Chris Connor
Chris Connor (born Mary Loutsenhizer ; born November 8, 1927 in Kansas City , Missouri , † August 29, 2009 in Toms River , Ocean County , New Jersey ) was an American jazz singer .
Life
Chris Connor was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father, an amateur violinist, took her to concerts by the big bands that made guest appearances in town. Anita O'Day's singing had an important influence . In 1945 she sang in a college band, in 1949/50 she came to New York and began her career as a singer in Claude Thornhill's vocal band , the Snowflakes . After a guest performance in Jerry Wald's orchestra , she took over the vocal part in Stan Kenton's band in 1952/53 , to whom she had been recommended by June Christy . From July 1953 Connor worked as a soloist and recorded numerous records, first for Bethlehem Records , then from 1955 for Atlantic Records . The "Atlantic" years are considered the high point of their work - during this time the album Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac Of Song (1957) was created. She became famous with the hit All About Ronnie . During this time she sang in the bands of Ralph Burns , Ralph Sharon , Richard Wess , Jimmy Jones , Al Cohn , Don Sebesky and Maynard Ferguson . Her successful time at Atlantic Records lasted until 1962.
According to the authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz , she is “the” cool singer “par excellence”.
Discography (selection)
- 1949 Claude Thornhill And His Orchestra: Snowfall (Fresh Sounds Rec.)
- 1953 All About Ronnie (Giants of Jazz) - Compilation of her recordings with the Stan Kenton and Sy Oliver Orchestra, as well as recordings from 1954 with the Vinnie Burke Quartet, the Ralph Sharon Group, with Kai Winding , JJ Johnson , Herbie Mann , Clark Terry , Barry Galbraith , George Duvivier and Osie Johnson
- 1955 Chris Connor sings Lullaby of Birdland ( Bethlehem Records ) with Ellis Larkins Trio
- 1956 Chris Connor (Atlantic Records) with Zoot Sims , John Lewis , Milt Hinton , Oscar Pettiford and the Ralph Burns Orchestra
- 1957 Sings The George Gershwin Almanac Of Song ( Atlantic ) with Al Cohn, Herbie Mann , Milt Jackson , Milt Hinton , Oscar Pettiford , Hank Jones , Osie Johnson
- 1960 This Is Chris (CTI) with Herbie Mann, Milt Hinton, Kai Winding and JJ Johnson
- 1961 Two's A Company (Roulette) with the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra
- 1961 Free Spirits (Atlantic)
- 1963 Chris Connor At The Village Gate with Ronnie Ball , Mundell Lowe , Richard Davis
- 1981 Lover Come Back To Me (Evidence) with Fred Hersch
- 1986 Classic (Contemporary) with Claudio Roditi , Paquito D'Rivera
- 1987 New Again (Contemporary)
- 1991 As Time Go By (Enja) with Hank Jones, George Mraz
- 2001 Haunted Heart (High Note)
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette . 2nd Edition. Penguin, London 1994, ISBN 0-14-017949-6 .
- Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
- Liner Notes of the CD All About Ronnie (Giants Of Jazz)
- Ken Bloom: The American Songbook - The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs - 100 Years of American Popular Music - The Stories of the Creators and Performers . New York City, Black Dog & Leventhal, 2005
Web links
annotation
- ^ Obituary in The New York Times
- ↑ Your first self-bought record was Stan Kenton's single And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine / How Many Hearts Have You Broken? (1944), on which Anity O'Day sings (see Ken Bloom, p. 42)
- ↑ Chris Connor - The Atlantic Years at All About Jazz
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Connor, Chris |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Loutsenhizer, Mary |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 8, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kansas City , Missouri |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 29, 2009 |
| Place of death | Toms River , New Jersey |