Jazz Articles about Chris Connor

Chris Connor with Stan Kenton And His Orchestra: Connor Sings — Kenton Swings

by Jack Bowers
June 23, 2019

However listeners may receive this “new" album from Sounds of Yesteryear, there's no gainsaying its title, Connor Sings—Kenton Swings, as that secures its contents in a neat little box with no loose ends in sight. There's also no denying that these seventeen songs by vocalist Chris Connor and the dynamic Stan Kenton Orchestra were recorded more than sixty-five years ago. In terms of performance, the impact is negligible; in terms of sound, not as harmful as one might imagine.

Chris Connor: Sings Gentle Bossa Nova

by AAJ Italy Staff
February 23, 2012

La Justin Time, emerita casa discografica canadese, ha tirato fuori dagli archivi un album della cantante Chris Connor, pubblicato nel 1965 dalla ABC-Paramount e prodotto allora da Ken Greenglass. Lei, bionda platinata e dalla voce irresistibilmente “cool," era uscita nel 1962 dalla scuderia Atlantic e dopo due album con la FM, codiretta dal suo manager Monte Kay, dopo il fallimento finanziario di quest´ultima aveva trovato spazio continuando a cantare magnificamente gli standard. Erano gli anni della bossa nova, ritmo che ...

Chris Connor: Chris Connor Sings Gentle Bossa Nova

by David Rickert
October 10, 2011

If you were a jazz singer in the mid-sixties, chances are you recorded a bossa nova album. It might have been great, it might have been terrible, but it most likely fell somewhere in-between. You may not have wanted to record one, but bossa nova was too popular a fad to resist, and not many people were buying jazz records anyway. And, at least, bossa nova records allowed you the opportunity to use your jazz chops on something deliberately commercial.

Chris Connor: All About Chris

by David Rickert
December 11, 2006

Chris Connor is one of many blond-haired kittens whose vocals were popular during the fifties. Like many of her fellow canaries, she got her start in the big bands (Thornhill's and Kenton's, in this case) before becoming successful enough to strike out on her own. Leaving the big band sound behind for the intimacy of the small groups, Connor showed an above average knack at interpreting popular tunes, as well as a penchant for keeping her jazz roots intact.

Chris Connor: Haunted Heart

by Mathew Bahl
October 1, 2001

There is always a moment of trepidation when a jazz legend produces a new record after an absence of several years; a fear that what is will diminish the memory of what was. Thankfully, that is not the case with Haunted Heart, Chris Connor’s wonderful new CD on the HighNote label.

Vocally, the 73-year old singer sounds far younger than her chronological age. Ms. Connor’s voice has dropped noticeably in pitch over the last 30 years. However, she has compensated ...

Chris Connor: Warm Cool: The Atlantic Years

by C. Andrew Hovan
August 1, 1999

There's no doubt that labels have a purpose in terms of organizing things, but they also tend to get in the way when looking at such less objective items as art and music. For example, if you were to ask the average jazz buff to name singers that fit the category of “cool vocalists" names to be included might be June Christy, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, and Chris Connor. As much as this activity serves as a reference, it also ...

Chris Connor: Warm Cool: The Atlantic Years

by Victor L. Schermer
July 1, 1999

If one were to name the greatest female jazz vocalist of all time, that honor would undoubtedly go to Billie Holiday. It was Lady Day who virtually single handedly created the art of genuine jazz singing, as distinct from “pop" vocalization, which became the purview of so many singers who may have had the ability to “swing," but certainly could not be considered jazz singers. And Billie's interpretations of so many standards and her own compositions continue, via recording, to ...