Chris Connor - The Early Years: Singles & Albums 1952-56 (2021)

Chris Connor was one of female jazz singers of the post-war era, who sang with the innovative big bands of the day before embarking on a solo career, with her albums encompassing not only jazz but stylish interpretations of the Great American Songbook which placed her among that coterie of peerless performers of sophisticated pop along with the likes of Peggy Lee, Jeri Southern and Sarah Vaughan. She enjoyed a career that spanned more than four decades, performing and recording into the 1990s, but this set focuses on the early years of her career as she established her reputation and laid the groundwork for her prolific album output through the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. This 73-track 3-CD set comprises early singles on the Decca, Capitol and Bethlehem labels, some with Stan Kenton’s orchestra, plus some ‘live’ recordings with Claude Thornhill’s orchestra, along with the tracks from her albums “Sings Lullabys Of Birdland”, “Sings Lullabys For Lovers” and “This Is Chris” for Bethlehem, and “Chris Connor” and “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” for Atlantic. It includes performances with the orchestras of Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Sy Oliver, Ralph Burns and Ray Ellis, plus the Ellis Larkins Trio, Vinnie Burke Quartet and small groups featuring Herbie Mann, Milt Hinton, J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, John Lewis, Oscar Pettiford and Connie Kay. It’s a fine showcase for the talents of an artist who has not received the attention she merits over the years.