No more swing for Mr. Connick. He's left the big band of the '40s for the jazzy funk of the '90s, and he's bringing it to UC Irvine for a college tour to thank the students for their support.

"The college people have been buying a lot of the records, and I thought it would be cool to do a tour just for them," Connick says in a phone conversation from his home in New York. "They've been real supportive from the beginning, so I thought it would be nice to pay them a little special thanks."

And that "thank you" is going to be the loud and funky music of his current album, She, instead of the mellow standards from his past albums, We Are in Love and Red Light, Blue Light. Connick made this change not because he doesn't like the classics, but because this is the music that he "played as a kid." Growing up in New Orleans, Connick was bombarded with the funky sounds that set the Southern city apart from the rest of the country. And under the tutelage of such great artists as Ellis Marsalis and James Booker, it seems natural for the musician to come back to his roots.

"I just thought it would be a good time to let the people hear a different side of me. It's something that's always been a part of me that I wanted to record," he explains.

But that's not the only change for Connick, who also has an acting career. His most recent film role has him killing people rather than playing music.

"(Copycat) is the first film I've done where I didn't do anything musical," Connick says. "The other films I've done, I've usually played a song."

And that makes sense, because Connick landed his first film role while performing. Someone saw him play and thought he'd be good for the cast of Memphis Belle. That chance sighting landed him a solo during a big party in Belle and lead to his role as a piano teacher in Little Man Tate.

It's because of these two roles that Connick has kept a constant foot in the film industry.

"I love them both," Connick says in reference to music and film. "But I know more about music because I've done it longer, and I'm more intimate with the complexion of music than filmmaking." And he proves this intimacy with his latest switch to funk.

Many people are surprised by Connick's change because they consider this funky jazz more like rock, of which Connick is not a big fan. "There's a lot of rock 'n' roll I don't like, and there's a lot of jazz I don't like. It's just a personal opinion - some you like, some you don't. And I play the kind of music that I think is good and try to stay away from the stuff I don't like too much."

And he really likes this new funk, which is much darker than the sound of his past albums. He no longer has the big band behind him. He no longer sports the suit and tie. He's not just playing the piano any more, either. Now he dresses in black and plays the electric guitar. It's a switch that Connick says is staying.

"I don't think (I'll go back to swing). I'll probably just stick with this 'cause this is really what I know. I mean the trio stuff, the big band and jazz (of the past albums), that's all kind of related," he explains in a thick Southern drawl. "So, I don't have any tricks up my sleeve, I'm just gonna try and get better at all of it."

And Connick gets better with She. The new sound has a beat that will surprise and delight crowds. He will then further excite the audience by going on stage without a set song list - something he's always done.

"I don't like planning things out; you get real bored that way. I like to keep things more exciting, you know?" Connick asks. "I'll take each show as it comes and have a good time." Sometimes he'll even start playing numbers the band doesn't know, and they'll just join in. So, by doing this, Connick says his concerts become more like jam sessions. And it's because of his constant improvisations that some of his songs go on for 15 minutes.

This is one thing that hasn't changed with Connick's style, and he promises to keep that effect constant for the duration of this tour. He and his funk band will keep the college crowd guessing as he bangs out chords on his electric guitar and then mellows out with a few old standards.

But if it's big band you want, this isn't the show to see.