When his daughter Jessica lets me in, he is seated at a makeshift altar on the breakfast bar, eyes closed, singing his pitch-perfect mantra.
"Nothing replaces seeing someone appreciate my music, their eyes closed, singing along, and telling me after the show how much it means to them.
Onstage she is luminous, a major chord of exuberance, swinging behind her stand-up bass, eyes closed, singing to the lights, an evangelist of joy in various cool time signatures.
Indian television showed Indian dancers in spangly skirts onstage at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles and Mr. Rahman, eyes closed, singing his winning song, "Jai Ho" — its title an exuberant Hindi phrase that literally translates as "Let there be victory".
Is that a request or … " The song goes unplayed, along with other big hitters Ooh La La and Train, but an encore of less obvious oldies includes a gothic horror Lovely Head, before Caravan Girl becomes a triumphant closing sing-song with the choir.
The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake's "Señorita".
And then there was the big, closing sing-along, with the friendliest band on earth (or kindliest after-thought, take your pick) sharing the stage with Beyonce and Bruno to declare, "We're gonna get it together somehow".
The other cast members, including Ms. Close, also sing well, though none of them match Mr. Connick's vocal accomplishments.
It's hard to pick a standout, but Alan Jackson ("You've Been Lonesome, Too") and Levon Helm ("You'll Never Again Be Mine") come closest: they sing with perfect plainspokenness, in a style that is almost no style at all.
Micah managed to lift and calm her, hold her close and sing her lullabies.
