Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an
American jazz singer. She helped enhance the "Cool Jazz" style during
the 1950's and 1960's, enjoying a career that spanned five decades. Her voice
was comparable to such prominent singers as Anita O'Day, June Christy and Julie
London.
Born Mary Loutsenhizer, she was raised in Jefferson City and
learned to play the clarinet while in her youth before deciding on a singing
career. Upon graduation from high school, she worked as a secretary while
pursuing her musical career performing in a local college band at the
University of Missouri.
Frustrated by the lack of vocal musical opportunities in her
hometown, Connor pulled up stakes and headed east in 1949. She was hired by
Claude Thornhill and spent the next five years touring with his orchestra.
Then, while appearing with Jerry Wald’s band, she received the phone call she
had been dreaming of. June Christy, Stan Kenton’s current vocalist, had heard
Connor on a radio broadcast and recommended her to the orchestra leader, who
chose her from dozens of other vocalists eager for the job.
Connor’s ten-month stint with Kenton during 1952-53 won her
national recognition. Her haunting recording of Joe Greene’s ballad “All About
Ronnie” announced the arrival of a fresh new artist. But the years of one-night
stands, fast food and interminable bus rides soured Connor’s enthusiasm for
life on the road.
Determined to forge a career as a solo artist, Connor
returned to New York and signed with Bethlehem Records in 1953. Her three
albums for that independent label, featuring Ellis Larkins, Herbie Mann, Kai
Winding and J.J.Johnson, established her as a major jazz voice.
In 1956, she
began a six-year association with Atlantic Records that produced a string of
chart-topping recordings arranged by Ralph Burns, Al Cohn, Jimmy Jones and
Ralph Sharon, showcasing a host of jazz legends - John Lewis, Oscar Pettiford,
Lucky Thompson, Phil Woods, Kenny Burrell, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Oliver
Nelson and, in a particularly memorable pairing, Maynard Ferguson’s big band.
The rock youth quake of the late ’60s and ’70s derailed the
careers of many jazz artists, but Connor persisted, performing in clubs,
touring Japan and recording for a variety of labels. The early ’80s resurgence
of interest in jazz singing revitalized her career, leading to a brace of
highly-acclaimed Contemporary CDs. In the ’90s she began to record for the
Japanese label Alfa. Connor recorded two CDs with jazz pianist Hank Jones and
his trio, “Angel Eyes” and “As Time Goes By.” She then recorded two additional
CDs with her own quintet, “My Funny Valentine,” arranged by Richard Rodney
Bennett, and “Blue Moon,” a collection of movie songs, arranged by Michael
Abene.
The new Millennium brought the timeless singer into yet
another recording agreement, signing with the New York based High Note Records
in 2000. Her first release, “Haunted Heart,” also arranged by Michael Abene,
was released September 2001, and a second CD "I Walk With Music," was
released in 2002, also with Michael Abene arranging and producing.
Chris then returned to another Japanese label and recorded
"Lullaby Of Birdland" for King Record Co.Ltd, with pianist/arranger
David Matthews. It was released in September 2003. She recorded nearly three
dozen albums, achieved a following internationally and continued to perform
into the mid-2000's.
Connor's last public show came in 2004, when she performed
on a New York club stage with noted jazz vocalist Anita O'Day. She died Aug.29,
2009 at Community Medical Center in Toms River, N.J. following a long bout with
cancer. She was 81. (Info mainly chrissconnorjazz.co)
1 comment:
I found quite a few Chris Connor albums up for grabs on the Net, but opted to share this one...So FOR Chris Connor – A Portrait Of Chris (1961) GO HERE:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/02vt138xk2jefkv/Chris_Connor_Portrait.rar
1 Follow Me 2:47
2 Alone Together 2:43
3 All Too Soon 2:52
4 Love 2:45
5 Where Flamingos Fly 3:24
6 Here's That Rainy Day 3:01
7 Day In, Day Out 2:25
8 If I Should Lose You 2:46
9 I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 2:19
10 Harlequin 2:47
11 I'm Glad There Is You 4:19
12 Sweet William 2:30
2, 4, 7 - 1960-9-19.
3, 6, 8, 10 - 1960-10-27.
1, 5, 9, 11, 12 - 1960-11-16.
A big thank you to Ludovico @ Entre Musica blog for original link
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