Chris Connor - Chris Connor Golden Hits (All Tracks Remastered) (2016)

Along with June Christy, Helen O'Connell, and Julie London, Chris Connor epitomized cool jazz singing in the 1950s. Influenced by Anita O'Day, the torchy, smoky singer wasn't one for aggression. Like Chet Baker on the trumpet or Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz on alto sax, she used subtlety and restraint to their maximum advantage. At the University of Missouri, Connor (who had studied clarinet at an early age) sang with a Stan Kentonish big band led by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer before leaving her native Kansas City for New York in 1947. Quite appropriately, she was featured in the lyrical pianist Claude Thornhill's orchestra in the early '50s. After leaving Thornhill, Connor was hired by Kenton at Christy's recommendation, and her ten-month association with him in 1952-1953 resulted in the hit "All About Ronnie." Connor debuted as a solo artist in 1953, recording three albums for Bethlehem before moving to Atlantic in 1955 and recording 12. Connor reached the height of her popularity in the 1950s, when she delivered her celebrated versions of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" and George Shearing's "Lullaby of Broadway," and recorded such excellent albums as The Rich Sound of Chris Connor and Lullabies of Birdland for Bethlehem and Chris Craft and Ballads of the Sad Cafe for Atlantic. Connor made a poor career move in 1962, the year she left Atlantic and signed with a label her manager was starting, FM Records – Connor had recorded only two albums for FM when they folded. Connor's recording career was rejuvenated in the 1970s, and she went on to record for Progressive, Stash, and Contemporary in the '70s and '80s. Connor maintained a devoted following in the 1990s and continued to tour internationally.

Tracklist:

01. Kansas City
02. Moon Ray
03. Poor Little Rich Girl
04. Just Squeeze Me
05. Lonely Town
06. My Shining Hour
07. Miser's Serenade
08. Indian Summer
09. I Hear Music
10. Lush Life
11. From This Moment On
12. Moonlight in Vermont
13. Be a Clown
14. Johnny One Note
15. Lover Man
16. Jump for Joy
17. Lonely Woman
18. God Bless the Child
19. Free Spirits
20. I Miss You So
21. Trust in Me
22. They All Laughed
23. Speak Low
24. These Foolish Things
25. The End of a Love Affair
26. Ballad of the Sad Cafe
27. Good Morning Heartache
28. I Concentrate on You
29. Someone to Watch over Me
30. The Thrill Is Gone