Chris Connor (album)
Encyclopedia
Chris Connor is an album by jazz
singer Chris Connor
. Atlantic Records
released the album, Connor's first for the label, in 1956. The recording was Atlantic's first jazz vocal LP record
.
accompanying Connor, using arrangement
s by Ralph Burns
. On January 23, Connor was accompanied by a quartet led by pianist
John Lewis
with Oscar Pettiford
on bass
. On February 8, Connor's accompanists included Nick Travis
, Zoot Sims
and Milt Hinton
, with arrangements by Burns. The album comprises four tracks from each recording session.
includes Chris Connor in its "Core Collection," and assigns it a four-star rating (of a possible four), noting that "'Ev'ry Time', 'It's All Right With Me', 'I Wonder What Became Of Me' and several more are unlikely to be bettered." John Bush, writing for allmusic, calls the album one of Connor's best, giving the album a rating of four-and-a-half stars (of a possible five).
On "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Where Are You", "Everytime" and "Almost Like Being in Love" (recorded January 23, 1956):
On "Get Out of Town", "Anything Goes", "You Make Me Feel So Young", and "Way Out There" (recorded February 8, 1956):
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer Chris Connor
Chris Connor
Chris Connor was an American jazz singer.-Biography:She was born as Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri to Clyde and Mabel Loutsenhizer. She studied and became proficient on the clarinet, having studied for 8 years throughout junior high and high school...
. Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
released the album, Connor's first for the label, in 1956. The recording was Atlantic's first jazz vocal LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
.
Recording
The tracks appearing on Chris Connor were recorded over the course of three sessions. The first of these occurred on January 19, 1956, with a small orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
accompanying Connor, using arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s by Ralph Burns
Ralph Burns
Ralph Burns was an American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and bebop pianist.-Early life:...
. On January 23, Connor was accompanied by a quartet led by pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
John Lewis
John Lewis (pianist)
John Aaron Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet.- Early life:...
with Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop.-Biography:...
on bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
. On February 8, Connor's accompanists included Nick Travis
Nick Travis
Nick Travis was an American jazz trumpeter.Travis started playing professionally at age 15, playing in the early 1940s with Johnny McGhee, Vido Musso , Mitch Ayres, and Woody Herman...
, Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
and Milt Hinton
Milt Hinton
Milton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
, with arrangements by Burns. The album comprises four tracks from each recording session.
Critical reception
The Penguin Guide to JazzThe Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...
includes Chris Connor in its "Core Collection," and assigns it a four-star rating (of a possible four), noting that "'Ev'ry Time', 'It's All Right With Me', 'I Wonder What Became Of Me' and several more are unlikely to be bettered." John Bush, writing for allmusic, calls the album one of Connor's best, giving the album a rating of four-and-a-half stars (of a possible five).
Track listing
Personnel
On "Something to Live For", "When the Wind Was Green", "He Was Too Good to Me" and "My April Heart" (recorded January 19, 1956):- Chris Connor – vocals
- 19-piece orchestra (Ralph Burns, conductor)
On "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Where Are You", "Everytime" and "Almost Like Being in Love" (recorded January 23, 1956):
- Chris Connor – vocals
- John Lewis – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Barry GalbraithBarry GalbraithJoseph Barry Galbraith was an American jazz guitarist.Galbraith moved to New York City from Vermont early in the 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal McIntyre, and Teddy Powell...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Oscar PettifordOscar PettifordOscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop.-Biography:...
– bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Connie KayConnie KayConnie Kay was an American jazz drummer.Kay was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet from 1955 until the group's dissolution in 1974...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
On "Get Out of Town", "Anything Goes", "You Make Me Feel So Young", and "Way Out There" (recorded February 8, 1956):
- Chris Connor – vocals
- Nick TravisNick TravisNick Travis was an American jazz trumpeter.Travis started playing professionally at age 15, playing in the early 1940s with Johnny McGhee, Vido Musso , Mitch Ayres, and Woody Herman...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Zoot SimsZoot SimsJohn Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
; solo on "Way Out There" - Al Young, Sam Marovitz, Ray Beckenstein and Danny BanksDanny BankDaniel Bernard "Danny" Bank was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks....
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s - Moe Wechsler – piano
- Barry Galbraith – guitar
- Milton HintonMilt HintonMilton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
– bass - Osie JohnsonOsie JohnsonJames "Osie" Johnson was a jazz drummer.He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy freelanced for a time in Chicago...
– drums