Chris Connor (album)
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.[1]
| Chris Connor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of 2005 Warner Jazz (UK) reissue | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1956 | |||
| Recorded | January 19, 23, and February 8, 1956 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Nesuhi Ertegun, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler | |||
| Chris Connor chronology | ||||
| ||||
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 orchestra accompanying Connor, using arrangements by Ralph Burns.[2] On January 23, Connor was accompanied by a quartet led by pianist John Lewis with Oscar Pettiford on bass.[2] On February 8, Connor's accompanists included Nick Travis, Zoot Sims and Milt Hinton, with arrangements by Burns.[2] The album comprises four tracks from each recording session.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  (Core Collection)[3] |
| allmusic |  [1] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz 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".[3] 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).[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Arranger | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Get a Kick Out of You" | Cole Porter | John Lewis | 1:50 |
| 2. | "Something to Live For" | Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn | Ralph Burns | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Get Out of Town" | Cole Porter | Burns | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Where Are You?" | Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson | Lewis | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Anything Goes" | Cole Porter | Burns | 2:11 |
| 6. | "When the Wind Was Green" | Don Hunt | Burns | 3:24 |
| 7. | "He Was Too Good to Me" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | Burns | 3:41 |
| 8. | "You Make Me Feel So Young" | Josef Myrow, Mack Gordon | Burns | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Everytime" | Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin | Lewis | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Way Out There" | George Wallington, Buddy Goodman | Burns | 2:27 |
| 11. | "My April Heart" | George Wallington, Buddy Goodman | Burns | 2:41 |
| 12. | "Almost Like Being in Love" | Frederick Loewe, Alan Lerner | Lewis | 2:09 |
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 – piano
- Barry Galbraith – guitar
- Oscar Pettiford – bass
- Connie Kay – drums
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 Travis – trumpet
- Zoot Sims – tenor saxophone; solo on "Way Out There"
- Al Young, Sam Marovitz, Ray Beckenstein, Danny Banks – saxophones
- Moe Wechsler – piano
- Barry Galbraith – guitar
- Milton Hinton – bass
- Osie Johnson – drums
References
- Bush, John. Chris Connor: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- Shadwick, Keith (1956). Chris Connor (booklet). Chris Connor. United Kingdom: Warner Music UK Ltd. 2005 reissue notes. 8122731382.
- Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.