Harry Connick Jr. turns one of the most personal stories of his life into music on BABE: ELABORATIO A Tribute To My Mother, an ambitious three-part orchestral work honoring his mother, Anita-Francis Livingston Connick, known to family and friends as “Babe.” Connick lost his mother to ovarian cancer when he was just 13, but her influence on his life and music has remained with him ever since.

Written, arranged and produced entirely by Connick, BABE: ELABORATIO A Tribute To My Mother follows his mother’s life through three distinct chapters: "ACT I: New York," where she spent her early years; "ACT II: Morocco," where she met and married Harry’s father; and "ACT III: New Orleans," where she became one of the city’s first female judges, raised her family and encouraged her young son’s remarkable musical talent.

Connick recorded the sweeping work at Melbourne’s Iwaki Auditorium with more than 70 musicians from Orchestra Victoria and the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band, conducted by Jessica Gethin. The result brings together the orchestral side of Connick’s music with the New Orleans foundation that has been at the heart of his career since he began performing at age five.

The project also carries special significance for Connick. He first presented BABE: ELABORATIO A Tribute To My Mother during his long-awaited Carnegie Hall debut on May 22 and 23, 2026, timed to what would have been his mother’s 100th birthday. After passing on previous opportunities to perform on Carnegie’s main stage, Connick chose this occasion to finally make his debut there, fulfilling his mother’s dream of seeing her piano-prodigy son perform at the legendary venue.

The CD serves as a companion to Connick’s book of the same name which features personal photographs and selections from the score. Vinyl will be released soon.