BY DANIEL DURCHHOLZ SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH stltoday.com 06/13/2010 It's hard to say just how much St. Louis regards itself as a Southern city, but for Harry Connick Jr., it's close enough. The jazz and pop crooner, who played the Fox Theatre on Friday night, told the crowd, "The further south I get, the more comfortable (I am)." Connick's hour-and-45-minute set featured plenty of music from his hometown, New Orleans, but mostly concentrated on pop standards from his latest album, "Your Songs." Among them were "Smile," "And I Love Her," "You Don't Know Me" and "Besame Mucho." The arrangements played by his 14-piece band were smooth and, for the most part, understated. Connick sang from behind his piano or from center stage, where he gripped the microphone with both hands, eyes closed in concentration. Click here to find out more! Between songs, he was much looser, joking with the audience and telling stories from his recent tour of the Middle East. In Morocco, he went for a massage and got more than he bargained for, being roughly treated by the male attendants. "Have you seen 'Rambo'?" Connick said. "It was like the scene where Brian Dennehy shot a fire hose at Sylvester Stallone." Late in the show, Connick brought out his frequent foil, trombonist Lucien Barbarin, and the pair strutted through a funky version of "Didn't He Ramble," providing some solo space for bassist Neal Caine, a University City native. On "Basin Street Blues," Barbarin offered an impressive muted trombone solo. Connick countered by picking out some notes on the piano with his left hand while his right arm was draped around Barbarin, who finished the song by breaking out some Satchmo-style vocals. The pair then wailed on "Bourbon Street Parade," with Connick showing off his skills on the trumpet. The encore, "Go to the Mardi Gras," also spotlighted the Crescent City. While the show's first half was smart and sophisticated, the second half showed that, whether he's in the Middle East or the Midwest, Connick brings a bit of his beloved South with him wherever he goes.