Come By Him Harry Connick Jr. returns to the big-band sound that made him famous. by Mark Jordan he new Columbia records release Come By Me marks the return of Harry Connick Jr. to the sound that first made him famous. Backed by his own 16-piece band, the album features swinging, big-band jazz arrangements of such standards as Cole Porter's "Love For Sale" and Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business" as well as five new Connick originals. It's much the same formula that catapulted the New Orleans-born son of a district attorney to stardom 10 years ago when he appeared on the soundtrack to the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally . That album marked Connick as the torchbearer of the torch song, the young inheritor to Frank Sinatra. It's not a label the 32-year-old Connick has always been comfortable with. A piano protege who learned jazz at the feet of Ellis Marsalis and R&B sitting next to Professor Longhair, Connick's own tastes embrace many styles of music -- zydeco, R&B, blues, as well as jazz. In recent years, Connick has strayed from the big-band sound to explore his New Orleans roots on 1994's She and 1996's Star Turtle. He began his return to a more sophisticated sound with 1997's To See You, an album of orchestrally arranged love ballads. That album's influence can be heard on several tracks on Come By Me, including Connick's lush and affecting version of "Danny Boy." Connick has also kept busy with his sideline, movies. His acting debut came in 1991's The Memphis Belle, and he has also appeared in Hope Floats, Independence Day, and Copycat, in which he played a serial killer. Upcoming roles include Wayward Son starring Pete Postlethwaite and Simian Line with Lynn Redgrave and William Hurt. His voice also can be heard in My Dog Skip, based on the book by Mississippian Willie Morris, and in the upcoming animated film Iron Giant . Flyer: What prompted the return to big-band jazz? Harry Connick Jr.: I was just ready to get back in the studio with the big band. If I had my way I would never have left it. I would keep playing all the different kinds of music at one time, but the nature of the business is that you have to do a tour with an album. It's not as cut and dried as turning my back on it. I never quit playing jazz music. I read recently in USA Today where you are going to work on Garth Brooks' next record writing arrangements for some of his songs. How did that come about? I don't even know. I talked to Garth about a week ago, and he asked me if I would do something on his record. I said, "Well, we'll see what happens." Next thing I know I'm arranging his whole record. I talked to him for five minutes one time. I don't know him. He wants to do some big-band arrangements, and he asked me if I was interested. I said, "Yeah, let's see what happens." The people in my band were saying, "Man, I didn't know we were playing on Garth Brooks' record. And I told them I didn't know either. That's the media. Have you done arranging for other artists before? That was the first time anyone's ever asked me to do that. I thought it would be fun because I'm always writing for me. It's not often that the phone rings with people wanting big-band charts. Most people don't even know what they are. You've appeared in a lot of films and on a lot of film soundtracks, most notably When Harry Met Sally . Has anyone ever asked you to score a whole film? No, and that's a great question because I didn't score [When Harry Met Sally ], and I've never scored a film. Everybody goes, "Oh, you've done so many soundtracks." I haven't done any. People have used a couple of songs I've done in films. But I've never scored a film, and no one's ever asked me. I'd love to do it. I'll put it this way: If Steve Spielberg called me and said I want you to do the score for my next movie I'm there. You've also done a fair bit of acting, including the Memphis Belle and, most recently, Hope Floats. What do you get out of acting that you don't get out of music? It's everything that music isn't, other than lyric interpretation, which is similar, in a way, to dealing with dialogue. It's just a different way to be creative. I like that whole process. I like not being in control. I like playing a part. It's nice to not have to be responsible for all aspects of a project and just concentrate on one part. How long will you be on tour? Until I'm 84. It's going to go on for a while. I have no idea how long. Do you have anything planned for when it's over? It's nice to be out on the road for awhile, so I'm just going to deal with this. I don't have any plans; I don't have any movies set up, no records, nothing. I'm just going to deal with playing on the road because that's the only way I can get my music to the people. It's not really radio-friendly music, and they don't really play it on MTV or VH-1. It's just getting to the people and giving them a chance to enjoy a different kind of music. Music Notes edited by Mark Jordan Shelter For A Friend Friends of Luther Ingram are holding a benefit this weekend for the ailing soul singer who has recently begun the long recovery from kidney transplant surgery. The Jackson, Tennessee-born Ingram began his musical career singing with his brothers in the gospel group the Midwest Crusaders. By 1969, however, he was signed to tiny Koko Records when Johnny Baylor's label struck a distribution deal with Memphis-based Stax. Working largely out of that label's McLemore studio, Ingram then began a string of hits that made him one of the top soul singers of the '70s, scoring with "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" and "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time Of Storm)." Last year, Ingram suffered failure of both kidneys as a result of complications from diabetes, and in December he received a transplant. However, the medication needed to keep Ingram's body from rejecting the new kidney is expected to cost $116,000 in the first year alone. To help defray those costs, friends have organized the Luther Ingram Kidney Fund Benefit Show to be held at the Four Points Sheraton Ballroom this Sunday, July 25th. The benefit starts at 3 p.m. with a program of gospel music, including performances by the Angelic Voices of Faith, Spirit of Memphis, and Jackie Johnson. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be a parade of Memphis rhythm-and-blues greats, with Little Milton, Rufus Thomas, J. Blackfoot, the Bar-Kays, and Eddie Floyd among those scheduled to appear. Admission is a minimum $25 donation. To pay in advance or for more information, call Randy Stewart at 789-1002. Donations can also be mailed to: The Luther Ingram Kidney Fund P.O. Box 42044 Memphis, TN 38104 New Stuff In The Bins Bluff City is the second record from Memphis alt-punk band the Compulsive Gamblers. The band originally formed in 1991 with Greg Cartwright, at that time best known as the "texture" in Neighborhood Texture Jam, on guitar, organ, and bass, Jack Yarber on guitar, organ, bass, and sax, and Bushwood Thomas on drums. The group broke up two years later when Thomas left for school. The band then released the "posthumous" Gambling Days Are Over and Cartwright and Yarber went on to form the short-lived but influential band the Oblivians. But late last year the three reformed and have been a staple of the live scene since, adding full-time bassist Jeff Meier to the mix. Some have bemoaned the softening of the band's once-raw punk sound, but on Bluff City the band's new sound comes across more as mature than passionless. The guitars are still skronky and the vocals downright feral, but now they're set in the context of slower, more thoughtful compositions by Cartwright and Yarber. Standout tracks include "X-Ray Eyes," which is propelled by a brilliantly simple, Television-esque riff; "One-Eyed Girl," which sounds like Eric Burdon's drunken response to Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl"; and the melancholically pretty "I Don't Want To Laugh At You." Also new in your neighborhood record store this week are these national releases: Kate Campbell Rosaryville (Compass) -- Arkansas-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter. Destiny's Child The Writing's on the Wall (Columbia) -- All-female Grammy-nominated R&B group appearing at the New Daisy this Monday, July 26th as part of the Minute Maid Style Jam tour. Robyn Hitchcock Jewels for Sophia (Warner Bros.) -- Appearing at the New Daisy August 20th. Jazz Is Dead Laughing Water (Zebra) -- Second album from the Grateful Dead-inspired fusion group led by Billy Cobham. Los Lobos This Time (Hollywood) The Shazam God Speed the Shazam! (Not Lame) Pure power-pop produced by Oxford's Brad Jones (Neilson Hubbard).