gene Redd) – 4:26
 * 6) "O Come All Ye Faithful" (traditional) – 4:15
 * 7) "Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairies" (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) – 2:46
 * 8) "Let There Be Peace On Earth" (Sy Miller, Jill Jackson) – 3:30 – feat. Kim Burrell
 * 9) "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 3:50 – feat. Kate Connick
 * 10) "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (Meredith Willson) – 3:30
 * 11) "Santariffic" (Connick) – 3:58 – feat. Lucien Barbarin
 * 12) "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 5:28
 * 13) "Zat You Santa Claus" (Jack Fox) – 3:40
 * 14) "We Three Kings" (Reverend John Henry Hopkins Jr.) – 4:45
 * 15) "Song for the Hopeful" (Connick) – 4:35 – feat. Kim Burrell

iTunes bonus track

 * 1) "Auld Lang Syne" (traditional) – 2:16 (album only)
 * 2) Digital Booklet (album only)

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Version

 * 1) "Deck the Halls" (traditional) – 2:57
 * 2) "Christmas Time is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) – 5:06
 * 3) "O Christmas Tree" (traditional) – 3:22


 * Disc 2 (DVD)


 * 1) Holiday interview with Harry
 * 2) Photo gallery
 * 3) "(It Must Have Been) Ol’ Santa Claus"
 * 4) "I Pray on Christmas"
 * 5) "The Happy Elf" *

[*] also found on the Harry for the Holidays DVD

Personnel
Arrangement by Harry Connick Jr.


 * Harry Connick Jr. – vocals, piano
 * Lucien Barbarin – trombone
 * Kim Burrell – vocals, piano, keyboards
 * Kate Connick – vocals
 * James Hall & Worship & Praise – background vocals
 * Jonathan Batiste – vocals, keyboards, piano
 * Neal Caine – bass
 * Jonathan DuBose Jr. – vocals, guitar
 * Charles "Ned" Goold – alto saxophone
 * Jerry Weldon – tenor saxophone
 * Dave Schumacher – baritone saxophone
 * Roger Ingram – trumpet
 * Tony Kadlek – flugelhorn
 * Joe Magnarelli – trumpet
 * Jeff Bush – trombone
 * Dion Tucker – trombone
 * Joe Barati – bass trombone
 * Arthur Latin II – drums, percussion
 * The Honolulu Heartbreakers – vocals

Tour
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.