(Integral) "Having a Ball" is the new love song from Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jesse Harris and features him in a duet with his longtime collaborator and friend Norah Jones. Wrapped in a lush orchestral arrangement by Brazilian composer Maycon Ananias, the song blends classic elegance with emotional intimacy. It's the second glimpse into Harris's forthcoming orchestral album, If You Believed In Me, out this fall: a sweeping, cinematic journey from one of today's most quietly iconic songwriters from NYC.
"Since I first met Norah in 1998, she has always brought magic and energy to every song she sings. It had been years since we'd recorded together, and 'Having a Ball' seemed to cry out for her to harmonize with me. Once she got in the studio, her improvised ad libs and scats added so much, so I asked her to do two separate takes of it, which you can now hear throughout the song" says Jesse Harris.
If You Believed In Me began with an unexpected offer: "If you ever need an orchestra..." Jesse Harris's friend and arranger Maycon Ananias had extra recording time with an Estonian orchestra and invited Harris to send a song. That first experiment, Dolores, sparked something new. Though Harris - a Grammy winner and longtime collaborator of Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, and Cat Power - had released over twenty albums, he had never recorded with an orchestra.
Inspired, Harris wrote eight more songs in five weeks, crafting intricate compositions designed for symphonic arrangement. Recorded between New York, Rio, and Tallinn, the album features guest appearances from Norah Jones, Brazilian guitarist Guilherme Monteiro, Jake Sherman, and Marine Quemere of Nouvelle Vague.
With lush, expressive arrangements, the album explores themes of memory, longing, and imagined possibilities - the "what ifs" at the heart of every dreamer. It's orchestral pop full of warmth, melancholy, and quiet surprises - all sparked by one simple invitation.
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