By Mary Lou Platt Tolucantimes.com February 16th, 2011 One of the most popular crooners of love songs for this generation, Harry Connick, Jr. has many achievements. In addition to being a singer, he is an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. And all of those talents will be in the spotlight when PBS airs Great Performances: Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway, March 2. Among the love songs he’ll be singing are “We Are in Love,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “All the Way.” But it seems his real passion comes out when he performs his roster of jazz favorites in his trademark New Orleans style. It was a treat to hear that great music when Connick gave a mini concert at the recent television press tour hosted by PBS. Before Connick sat down at the Steinway to perform with a great band of musicians, he talked to the TV writers about his music and background. He started off by saying that he enjoyed doing two previous Great Performances specials (one won an Emmy), and he was happy to team with producer David Horn for another. He explained that he always puts a hundred percent into his shows, but sometimes thinks, “I should have done something different.” But the night the Great Performances concert was filmed for PBS, he said, “Man, that was a good show, and it was documented. I’m proud of it.” For the TV writers in the ballroom of Pasadena’s Langham Hotel, Connick was playing the kind of Mardi Gras party music he grew up with, which he calls New Orleans traditional jazz. “I think back and realized how unbelievably fortunate I was to be around some of these guys who played with Louis Armstrong in the 30’s, when the music was really being invented.” He recalled that his parents would take him and his sister down to the French Quarter when they were little. “I remember when I was about five years old, and I knew then I wanted to play the piano, because I would play around the house. When I was about six, I started to sit in on the sessions. That’s sort of a New Orleans tradition, to have young musicians sit in. I did that ‘til I was about 14, when I actually started working [as a musician].” When asked if he thought he was a composer who sings, or a singer who composes, Connick describe himself: “Really, I’m a piano player and a singer. That’s kind of what I came to the dance with, and everything else is the same. I mean, like acting. If you really boil it down, if you have the personality to get up on stage and perform in front of people, there’s a decent chance that you would have the ability to get in front of the camera.” Whether singing or acting, Connick has established a romantic reputation. As a singer, it started when he did the soundtrack for the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, which included big band standards with a jazzy swing style. As an actor, Connick has taken on romantic leads in films such as P.S. I Love You, Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock as his leading lady, and New in Town with Renee Zellweger. On the personal side, Connick, 43, has been married for 17 years to the former Victoria’s Secret supermodel Jill Goodacre, and they have three beautiful daughters. The executive producer of Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway, David Horn, has been with the Emmy-winning Great Performances series for 32 years, so the man knows talent. Horn has nothing but praise for Connick, and said, “I first met Harry in 1989, knew he was a great singer, and as a pianist, he was the consummate jazz musician. On the stage he turned out to be an incredible entertainer.” That’s why Horn got Connick to do a third show for Great Performances. Be sure to watch an incredible showman give you his best with Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway.