Chris Connor

[king ubu]

just got this great CD yesterday and love it. Last week found the self-titled atlantic and love that one, too. She is for me, next to June Christy and Peggy Lee one of the great stylists of her era. And also, she seems to be one of the sources of Diana Krall and other younger singers.

ubu

[mikeweil]

I think she's even greater than June Christy, as she improvises a lot more and takes a lot of chances along the way. The early Atlantics are killer stuff. The way she phrases rhythmically on her rendition of "Moon Ray" sends chills down my spine. Christy is somewhat too controlled, in a way, for my taste, although she once was my favourite; but that was before I discovered Connor!

Of the younger female singers, Dominique Eade comes closest. She did a very original 5/4 rendition of "Moon Ray" on her Christy/Connor tribute CD "When the wind was cool". Check her out, you'll like her.

Edited April 4, 2003 by mikeweil

[Big Wheel]

I have not heard much of her early work, but I really enjoyed her most recent on HighNote, "I Hear Music." Simply great songs sung well. IMO her voice is holding up pretty darn well.

[Clunky]

Recently I got Chris Craft Atlantic, very cheaply and was very impressed, perhaps even more so by 2Cd Chris Connor sings the George Gershwin almanac of song. What a talent just great singing right up there with Anita O'day in my book.

I must get her self-titled Atlantic debut next. I have avoided jazz singers like her for years which is only my loss, wonderful musician.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I fell in love with Chris in 1960

(my claim to fame (one of them) - I was introduced to her singing by Johnny Mandel's brother )

I ditched a lot of them when I hit the dole queues in the sixties and haven't bought them all back yet. One I haven't got around to yet is "Free spirits", strange, because that was my favourite. It's slightly uneven but the high points - including Ornette's "Lonely woman" - are so high... so high........ it's about time I looked for that one

I'm interested in what BW said about her new one; I was pretty disappointed in the one before "Haunted heart", so I didn't get "I hear music". Perhaps I should give "Haunted heart" another listen.

MG

[Joe]

Fine vocalist; I like that her voice has a slightly huskier / smokier quality than Christy.

She does a killer version of "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" on the BALLADS OF THE SAD CAFE LP (which, for any Jeff Buckley fans, also features a memorable version of "Lilac Wine"). Much love and respect for Frank, and Sinatra's may be the definitive version of this song, maybe he even "owns" it... but Connor makes him sound bathetic by comparison, IMO.

[mjzee]

:tup

[GA Russell]

And also, she seems to be one of the sources of Diana Krall and other younger singers.

(my claim to fame (one of them) - I was introduced to her singing by Johnny Mandel's brother )

Interesting juxtaposition of these quotes! Mandel was an early supporter of Krall.

In fact, in the late 90s my nephew went to see Krall in Los Angeles, and Mandel sat down next to him and introduced himself!

My nephew called me later, and asked, "Have you ever heard of Johnny Mandel?" When he told me the story, I said, "I would rather meet Johnny Mandel than Diana Krall!"

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i have the record of that

[Big Wheel]

I fell in love with Chris in 1960

I'm interested in what BW said about her new one; I was pretty disappointed in the one before "Haunted heart", so I didn't get "I hear music". Perhaps I should give "Haunted heart" another listen.

MG

When I wrote that 6 years ago I got the title wrong. It's "I Walk With Music." Must have been one of the side effects of being in college...

Listening to the sound samples at CD Universe again I did notice this time that her intonation is somewhat off on some of the ballads. I think I must have been listening to the up tunes or else was just more oblivious to that kind of thing back then. Yanow at AMG panned the record...it's been a long time that I listened to it but I'm thinking I must have felt that Connor's sensitivity with these tunes carried the day.

Interesting fact I learned today: Chris Connor was gay. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/arts/music/01connor.html

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I fell in love with Chris in 1960

I'm interested in what BW said about her new one; I was pretty disappointed in the one before "Haunted heart", so I didn't get "I hear music". Perhaps I should give "Haunted heart" another listen.

MG

When I wrote that 6 years ago I got the title wrong. It's "I Walk With Music." Must have been one of the side effects of being in college...

Listening to the sound samples at CD Universe again I did notice this time that her intonation is somewhat off on some of the ballads. I think I must have been listening to the up tunes or else was just more oblivious to that kind of thing back then. Yanow at AMG panned the record...it's been a long time that I listened to it but I'm thinking I must have felt that Connor's sensitivity with these tunes carried the day.

Interesting fact I learned today: Chris Connor was gay. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/arts/music/01connor.html

I tried "Haunted heart" again, last thing last night. Yes, she's off a bit and wobbly - but she often sounded a bit off to me and I never minded. But I think it's the tunes - so many very gloomy ones - though "Ballads of the sad cafe" is fine. The up tunes are OK, but there are only two.

I always wondered why Chris was the only one of his lady singers Kenton didn't marry. Aha!

MG

[jazzbo]

Aha! A joke then.

I like Chris. I need to listen deeper to learn to love her I guess. Of the three that Flurin mentions I love Peggy and June and like Chris. At least so far.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I like Chris. I need to listen deeper to learn to love her I guess. Of the three that Flurin mentions I love Peggy and June and like Chris. At least so far.

I suspect it's got something to do with when you hear her/them. I heard Peggy Lee when I was about fourteen - probably first on "Fever", but really a couple of years later, when I got "Beauty & the beat". I also first heard Chris when I was sixteen. June Christy - well, I never really heard much of her before about 1965, I was in my twenties. And she never got to me the way the other two did, probably because by then I was really getting heavily into soul jazz and she had to take a back seat. So did the others, but I've gone back to them.

MG

[jazzbo]

You're possibly right. I came to Peggy, then June, then Chris. . . and seriously listening to them all beginning in the same year.

Peggy just gets right to my male core and makes me respond with no effort. June makes me think, her phrasing, her sound, it's intellectual candy for me. Chris hasn't really connected with me, yet, in a similar manner.

Give me Carmen McRae! She grabs me in all the ways with her voice and swing and piano and presence.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Give me Carmen McRae! She grabs me in all the ways with her voice and swing and piano and presence.

I have one Carmen album - "Birds of a feather" - and I hardly play it, despite Ben Webster's wonderful work, which kills me every time I do listen to it.

MG

[jazzbo]

I have about thirty. I love her singing. And her piano playing.

[gmonahan]

I have about thirty. I love her singing. And her piano playing.

Me too. I'm particularly fond of Carmen's later stuff for Novus--the Monk album stands out. I came to Connor later as well, but she sort of grew on me to the point where I like her better than Christy. A chacun son gout.

gregmo

[king ubu]

I kind of like both Highnote discs mentioned previously... found both of them in sales bins, took me a while to get into them (they're so short, too - usually a good thing, but these two seem to be over by the time I get into them, usually).

Anyway, MG, you ought to give this one a chance - it's a heavy albm, in my opinion:

It was reissued in that short-lived Capitol Vocal Classics series (there should be a thread about those somewhere, too).

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I kind of like both Highnote discs mentioned previously... found both of them in sales bins, took me a while to get into them (they're so short, too - usually a good thing, but these two seem to be over by the time I get into them, usually).

Anyway, MG, you ought to give this one a chance - it's a heavy albm, in my opinion:

It was reissued in that short-lived Capitol Vocal Classics series (there should be a thread about those somewhere, too).

I saw that one when I was doing a little search the other day. Didn't realise it was on Roulette. It didn't come out here in the sixties - well, I never saw it before. I didn't think she recorded for Roulette - only the one with Maynard Ferguson, which was a special deal between that label and Atlantic. when was the Village Gate album made?

MG

[king ubu]

It was on her manager's label... the label folded quickly, I guess that's how it ended up in the Capitol family of labels, but I don't know the details. It's a hell of a great album, and it's got a whole lot of depth... and some abysses, too, I guess. Her voice has changed by that time, and is ripe with emotion.

[king ubu]

Monte Kay - the label was called FM

Read James Gavin's liners here:

http://jamesgavin.com/page42/page84/page84.html

[jazz1]

Of the younger female singers, Dominique Eade comes closest. She did a very original 5/4 rendition of "Moon Ray" on her Christy/Connor tribute CD "When the wind was cool". Check her out, you'll like her.

[Teasing the Korean]

Bump.

Many years ago, I picked up a bunch of Chris Connor's Atlantic LPs at a flea market.  I've finally gotten around to cleaning and spinning them.  Chris must have been a huge influence on June Christy.  I hear a lot of similarities.

[JSngry]

You mean the other way around? 

[felser]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

You mean the other way around? 

Yes.  Also worth noting both sang for Stan Kenton at different points.  Two of my favorite jazz vocalists.