The Chris Connor Bio-Discography:
Concert, Radio And Television Dates

by Iván Santiago Mercado

Page generated on May 13, 2021

1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1966 1971 1976 1977 1980 1981 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1996 1997 2000 2001 2002 2003

Scope And Contents

This page lists radio, television and concert appearances made by Chris Connor throughout her career. Chronologically sequenced, the earliest appearances are from 1952 and 1953, when Connor was still a big band canary. Then, starting with a radio remote from 1955, the page proceeds to list Connor's solo work onstage and in the broadcasting media.

My overall goal for the present page is to include every concert performance that has been preserved, as well as every known television or radio performance, irrespective of its preservation. (In the case of concerts that have not been preserved, I will still provide details about them herein -- if and when specific information becomes available. However, that information will be supplied only in the form of notes; the songs will not be made part of the sessionography's log. For an additional general note, attempting to clarify matters pertaining to the preservation of radio material, scroll down to the very bottom of the page.) If you are aware of extant live or media material not listed in this page, I'd appreciate hearing from you. My email address: ivansantiagomercado@earthlink.net

CHRIS CONNOR IN CONCERT WITH JERRY WALD

The amount of time that Chris Connor spent as the vocalist of The Jerry Wald Orchestra remains unclear. Similarly shrouded in mystery are the exact dates in which she joined and left the orchestra. From the available information about the concert to be presented below, it can be gleaned that she was with the band during all or part of the spring of 1952. Further details pointing to the same period come from a recording session discussed in the Big Band Singer Page. More extensive commentary about Connor's working period with Wald can be found toward the bottom of that page, where I also mention my tentative belief that he employed her at least twice, first in the spring of 1952 and then toward the end of that year and/or beginning of the next one.

Date: 3/20/52
Location: Arcadia Ballroom, New York

Jerry Wald and His Orchestra (ldr), Jerry Wald (con, cl), Herb Geller, Sam Zittman (as), Buddy Arnold (ts), Danny Bank, Sid Brown (bar), Al Porcino, Dick Sherman, Al Stewart (t), Jack Hitchcock, Sonny Russo (tb), Ross Savakos (b), Howie Mann (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	The Way You Look Tonight - 2:35(Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern)
b.	Concert Taping	The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else - 2:52(Isham Jones, Gus Kahn)
c.	Concert Taping	(It's No) Sin - 3:35(Chester R. Shull, George Hoven)
d.	Concert Taping	Manhattan - 2:28(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
e.	Concert Taping	Embraceable You - 3:33(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
f.	Concert Taping	Too Marvelous For Words - 2:02(Johnny Mercer, Richard Whiting)
g.	Concert Taping	How Long Has This Been Going On? - 3:38(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
h.	Concert Taping	Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered - 3:16(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

All titles unissued.

Performance

Concert performance by Jerry Wald And His Orchestra, with Chris Connor as featured vocalist with the band. Connor's vocals alternated with instrumentals by the orchestra. (The instrumentals are not listed herein.)

Date

The given date should be deemed likely, rather than absolutely certain. It was handwritten in the homemade tape that is my only source for this material. March 20 could indeed be the day and month in which the concert actually took place, but it could also be, among other possibilities, the date in which an acetate of this concert was cut.

Material Sources

Taped and preserved by collectors of Wald material.

CHRIS CONNOR IN CONCERT WITH CLAUDE THORNHILL

Chris Connor joined The Claude Thornhill Orchestra in January of 1949. She stayed for just a short amount of time -- about two or three months, it seems. Connor returned to the fold in 1950. She remained in place until the very end of 1951, when the orchestra was temporarily disbanded by Thornhill. (Connor then sought and took other job opportunities.) Thornhill regrouped in the second half of 1952, at which time Connor rejoined once again.

The Thornhill concerts discussed below date from Connor's third period with the ensemble. For a lengthier discussion of the singer's days as Thornhill's canary, consult this discography's Big Band Singer Page, which covers her studio sessions with the bandleader. (See, in particular, the commentary at the bottom of that page.)

Acknowledgments

1. Koichi Sugimoto
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the kind assistance provided by Thornhill researcher and expert Koichi Sugimoto. My thanks to Sugimoto-san for his extensive help in the correction of the facts surrounding the next four dates.

Date: October 21, 1952
Location: Café Rouge, The Statler Hotel, New York

The Claude Thornhill Orchestra (ldr), Dave Figg, Cliff Hoff (cl, ts), Med Flory, Gene Quill (cl, as), Dick Zabach (cl, bar), Rusty Dedrick, Sonny Rich, Nick Travis (t), Milt Gold, Obie Massingill (tb), Al Antonucci (frh), Bill Crow (b), Claude Thornhill (p), Winston Welch (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Come Rain Or Come Shine - 3:31(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
b.	Concert Taping	Sorta Kinda - 2:48(James Oliver Young)
c.	Concert Taping	Wish You Were Here - 3:46(Harold Rome)

All titles on:

Dan Records Public Domain LP(Japan) Vc 5016 — The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Vol. 3 {Chris Connor, June Christy, Peggy Lee, Martha Tilton} (V-Disc Jazz Session Series) (1979)

Tokuma Musical Industries Public Domain CD(Japan) Tkcf 77076 — The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Vol. 3 {Chris Connor, June Christy, Peggy Lee, Martha Tilton} (V-Disc Jazz Session Series) (2001)

Audio Park Public Domain CDAPCD-6054 (Japan) — [Various Artists] Be-Bop Vocals And Big Bands, Volume 2 (1945-1953) (2007)

Sources And Issues

1. Main Source: Koichi Sugimoto
Having listened to the acetate disc in which this Thornhill-Connor aircheck (the first out of four) was preserved, Koichi Sugimoto has kindly shared the aircheck's full contents with me:

Opening
Temptation
Come Rain Or Come Shine (vocal by Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal by Med Flory)
Polka Dots And Moonbeams
Sorta Kinda (vocal by Chiris Connor)
Wish You Were Here (vocal by Chris Connor)
Closing

2. Supplementary Source: Charles Garrod's Discography
This aircheck is also listed in Charles Garrod's discography of Claude Thornhill. However, Garrod fails to credit Chris Connor with the vocal on "Sorta Kinda" and misidentifies the vocalist on "Too Marvelous For Words":

Temptation
Come Rain Or Come Shine (vocal: Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal: Chris Connor)
Polka Dots And Moonbeams
Sorta Kinda
Wish You Were Here
Snowfall

("Snowfall" was the theme of Claude Thornhill's orchestra, and thus used as opening and/or closing at many of his dates.)

3. The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Volume 3 (Dan LP)
4. The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Volume 3 (Tokuma CD)
5. Chris Connor's V-Disc Recordings
The above-listed Tokuma CD is a straight reissue of the 1979 Dan LP (also listed above).

These two issues correctly identify the date of their Chris Connor tracks as October 1952, but do not provide any other specifics. My main source, Sugimoto-san, has corroborated that the exact same tracks can be heard in the LP, the CD, and the airchecks which he auditioned. (The same airchecks are presumed to have been the ones itemized by Charles Garrod in his discography. Although I will be mentioning quite a few discrepancies in the information provided by Garrod, most of the discrepancies can be attributed to human error on his part, rather than to his unlikely possession of information about a different set of airchecks.)

The title shared by these Dan and Tokuma items is partially misguiding. Chris Connor and the other featured artists were indeed great ladies, but not all the featured tracks come from V-Discs. Those sung by the other ladies (June Christy, Peggy Lee, and Martha Tilton) do. The numbers sung by Connor originated, on the other hand, in concert dates which were broadcast over the radio airwaves and recorded, off the radio, on acetate discs.

Whereas the numbers sung by Christy, Lee, and Tilton date from the 1940s, those sung by Connor are from 1952. V-discs were officially produced from 1943 to the end of the decade; the Armed Services officially shut down their victory-disc operation in 1949.

In conclusion, the 1952 vocals under scrutiny are very unlikely to have been even issued as V-Disc recordings. The LP producers at Dan Records might have been unaware of the difference, or they might have simply decided to ignore it when they chose a title for their album.

Personnel

The personnel that I have incorporated to these live Thornhill dates (October of 1952, days 21, 24, 28, and 31) should be deemed tentative. I took it from the Thornhill discography by Charles Garrod, who lists it under the second of the four airchecks. Presumably, it is a collective personnel, gathered by Garrod on the basis of an earlier Thornhill studio session.

Date: October 24, 1952
Location: Café Rouge, The Statler Hotel, New York

Concert Taping

Come Rain Or Come Shine(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

unissued

Sources

1. Main Source: Koichi Sugimoto
Having listened to the acetate disc in which this Thornhill-Connor aircheck (the second out of four) was preserved, Koichi Sugimoto has kindly shared the aircheck's full contents with me:

Opening
Anthropology
Come Rain Or Come Shine (vocal by Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal by Med Flory)
September Song
Closing

2. Supplementary Source: Charles Garrod's Discography
This aircheck is also listed in Charles Garrod's discography of Claude Thornhill. However, Garrod fails to credit Chris Connor with the vocal on "Who Are We To Say?," misidentifies the vocalist on "Too Marvelous For Words," and lists three additional songs:

Oh Lady Be Good
Come Rain Or Come Shine (vocal: Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal: Chris Connor)
Who Are We To Say?
Anchors Aweigh
Poor Little Rich Girl
Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(In the extant acetate discs, versions of all three additional songs can be found in the third of the four airchecks. See notes under October 28, 1952 date, immediately below.)

Dating

1. October 23 & 24, 1952 Versus October 24 & 28, 1952
In his discography, Garrod gives the date October 23, 1952 to these performances. That date is currently believed to be erroneous, the correct one being October 23. (Once again, my source is Koichi Sugimoto, who has inspected the acetate discs that contain these Statler Hotel acetates. A similar correction applies to the date that follows immediately below.)

Date: October 28, 1952
Location: Café Rouge, The Statler Hotel, New York

a.	Concert Taping	Come Rain Or Come Shine(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) unissued
b.	Concert Taping	Who Are We To Say? - 3:53(Gus Kahn, Sigmund Romberg) Dan Records Public Domain LP(Japan) Vc 5016 — The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Vol. 3 {Chris Connor, June Christy, Peggy Lee, Martha Tilton} (V-Disc Jazz Session Series) (1979) Tokuma Musical Industries Public Domain CD(Japan) Tkcf 77076 — The Great Ladies On V-Disc, Vol. 3 {Chris Connor, June Christy, Peggy Lee, Martha Tilton} (V-Disc Jazz Session Series) (2001)

Sources

1. Main Source: Koichi Sugimoto
Having listened to the acetate disc in which this Thornhill-Connor aircheck (the third out of four) was preserved, Koichi Sugimoto has kindly shared the aircheck's full contents with me:

Opening
Oh, Lady Be Good
Come Rain Or Come Shine (vocal by Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal by Med Flory)
Who Are We To Say? (vocal by Chris Connor)
Anchors Aweigh
Poor Little Rich Girl
Polka Dots And Moonbeams
Closing

2. Supplementary Source: Charles Garrod's Discography
This aircheck is also listed in Charles Garrod's discography of Claude Thornhill. However, Garrod misidentifies the vocalist on "Too Marvelous For Words." Moreover, he lists only four songs, two of which are not even heard in the aircheck (as preserved on the acetate disc):

Opening
Temptation
Who Are We To Say? (vocal by Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal by Med Flory)
Sophisticated Lady (piano solo)

1. October 23 & 24, 1952 Versus October 24 & 28, 1952
In his discography, Garrod gives the date October 24, 1952 to these performances. That date is currently believed to be erroneous, the correct one being October 28. (Once again, my source is Koichi Sugimoto, who has inspected the acetate discs that contain these Statler Hotel acetates. A similar correction applies to the date that immediately precedes this one.)

Date: October 31, 1952
Location: Café Rouge, The Statler Hotel, New York

Concert Taping

Who Are We To Say? - 3:58(Gus Kahn, Sigmund Romberg)

Audio Park Public Domain CDAPCD-6068 (Japan) — Claude Thornhill Unreleased Radio Broadcasts 1952-1956 (2014)

Sources

1. Main Source: Koichi Sugimoto
Having listened to the acetate disc in which this Thornhill-Connor aircheck (the last out of four) was preserved, Koichi Sugimoto has kindly shared the aircheck's full contents with me:

Opening
Temptation
Who Are We To Say? (vocal by Chris Connor)
Too Marvelous For Words (vocal by Med Flory)
Sophisticated Lady (piano solo)
Closing

2. Supplementary Source: Charles Garrod's Discography
This date is also included in Charles Garrod's discography of Claude Thornhill. All four above-shown titles are indeed listed, but neither of Connor's numbers is identified as a vocal. (Nor is there mention of Connor's and Flory's involvement.)

CHRIS CONNOR IN CONCERT WITH STAN KENTON

Chris Connor worked as the vocalist of The Stan Kenton Orchestra from February 11 (or thereabouts) to July 5, 1953. A discussion of this matter can be found toward the bottom of this discography's Big Band Singer Page, which also covers Connor's studio sessions with Kenton. Connor's first studio date with the orchestra happened on February 11. On the very next day, the band began its Road Tour, which was scheduled to travel up the California coast. The tour's inaugural concert took place at San Luis Obispo's Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium on February 12. A February 17 performance at the Sweets Ballroom (Oakland, California) has been preserved, thanks to its broadcast as part of NBC's Concert In Miniature series. As preserved, the broadcast includes no Connor vocals. Two days later the band performed in Eugene, Oregon, where their concert was taped and preserved for posterity, as can be seen in the first of the Kenton dates shown below.

Preservation

All of the the Kenton concerts discussed in the present page are still extant. In most cases, their preservation is owed to the fact that they were broadcast over the radio. Some of this audio material was actually simulcast.(That is to say: the concerts aired over the radio waves as they were taking place). The majority of these concerts was not simulcast, though, but cut on acetate at the performing venue, Edited versions of those acetates were then prepared, and the resulting transcription discs were broadcast over the radio within a short time of the original broadcast. The editing that went into those discs was heavy. For one, not all of the concert numbers were included; many were often left out. Also, performances from different concert dates could be inserted and sequenced into the same disc, to be presented as if all of them were from just one concert, without any acknowledgment of the alterations.

It should come as no surprise that, for discographers such as myself, the acetates and transcription discs under discussion are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it is thanks to these physical items that many a live performance has been preserved for posterity. (Aldo to be thanks are those listeners who, back then, had the technology to tape from radio, and were dedicated fans, intent on preserving a music legacy. Such equipment-owning fans were a minority, however, and their work suffered from the obstacles posed by static, poor transmission signals, etc.)

On the other hand, transcription discs are not entirely reliable sources of information -- not to say anything of more casually made acetates. They often mislead discographers who are not well acquainted with the history of this material. Some of those discs' shortcomings were suggested in the previous paragraph. Of further note is the fact that transcription discs often bear a date which, all too often, discographers and LP/CD producers automatically assume to be a concert recording date. Not necessarily so. Instead, such dates tend to refer to the day on which the transcription disc was prepared (assembled), or the date on (until) which radio stations were contracted to play the disc.

In this discography (and relying on Ed Chaplin's research), all Kenton entries will bear the date on which the given concert actually took place, not the date on which the concert was broadcast or cut on acetate.

Acknowledgments

1. Ed Chaplin
I remain very grateful to Stan Kenton fan and collector Ed Chaplin for generously sharing with me a vast amount of data from his discographical research, which concentrated on Kenton's live and radio dates. Chaplin's research relied not only on extant audio and textual sources but also on his extensive discussions with other Kenton experts of note, including Michael Sparke, the main author of the excellent text Stan Kenton: The Studio Sessions (co-authored with Peter Venudor, aka Paul Visser) and Steven D. Harris, author of The Kenton Kronicles.

{Update: my music friend, Ed Chaplin, passed away in early 2016. May he enjoy many a chat with Kenton, while lounging in the abode above, beyond the Pearly Gates.}

Given my reliance on the late Chaplin's thoroughly researched and up-to-date notes, Kenton fans checking this page should be prepared to encounter some divergences from claims made in older published texts (e.g., books, articles, liner notes). I do want to make clear, however, that any errors are likely to be of my own making. Furthermore, it should be understood that Chaplin's own discographical research (as vast and detailed as it already is) remained a work in progress.

2. Jan Kagenaar
I also very appreciative of the input that I have consistently received from Kenton fan Jan Kagenaar. Over the years, Jan has kindly sent me information about various pertinent topics, including relevant detail gathered from Peter Venudor's papers and, most notably, specifics about the Vintage Radio Classics CD series.

Date: 2/19/53
Location: National Guard Armory, Eugene, Oregon

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Vinnie Dean, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (ts), Henry "Hank" Levy (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Donald "Don" Bagley (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 796 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part One (2009)
b.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 796 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part One (2009)
c.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain - 1:55(Al Dubin, Harry Warren) / arr: {Head Arrangement} Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 796 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part One (2009) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
d.	Concert Taping	I'll Remember April(Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 796 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part One (2009)
e.	Concert Taping	Taking A Chance On Love(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) / arr: Johnny Richards Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 796 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part One (2009)
f.	Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 799 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Two (2009)
g.	Concert Taping	Tenderly - 3:17(Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 799 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Two (2009) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
h.	Concert Taping	There Will Never Be Another You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) / arr: Bill Russo Dynaflow Collectors' Label CD2008-1 — [Stan Kenton] Stan's Singers, Volume 2 (2008) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 799 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Two (2009)
i.	Concert Taping	Lullaby In Rhythm - 1:46(Benny Goodman, Clarence Profit, Walter Hirsch, Edgar Sampson) / arr: Pete Rugolo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 799 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Two (2009) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
j.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 802 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Three (2010)
k.	Concert Taping	Darn That Dream - 3:14(Ed DeLange, Jimmy Van Heusen) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 802 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Three (2010) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
l.	Concert Taping	You're Mine, You - 3:36(Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) / arr: Johnny Richards Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 802 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Three (2010) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
m.	Concert Taping	I Only Have Eyes For You - 2:26(Al Dubin, Harry Warren) / arr: {Head Arrangement} Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 802 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Three (2010) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
n.	Concert Taping	Everything Happens To Me(Matt Dennis, Tom Adair) / arr: Bill Russo Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CD(United Kingdom) 802 — [Stan Kenton] Eugene Armory, Eugene Oregon, Part Three (2010)

Songs & Personnel

1. "September In The Rain"
This performance features Connor with rhythm section only, except for the final chord, in which the full orchestra joins.

2. "I Only Have Eyes For You"
This performance features Connor with piano, bass, and drums only.

3. "Jeepers Creepers"
This performance was sung twice during this concert, once in an abbreviated (warm-up) version, once in a complete version.

Primary Source

For decades, a tape was the only known audio source for this dance & concert show. Undertaken by Bill Haseltine, the original taping activity happened with Kenton's permission. (Actually, Wally Heider also taped the concert at the same time as Haseltine, but technical difficulties prevented Heider from producing a satisfactory audio.)

In more recent times, the Magic/Submarine label (aka Sounds Of Yesteryear) has made this erstwhile rare concert more easily available. The Submarine CDs use second or third generation copies of Haseltine's tapes. All three CDs feature liner notes by Stan Kenton expert Michael Sparke; ditto for the 2019 CD Connor Sings - Kenton Swings.

Note that this concert mixed band instrumentals with vocal segments sung by the female artist, whom Stan Kenton introduces as "Chris Connors." Only the vocals are listed herein.

Date: 3/17/53
Location: Trianon Ballroom, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Concert Taping

Jeepers Creepers - 3:18(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54365 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 38 & 39} (2007)

Sounds Of Yesteryear Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2039 (England) — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature, Volume 15 (2016)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Personnel And Secondary Sources

1. Kay Brown
Thanks to Steven Harris and Ed Chaplin, I have learned about a couple of advance notices, pertaining to this concert, in The Daily Oklahoman. One of them states that "Kay Brown will be appearing, as she is now featured vocalist with the Kenton orchestra." The writer of that notice is of course mistaken; Bown had quit the band a couple of months earlier, and Chris Connor was the only female vocalist who sang during the show at the Trianon Ballroom. The other notice, actually an advertisement, also wrongly lists Brown as Kenton's vocalist at the time.

Material Sources

Show #36 of the NBC radio series Concert In Miniature is the source for this session's rendition of "Jeepers Creepers," taken from a Kenton concert held on March 17, 1953.

Issues

1. The Vintage Radio Classics Series
Listed in this and in subsequent Kenton sessions is a series of compact discs from the label Vintage Radio Classics. Given the series' relevance to these dates, a general description is in order. Each Vintage Radio Classic disc contains two episodes, usually from the same radio program. Each CD is titled after the radio program (for instance, Concert In Miniature). In addition to the name of the program, episode numbers are given in the titles. (For example: Concert In Miniature, Episodes 38 & 39). It should be clarified that those episode numbers were assigned by Vintage Radio Classics itself. (In other words, the numbers do not come from the original sources or radio broadcasts.

Date: March 27 - April 9, 1953
Location: Blue Note, Chicago

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Vinnie Dean, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (ts), Henry "Hank" Levy (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo, Tom Shepard (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Glen Roberts (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 3:38(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54465 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 9 & 10} (2007) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
b.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Dynaflow Collectors' Label CDDNYF 2007-1 — [Stan Kenton] In True '52 Stereo: Direct From The Famous Blue Note Jazz Club (2007) Sounds Of Yesteryear Collectors' Label CDDSOD 747 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] Live At The Blue Note (2008)
c.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
d.	Concert Taping	There Will Never Be Another You - 3:17(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) / arr: Bill Russo Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4006 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature Encores: 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West (1992) Viper's Nest Collectors' Label CDVN-1007 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature Encores: 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West (1996) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
e.	Concert Taping	Taking A Chance On Love - 2:58(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) / arr: Johnny Richards Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4017 — [Stan Kenton] Unissued Concert In Miniature Encores, 1952-1953 (1993)
f.	Concert Taping	I'll Remember April - 3:23(Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) / arr: Bill Russo Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54465 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 9 & 10} (2007) Dynaflow Collectors' Label CDDNYF 2007-1 — [Stan Kenton] In True '52 Stereo: Direct From The Famous Blue Note Jazz Club (2007) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)
g.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Joyce Record Club Collectors' Label cassetteJRC-1525 — [Stan Kenton] Broadcasts: January 1, 1953 Plus April 8, 1953 Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscONS-3351 — [Stan Kenton] One Night Stand

Dating & Sources

All above-listed performances are from The Stan Kenton Orchestra's 1953 two-week concert stint at Chicago's Blue Note. The performances were broadcast on radio shows distributed over NBC-affiliated radio stations. Specifics follow:

a. "Don't Worry 'Bout Me"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Saturday, March 28
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores

b. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Sunday, March 29
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Music For Moderns

c. "If I Should Lose You"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Wednesday, April 1
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Music For Moderns

d. "There Will Never Be Another You"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Thursday, April 2
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores

e. "Taking A Chance On Love"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Friday, April 3
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Music For Moderns

f. "I'll Remember April"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Saturday, April 4. (During the broadcast, Stan Kenton makes the comment that it is "the Saturday just before Easter." In 1953, Easter Sunday took place on April 5. )
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores. (It is worth noting that the radio announcer originally says that this is a broadcast from the Music For Moderns series. However, later during the same broadcast we are told that it is instead a Concert Encores show.)

g. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: Wednesday, April 8
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores

Performances Not Included

Various discographies mention one additional NBC broadcast culled from The Stan Kenton Orchestra's two-week stint at the Blue Note. However, no Kenton or Connor collector seems to have ever heard that particular broadcast.

Kenton collector Ed Chaplin suspects that this is actually an incorrect entry. He points out various discrepancies which could support such theory. For starters, there is the very unlikely song sequence: one of Connor's vocals is listed before any instrumentals by the orchestra. Also odd is the inclusion of not one, not two but three performances by Chris Connor ("Taking A Chance On Love," "Don't Worry 'Bout Me," and "I'll Remember April"). The number of performances is odd because in all other Blue Note broadcasts itemized herein, the singer is consistently heard just once. (Please notice that this point about "one Connor vocal per show" pertains only to the radio broadcasts. As for the actual concerts from which the radio broadcasts were made, Connor definitely sang various vocals per concert, not just one.)

In short: if this broadcast actually exists, it might not be an NBC broadcast, after all. It would have to be a special show put together by a particular radio station, rather than one of the programs regularly distributed by the network. An even likelier possibility is that the aforementioned discographies are simply referring to a tape made by a fan, who would have culled performances from different broadcasts.

Issues & Dating

1. Jazz Archives: Stan Kenton [CD]
PMF CD 90.108.2 misidentifies the origin of its performances. It collectively labels them as coming from "various locations, 1952, and Chicago, March 1953 (Blue Note)." Not so. None of the performances in the CD comes from the March 27 -April 9 1953 engagement at the Blue Note. (By "none," I mean every single tracks in the disc, not just the few which feature Connor's voice.) Those tracks' correct dates fall instead between April 21, 1953 and November 3, 1953. There are various plausible reasons for PMF's mistake. Most likely, the label was unaware of the exact dating, and made an inference based on the personnel heard throughout. The personnel is indeed the same one that played at the Blue Note, but these cuts are from engagements that took place just a few weeks later, at Birdland and other venues.

Personnel

1. Tom Shepard
2. Bill Ruso
3. Keith Moon
At this point in time, the regular members of Stan Kenton's trombone section were Bill Russo and Keith Moon. But during this Blue Note engagement, Kenton's band counted with a "guest" trombone player: Chicago-based Tom Shepard, who was a close friend of Russo's. In selected performances from the Blue Note concerts, Shepard sometimes takes the place of Russo, other times the place of Moon.

4. Glen Roberts
5. Don Bagley
During this Blue Note engagement, Glen Roberts replaced Kenton's regular bassist Don Bagley, who was taking a short holiday.

Date: 4/14/53
Location: Sampson Air Force Base, Geneva, New York

a.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:08(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo
b.	Concert Taping	Love Me Or Leave Me - 2:18(Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) / arr: Bill Russo Artistry Collectors' Label CD4009 — [Stan Kenton] The Concepts Era - Live! (1999) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Both titles on:

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54366 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 40 & 41} (2007)

Joyce Record Club Collectors' Label cassetteJRC-1496 — [Stan Kenton] Live In 1953

Redmond Nostalgia Collectors' Label commercial CDr/MP3CD 100 — [Stan Kenton] Big Band Remotes

Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-24 — The Stan Kenton Show [2 Chris Connor vocals]

Source

These April 14, 1953 concert performances were originally broadcast during show #37 of the Concert In Miniature radio series (NBC).

Issues And Dating

1. Stan Kenton Live In 1953 [CS]
Joyce Record Club cassette #1496 gives a wrong date (April 7) and a wrong location (the Blue Note) to these performances.

Date: April 15, 1953, At 8:15 p.m.
Location: Bailey Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Vinnie Dean, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (ts), Henry "Hank" Levy (bsx), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Donald "Don" Bagley (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers - 1:20(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
b.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo private issue (10") LP — [Stan Kenton] souvenir album, title unknown, issued to members of Cornell University's Rhythm Club (1953) Artistry Collectors' Label CD4009 — [Stan Kenton] The Concepts Era - Live! (1999)
c.	Concert Taping	Taking A Chance On Love(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) / arr: Johnny Richards unissued
d.	Concert Taping	I'll Remember April(Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
e.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
f.	Concert Taping	Lullaby In Rhythm(Benny Goodman, Clarence Profit, Walter Hirsch, Edgar Sampson) / arr: Pete Rugolo unissued
g.	Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo private issue (10") LP — [Stan Kenton] souvenir album, title unknown, issued to members of Cornell University's Rhythm Club (1953)

Source

These numbers comprise the full set that Chris Connor performed at a Cornell University concert appearance with The Stan Kenton orchestra. The concert was sponsored by the college's Junior Class Council Special Events Committee. As shown above, a souvenir LP was privately manufactured for the members of the university's Rhythm Club. Other listeners, not present at the date, were still able to enjoy the full broadcast thanks to Ithaca's public radio station WVBR.

While announcing the upcoming appearance, the school's paper identified the canary as "Chris Connors, blond vocalist who is the new soloist with the Kenton Band." One of the paper's ads actually referred to her as "Christine Connors." The paper further described her as "singing like both Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy."

Songs

1. "Jeepers Creepers"
An abbreviated, warm-up version of "Jeepers Creepers" opens the Chris Connor segment of the Kenton band's concert at Cornell.

Personnel

1. "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" performed by piano, guitar, bass, drums, muted trumpet, and voice only.

Arrangements And Arrangers

1. "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
2. Bill Russo
This concert's Bill Russo arrangement of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" is a precursor to his finished, more developed arrangement, used on the May 25, 1953 studio recording of this song.

Date: 4/21/53
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Springfield, Massachusetts

Concert Taping

Everything Happens To Me - 2:25(Matt Dennis, Tom Adair) / arr: Bill Russo

PMF {Peter's Music Factory} Public Domain CD90.108-2 (Netherlands) — [Stan Kenton] A True Collectors Item ("Jazz Archives" Series) (1990)

Swing Mania Public Domain CD682466 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Masters Of Swing: Stan Kenton 1952-53 (1995)

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54366 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 40 & 41} (2007)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Powder Public Domain CD6783 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton ("Filigram Jazz" Series)

Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-25 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]

Source

This "Everything Happens To Me" vocal was broadcast as part of show #38 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC).

Issues & Dating

1. Jazz Archives: Stan Kenton [CD]
PMF CD 90.108.2 misidentifies the origin of its performances. For specifics, see Issues note under sessions dated March 27 - April 9, 1953.

Performances:

1. "Everything Happens To Me"
2. Helen Carr
In addition to Chris Connor, Helen Carr was another vocalist who performed "Everything Happens To Me" with Stan Kenton. She did so during the previous year, on June 22, 1952 at Town Casino, Cleveland, Ohio. (My thanks to Ed Chaplin for pointing out this detail, which I am include herein because I consider it of potential interest to fellow fans of vocals and vocalists.)

Date: April 23 - May 6, 1953
Location: Birdland Club, New York

a.	Concert Taping	I'll Remember April - 3:08(Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) / arr: Bill Russo Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4006 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature Encores: 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West (1992) Viper's Nest Collectors' Label CDVN-1007 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature Encores: 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West (1996)
b.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
c.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 2:41(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4017 — [Stan Kenton] Unissued Concert In Miniature Encores, 1952-1953 (1993) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54466 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 11 & 12} (2007)
d.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
e.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo unissued
f.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers - 2:14(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Jazz Band Collectors' Label CDEBCD 2135-2 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The 1950's Birdland Broadcasts (1998) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54467 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 13 & 14} (2007) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54377 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 63 & 64} (2007)
g.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You - 3:22(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) / arr: Bill Russo Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD10001-10007 — [Stan Kenton] NBC All Star Parade Of Bands, 1953-1956 (2009) Mr. Music Collectors' Label CDMmcd 9002 — [Stan Kenton] Live Birdland Encores (2011) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019) Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscAFRS ASPB 10 — All Star Parade Of Bands [1 Chris Connor vocal]
h.	Concert Taping	Taking A Chance On Love - 2:24(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) / arr: Johnny Richards Artie Shaw Club Collectors' Label LPASC 10 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] At Birdland, Concert In Miniature (1972) PMF {Peter's Music Factory} Public Domain CD90.108-2 (Netherlands) — [Stan Kenton] A True Collectors Item ("Jazz Archives" Series) (1990) ► Swing Mania Public Domain CD682466 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Masters Of Swing: Stan Kenton 1952-53 (1995)
i.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscAFRS ASPB 5 — All Star Parade Of Bands [1 Chris Connor vocal]
j.	Concert Taping	I'll Remember April - 3:51(Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) / arr: Bill Russo Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4017 — [Stan Kenton] Unissued Concert In Miniature Encores, 1952-1953 (1993) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54466 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 11 & 12} (2007) Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-27 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]
k.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers - 2:58(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4017 — [Stan Kenton] Unissued Concert In Miniature Encores, 1952-1953 (1993)
l.	Concert Taping	Taking A Chance On Love(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) / arr: Bill Russo Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD10001-10007 — [Stan Kenton] NBC All Star Parade Of Bands, 1953-1956 (2009) Mr. Music Collectors' Label CDMmcd 9002 — [Stan Kenton] Live Birdland Encores (2011) Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscAFRS ASPB 14 — All Star Parade Of Bands [1 Chris Connor vocal]
m.	Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 3:17(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo PMF {Peter's Music Factory} Public Domain CD90.108-2 (Netherlands) — [Stan Kenton] A True Collectors Item ("Jazz Archives" Series) (1990) Natasha Imports Collectors' Label CDNI-4017 — [Stan Kenton] Unissued Concert In Miniature Encores, 1952-1953 (1993) Swing Mania Public Domain CD682466 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Masters Of Swing: Stan Kenton 1952-53 (1995) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54467 — [Stan Kenton] Concert Encores {Episodes 13 & 14} (2007) Powder Public Domain CD6783 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton ("Filigram Jazz" Series)
n.	Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo Joyce Record Club Collectors' Label cassetteC-39 — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton On Saturday Night Dance Party ("Imperfect" Series) (1980)
o.	Concert Taping	Love Me Or Leave Me(Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) / arr: Bill Russo Joyce Record Club Collectors' Label cassetteC-39 — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton On Saturday Night Dance Party ("Imperfect" Series) (1980)
p.	Concert Taping	Love Me Or Leave Me - 2:21(Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) / arr: Bill Russo Jazz Band Collectors' Label CDEBCD 2135-2 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The 1950's Birdland Broadcasts (1998)
q.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You - 2:53(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) / arr: Bill Russo Jazz Band Collectors' Label CDEBCD 2135-2 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The 1950's Birdland Broadcasts (1998) Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54367 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 42 & 43} (2007) Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2130 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The Best Of The Complete Concerts In Miniature (2019) Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-28 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]
r.	Concert Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Bill Russo Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD10001-10007 — [Stan Kenton] NBC All Star Parade Of Bands, 1953-1956 (2009) Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscAFRS ASPB 22 — All Star Parade Of Bands [1 Chris Connor vocal]
s.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-29 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]

Sources & Dating

The 19 above-listed titles were originally performed by Chris Connor and The Stan Kenton Orchestra during their two-week stay at New York's Birdland Club. The opening night was reviewed by Bob Rolontz in the May 2, 1953 issue of Billboard magazine. Here is an excerpt:

{beginning of quote}Stan Kenton and his full ork opened at Birdland on Thursday April 23, marking the first time the Kenton ork has played the famed jazz palace. If any of the many Kenton fans, or any tradesters missed the opening, it was not apparent, as the small room was jammed to capacity opening night, with every table taken, and fans three and four deep at the bar .... The Kenton crew introduced a new chirp, vivacious Chris Connor, who had previously sung with the Claude Thornhill ork and made some waxings on Decca. The thrush is an asset to any ork, and especially to an outfit like Kenton’s. She can sing, and what is more important, she knows how to put over a song from the bandstand. Her voice has a touch of June Christy and Doris Day, but enough individual style to stand out. She sang three efforts, including "Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me" and "Taking A Chance On Love," to solid hands. The Four Freshmen, Capitol recording artists, made their appearance here as the rest of the Birdland show ... The fact that Birdland has Stan Kenton in for two weeks, illustrates the amount of loot that is being offered by Birdland these days in the face of the new competition the Bandbox, which is less than ten feet away on Broadway. The Birdland show with Kenton and the Four Freshmen is estimated to run about $7,000 per week ...{end of quote}

These Birdland performances were broadcast on NBC radio stations, with a few exceptions (d, e, n, and o). Further specifics about the broadcasts and the performing dates are given below.

a. "I'll Remember April"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 23.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Encores Time On Stars In Jazz (NBC).

b. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 24 or April 25.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC), airdate May 30, 1953.
3) All details about this particular performance were gathered from the liner notes of the Vintage Radio Classics CDs, and communicated to me by Jan Kagenaar.

c. "All About Ronnie"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 24, or otherwise April 25. (In Natasha Imports CD NI-4017, this performance is dated April 23. However, Natasha's dating has been deemed wrong by Kenton researcher Edward Chaplin and by the other Kenton experts with whom he has consulted this matter.)
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar, this version of "All About Ronnie" was broadcast on both All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC, airdate May 30, 1953; possibly show #5) and Concert Encores (NBC). (Actually, I have made a tentative assumption in this particular case. Jan Kagenaar sent me separate listings for these two shows. Since both shows give the date April 24 to their respective versions of "All About Ronnie," I have assumed that those are one and the same version -- rather than two different performances dating from April 24.)

d. "All About Ronnie"
1) radio show in which it was broadcast: The Birdland Show (CBS-WABC; excerpts), according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.
2) concert date from which it was taken: April 25. (However, a technicality rises the possibility that the correct date is April 26 instead. At Birdland, Kenton performed two shows nightly, if not more. The last of the nightly shows would usually begin after the midnight hour -- thus, not on the same day as the first show. In the case of this particular "All About Ronnie" performance from CBS-WABC's The Birdland Show, our problem is that we do not know if the earlier show or the post-midnight show was the one that was broadcast. At the present time, the midnight show seems the likelier of the two possibilities, due to collateral evidence. The evidence comes, once again, from Ed Chaplin, who is familiar with other 1953 episodes of The Birdland Show. In those other Birdland Show broadcasts -- dating from October 1953 -- the announcer states that the broadcasts are taking place shortly after midnight. Chaplin further suspects that it might have been the norm for CBS-WABC to tape midnight shows, and for NBC to tape shows performed earlier.)

e. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 25, or perhaps April 26 (see dating explanation immediately above).
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: The Birdland Show (CBS-WABC; excerpts), according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.

f. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 25.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores On Stars In Jazz (NBC). Also re-broadcast on October 6, 1953, as part of the Concert In Miniature series.
3) errors: The two Vintage Radio Classics CDs which contain this performance wrongly give it the date of the repeat broadcast (October 6, 1953).

g. "If I Should Lose You"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 28.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC; possibly show #10), airdate June 13, 1953.
3) All details about this particular performance were gathered from the notes of Vintage Radio Classics CDs, and kindly told to me by Jan Kagenaar.

h. "Taking A Chance On Love"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 28.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert In Miniature (NBC), program #39.

i. "All About Ronnie"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 29
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC), airdate unclear.
3) All details about this particular performance based on Vintage Radio Classics CD series, and provided to me by Jan Kagenaar.

j. "I'll Remember April"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 29.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores (NBC).

k. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: April 30.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Encores Time On Stars In Jazz (NBC).

l. "Taking A Chance On Love"
1) concert date from which it was taken: May 1 or May 2.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC; possibly show #14), airdate June 20, 1953.
3) All details about this particular performance based on Vintage Radio Classics CD series, and kindly shared by Jan Kagenaar.

m. "Don't Worry 'Bout Me"
1) concert date from which it was taken: May 1. (In Natasha Imports CD NI-4017, this performance is dated April 30. However, Natasha's dating has been deemed wrong by Kenton researcher Edward Chaplin and by the other Kenton experts with whom he has consulted this matter. May 1 is, in their estimation, the correct date of this performance.)
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores On Stars In Jazz (NBC), according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.

n. "Don't Worry 'Bout Me"
1) radio show in which it was broadcast: The Birdland Show (CBS-WABC; excerpts), according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.
2) concert date from which it was taken: May 2, or possibly May 3. (See dating explanation given above, under d.)

o. "Love Me Or Leave Me"
1) radio show in which it was broadcast: The Birdland Show (CBS-WABC; excerpts), according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.
2) concert date from which it was taken: May 2, or possibly May 3. (See dating explanation given above, under d.)

p. "Love Me Or Leave Me"
1) concert date from which it was taken: May 2.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores (NBC).

q. "If I Should Lose You"
1) concert date from which it was taken:concert date: May 5.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert In Miniature (NBC), episode #40, according to information provided by Jan Kagenaar.
3) error: Vintage Radio Classics CD 54367 includes this performance, yet gives it a wrong date (May 8, 1953).

r. "Jeepers Creepers"
1) concert date from which it was taken: May 6.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: All Star Parade Of Bands (NBC; possibly show #22), airdate June 27, 1953.
3) All details about this particular performance were gathered from Vintage Radio Classics CDs, and kindly provided to me by Jan Kagenaar.

s. "All About Ronnie"
1) concert date from which it was taken: May 6.
2) radio show in which it was broadcast: Concert Encores In Stars Of Jazz (NBC).

Personnel

1. Pete Candoli
2. Ernie Royal
3. Conte Candoli
During the May dates, Pete Candoli became part of the Kenton ensemble, alternatively taking over band members Conte Candoli (on May 1, May 2, possibly May 3) and Ernie Royal (on May 5 and possibly May 3). Royal and Pete's brother Conte appear to be back in the fold for closing night (May 6). As for May 4, that date fell on a Monday, the band's day off.

Issues & Dating

1. 'Live' Birdland Encores [CD]
Mmcd 9002 includes the spoken comments from Kenton and others that preceded each tune. In the case of the tunes sung by Connor, the next two paragraphs supply transcriptions of his comments.

"A very charming young lady about to sing If I Should Lose You. The lovely Chris Connors, ladies and gentlemen."

"Here is a tune that is one one the favorites, I believe, of all the people who likes to sing, professionally or amateurs. It's something with a beat, and there's a few solos in the middle of the first chorus that she does, and at her entrance in the finish of the arrangement. Chris Connors, we have planned and we hope that we don't object on your signing Taking A Chance On Love.

2. Jazz Archives: Stan Kenton [CD]
PMF CD 90.108.2 misidentifies the origin of its performances, wrongly inferring that they are from Kenton's engagement at the Blue Note in late March 1953. They are instead from this Birdland engagement and from other concerts given elsewhere, al of them within the April- November 1953 period.

Blue Arrowheads (A Technical Note)

In a few of this page's sessions, a blue arrowhead is found next to an issue. Click on the arrowhead if you want to see a longer list of albums containing the corresponding Chris Connor performance.

Date: 5/12/53
Location: Glen Echo Park Ballroom, Glen Echo, Maryland

Concert Taping

Everything Happens To Me - 4:22(Matt Dennis, Tom Adair) / arr: Bill Russo

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54368 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 44 & 45} (2007)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Source, Issues And Dating

This "Everything Happens To Me" vocal was broadcast as part of show #41 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC).

The aforementioned Concert In Miniature show (#41) was transcribed by the AFRS' onto disc SK-30 of its "Stan Kenton" transcription series. However, SK-30 is not an exact replica of the NBC show. Among other differences, only the instrumentals are included. Connor's "Everything Happens To Me" vocal is left out.

Venue

Vintage Radio Classics CD #54368 wrongly locates this May 12, 1953 performance of "Everything Happens To Me" at Birdland, instead of Glen Echo Park.

Personnel

1. Stan Levey
2. Joe Morello
Drummer Joe Morello's contributions to the live sounds of The Stan Kenton Orchestra began on May 10 and finished just a few days later. He was temporarily substituting for an hospitalized Stan Levey. On May 15, concertgoers spotted Levey back with the band.

3. Don Carone
4. Vinnie Dean
Kenton's alto saxophonist Vinnie Dean was replaced by Don Carone in either May or June 1953. There are no witness testimonies nor any other hard evidence of his presence in the May dates. Various Kenton discographies do show Carone already substituting for Dean in May 1953, but those are the same discographies whose reliability in matters of personnel has proven shaky in many another instance.

The first studio session with Kenton in which Carone is listed dates from July 8, 1953. On the road, Kenton researcher Ed Chaplin believes that a June 9, 1953 date in Wisconsin is the earliest extant concert in which Carone's presence can be tentatively ascertained. In previous live dates from May and early June, Chaplin is a bit more inclined to identify Dean as the player, but does not discard Carone as an alternate possibility. I have followed Chaplin's lead.

Date: 5/19/53
Location: The Palm Gardens, Columbus, Ohio

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Don Carone, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (ts), Henry "Hank" Levy (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Donald "Don" Bagley (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 3:07(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) / arr: Pete Rugolo

Swing Mania Public Domain CD682466 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Masters Of Swing: Stan Kenton 1952-53 (1995)

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54368 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 44 & 45} (2007)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2130 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The Best Of The Complete Concerts In Miniature (2019)

Powder Public Domain CD6783 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton ("Filigram Jazz" Series)

Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-34 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]

Source

This performance of "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" was broadcast as part of show #42 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC).

Date: 6/2/53
Location: Star Ballroom, Dakota City, Iowa

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Don Carone, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (ts), Tony Ferina (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Donald "Don" Bagley (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:18(Cole Porter) / arr: Bill Russo

PMF {Peter's Music Factory} Public Domain CD90.108-2 (Netherlands) — [Stan Kenton] A True Collectors Item ("Jazz Archives" Series) (1990)

Swing Mania Public Domain CD682466 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Masters Of Swing: Stan Kenton 1952-53 (1995)

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54369 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 46 & 47} (2007)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2130 (United Kingdom) — [Stan Kenton] The Best Of The Complete Concerts In Miniature (2019)

Powder Public Domain CD6783 (France) — [Stan Kenton] Stan Kenton ("Filigram Jazz" Series)

Arrangement

This performance of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" follows the same Latinized arrangement heard on the May 25, 1953 studio recording.

Source

Broadcast as part of show #43 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC).

Date: 6/9/53
Location: Riviera Ballroom, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Don Carone, Lee Konitz (as), Bill Holman, Zoot Sims (ts), Tony Ferina (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Donald "Don" Bagley (b), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

All About Ronnie - 3:36(Joe Greene) / arr: Bill Russo

Dynaflow Collectors' Label CD2003-2 — [Stan Kenton] Stan's Singers [Volume 1] (2003)

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54370 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 48 & 49} (2007)

Magic/Submarine Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2138(United Kingdom) — Connor Sings; Kenton Swings (2019)

Joyce Record Club Collectors' Label cassetteJRC-1533 — [Stan Kenton] Broadcasts June 19, 1953 And April 25, 1956

Armed Forces Radio Service 16" Transcription DiscSK-35 — The Stan Kenton Show [1 Chris Connor vocal]

Source

Broadcast as part of show #44 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC).

Date: 6/30/53
Location: Drill Hall Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF Station, Centralia, Ontario, Canada

The Stan Kenton Orchestra (ldr), Don Carone, Lee Konitz (as), Zoot Sims, Eddie Wasserman (ts), Tony Ferina (bar), Conte Candoli, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Don Dennis, Ernie Royal, Don Smith (t), Bob Burgess, Keith Moon, Frank Rosolino, Bill Russo (tb), George Roberts (bt), Sal Salvador (g), Stan Kenton (p), Stan Levey (d), Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

If I Should Lose You(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) / arr: Bill Russo

Vintage Radio Classics Collectors' Label CD54371 — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature {Episodes 50 & 51} (2007)

Sounds Of Yesteryear Collectors' Label CDDSOY 2072 (England) — [Stan Kenton] Concert In Miniature, Volume 20 (2017)

Source

Broadcast as part of show #47 of the radio series Concert In Miniature (NBC/CBC-CBL).

Personnel

Aside from the bandleader and the vocalist, the personnel that I have entered herein should be deemed tentative. The basis for this tentative listing is the previous session (June 9, 1953), whose personnel is more definitely known.

Bio-Discographical Note: Chris Connor's Performances With Stan Kenton's Orchestra

This is Chris Connor's final extant appearance as the regular vocalist of The Stan Kenton Orchestra. Kenton experts have stated that her very last (non-extant) performance took place on Sunday July 5, 1953, at the Crystal Ballroom in Vermilon, Ohio.

Connor's very first live performance in that capacity had taken place some time in mid-February 1953. She thus lasted about four and a half months with the band. The main reason that the vocalist gave for her departure was fatigue from the travails of road traveling.

Songs And Arrangements

1. Other Songs That Chris Connor Could Have Sung In Concerts With The Stan Kenton Orchestra
During the period in which Connor was his orchestra's canary, Kenton's book of scores included vocal arrangements for the following standards:

1. "I Can't Get Started" (sung by Connor's predecessor with the band, Kay Brown)
2. "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" (recorded by Kenton and Connor for Capitol, but the master was rejected and remains unissued)
3. "One For My Baby" (written by Russo for June Christy)
4. "What's New?"

During her months with the orchestra, Connor could have tackled some or even all of those numbers in live performance. But if she did, neither the concerts nor data about them has survived the test of time.

CHRIS CONNOR AS A SOLO ARTIST

Chris Connor's career as a solo artist went into full swing during the fall of 1953, when she was booked by her manager for what turned out to be a successful engagement at the Birdland Club in New York. Unfortunately, there are no extant live performances from that year, nor from her 1954 appearances in various venues across the nation, including The Cloisters (Chicago) and the Sarno Club (Ohio). We do have, though, extant material from a 1955 Birdland appearance, as shown immediately below.

Date: 9/24/54
Location: Birdland Club, New York

Jimmy Gannon (b), Eddie Costa (p), Jimmy Campbell (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	Lullaby Of Birdland(George Shearing, George David Weiss)
b.	Radio Taping	I Hear Music(Burton Lane, Frank Loesser)
c.	Radio Taping	Try A Little Tenderness(Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry Woods)
d.	Radio Taping	Come Back To Sorrento(Claude Aveling, Ernesto DeCurtis)
e.	Radio Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene)
f.	Radio Taping	Jeepers Creepers(Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer)
g.	Radio Taping	Lullaby Of Birdland(George Shearing, George David Weiss)

All titles unissued.

Source

As part of a program called Hear America Swingin': Stars In Jazz, NBC radio broadcast this set at 9:15 p.m., on the day indicated above. A taping has been preserved at the Library of Congress (shelf RGA 0883 B4), in cassette configuration.

Performances

1. "Lullaby Of Birdland"
The song "Lullaby Of Birdland" is briefly heard at the beginning and at the end of the set. Since I have not actually listened to the extant broadcast, I cannot definitely state that "Lullaby Of Birdland" was performed as a vocal. (Instead, it could been played only as an instrumental theme.) However, and for the time being, I am tentatively assuming that there was a vocal. The reasoning behind my assumption stems from the fact that all the songs in this set, including "Lullaby Of Birdland," had been recorded by Connor that same year (most of them just one month earlier). The full broadcast would have thus served as promotion for her Bethlehem record releases. Of course, such reasoning is far from being infallible, and in due course I might very well find out that these were strictly instrumental themes. In any case, vocal or no vocal, radio audiences heard these two performances of "Lullaby Of Birdland" in truncated form. As is the case with many a remote from the 1940s and 1950s, the broadcast's opening and closing numbers probably began in media res or faded away after a few bars.

2. Timing
The timing of each performance is not found in the sources that I consulted. It is worth pointing out, however, that the full Connor broadcast probably did not last more than 15 minutes. (Other artists' extant broadcasts from Hear America Swingin': Stars In Jazz are known to have a running time of 15 minutes. Furthermore, the fact that Connor's set started at 9:15 makes it logical to propose 9:30 p.m. as one of the likelier stop times.)

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to Fernando Ortiz de Urbina for his ongoing research on the music of Eddie Costa, which has allowed me to fill many of the blanks that were originally missing in this entry. I would also like to thank Larry Appelbaum for his work and knowledge in the area of vintage jazz recordings (a well as his expertise on jazz, folk, and classical music in general).

Live At Carnegie Hall: Stan Kenton And Chris Connor

Pete Venudor's unpublished Stan Kenton discography lists two October 19, 1954 Carnegie Hall shows by The Stan Kenton Orchestra, with Chris Connor as guest vocalist and Herb Ellis sitting in for Ralph Blaze. The earlier show was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m., the later show at midnight. Song program unknown. My thanks to Jan Kagenaar for sharing these details with me.

Date: 1/23/55
Location: Birdland Club, New York

Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear Music - 2:00(Burton Lane, Frank Loesser) Big Cat's V2 Music LP/CDVVNL 26181/VVNL 26172 (Benelux) — [Various Artists] Day & Night; Bethlehem Blends (DJ Maestro Mixes) (2014)
b.	Concert Taping	Gone With The Wind - 4:00(Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel) unissued
c.	Concert Taping	Lullaby Of Birdland - 1:30(George Shearing, George David Weiss) unissued

Source

This is one of various concert appearances that jazz collector Boris Rose taped when they were broadcast over the New York radio airwaves. (For others, see March 10 and 17, 1962.) The current whereabouts of his tapes, if they still exist, is unknown to me. Unlike many other items from Rose's tape and acetate collection, the Chris Connor material was never commercially released.

Date: Between January 23, 1956 And April 21, 1957
A Jazz Roundup With Guest Star Chris Connor

Unknown (b, p, d), Chris Connor (v)

Radio Taping

Almost Like Being In Love - 1:45(Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe)

US Government's Treasury Department Service 16" Transcription DiscProgram No. 526 — Guest Star; The Great American Jazz Roundup (1957)

Source

This performance of "Almost Like Being In Love" is heard during episode No. 526 of the US Department of Treasury's radio show Guest Star. Billed as The Great American Jazz Roundup, the episode features performances from three members of Atlantic's jazz roster at that point in time (The Jerry Mulligan Quartet, Connor, The Modern Jazz Quartet). Also heard are the Teddy Wilson Trio and the show's in-house band, led by Harry Sosnik. At the time, the show's regular announcer was Del Sharbutt. At the time of this writing, most of the episode could be heard in a YouTube clip.

Chris Connor recorded "Almost Like Being In Love" for Atlantic on January 23, 1956. The version heard in this radio show is similar. Although the possibility that Guest Star played an alternate take cannot be discarded, I am more inclined to think that the radio show's version was either performed for the show or culled from a concert rehearsal.

Date: May 27, 1957, 10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Location: KABC-TV Studios, Hollywood, California
Chris Connor Among The Stars Of Jazz

Unknown (b, d), Stan Freeman (p), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Television Taping	'S Wonderful - 2:34(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
b.	Television Taping	Love Walked In - 2:56(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

Both titles on:

Armed Forces Radio & Television Service 16" Transcription DiscProgram No. 48 — Stars Of Jazz (1957)

Calliope Collectors' Label 8-track/LPCALT-3002/3002 — [Various Artists] Sessions, Live 1956 (1976)

Calliope Collectors' Label LP3030 — [Various Artists] Sessions, Live 1957 (1976)

Blue Moon Licensed/Public Domain CDBm2cd 99907 (Spain) — [Various Artists] The Ladies Sing The Gershwin Songbook (1995)

Blue Moon Licensed/Public Domain CDBMCD 3074 (Spain) — 'S Wonderful (1998)

Blue Moon Licensed/Public Domain CDBMCD 883 (Spain) — The Complete Atlantic Singles, 1956-1960 (2017)

Source

1. The TV Show
These Connor performances were originally televised. Viewers saw them in the music show Stars of Jazz, hosted by Bobby Troup. According to show expert Jim Harrod, 128 telecasts of the show were made. Jazz film expert David Meeker estimates that 35% of that total has been preserved. As far as I have been able to ascertain, the telecast that featured Connor is not among them.

2. AFRS' Preservationist Role
The audio of this telecast has been preserved because the Armed Forces Radio Service transferred it to a transcription disc, and sent out copies of the disc to the stations that participated in the service.

We actually owe to AFRS the survival of not just this one Star Of Jazz episode, but most of the series. Of the 128 telecasts, AFRS transferred 106 to audio discs. For all 106 discs, AFRS adhered to its policy of editing the original show's advertisement and promotional spots. Otherwise, AFRS seems to have kept the rest of each telecast (music, Troup's narrative, interviews with artists) intact, except for the musical intros by the featured instrumental guests, which can be heard in the early AFRS discs but were later substituted with two stock instrumentals.

3. Calliope Records
As for the Stars of Jazz videotape library, it was eventually sold to a party that mastered the audio of each episode and set up a label (Calliope) to release them. Music collector and record seller Jim Harrod has extensively researched these Calliope releases, as well as the TV show itself. Consult his blog here and here.

Personnel

1. Production Personnel
For the episode that featured Chris Connor, Harrod provides the script and the following production credits:
Producer: Jimmie Baker
Writer: Bob Arbogast
Director: "Hap" Leo G. Weyman
Audio: Chuck Lewis
Cameramen: Jack Denton, Bob Haley
Technical Director: Gene Lukowski
Lighting Director: Vince Cilurzo
Video: George Hillas

2. Musicians With Chris Connor
The unidentified bassist on this televised performance may be Paul West and the unidentified drummer may be Ed Shaughnessy. Along with Stan Free, those musicians were Connor's backing group in the mid- to late-1950s. Free and Shaughnessy regularly played with Connor not only on live dates (see, for instance, the July 6, 1957 entry below) but also on studio recordings (browse the Atlantic page.)

It is also worth noting that the name which some of my sources credit as this TV date's pianist is Stan Freeman, not Stan Free. However, I have tentatively assumed that those sources misidentified Free as Freeman. (Both Free and the better-known Freeman were pianists active at the time.) I have no other record of a Freeman involvement in any of Connor's performances.

Of course, we cannot discard the possibility that a different ensemble accompanied Connor on this TV show. For instance, the backing musicians could have belonged to The Paul Togawa Quartet, the other guest in this episode of Stars of Jazz. The quartet consisted of Dick Johnson on piano, Ben Tucker on acoustic double bass (or, according to a different report, Marv Shorr), Paul Towaga on drums, and Gabe Baltazar on alto sax.

Unfortunately, I have never seen the Connor/Togawa Quartet episode of the Stars Of Jazz show, nor I am acquainted with anyone who has watched it, or who could categorically confirm who were the musicians backing the singer.

Dating

1. Original Telecast
2. Calliope LP 3002
3. Calliope LP 3030
The above-listed Calliope LPs offer different date for the televised Connor performances under scrutiny: November 5, 1956 (according to Calliope #3030) and May 27, 1957 (according to Calliope #3002). As evinced by the points that I will be making below (and by reliable sources, such as the aforementioned Jim Harrod as well as David Meeker, author of Jazz on the Screen), the correct telecast date is the one from 1957, and the 1956 date is simply too early to qualify.

In principle, Monday, November 5, 1956 would seem to qualify: a new episode of Stars of Jazz would have certainly been scheduled to air on that day, as t had in previous Mondays. However, none did, due to special circumstances. On that evening, all the networks cancelled their regular programming. The night's time slots were given to reports about the re-election of president Eisenhower, and about the Suez Canal crisis. (My thanks to my friend, Ed Chaplin, for alerting me to the reasons for the cancellation of the jazz program.)

Some readers might wonder, however, if the episode featuring Chris Connor could still have been taped on November 5, 1956, and then kept in the vaults, finally airing on May 27, 1957. That’s a highly unlikely possibility. For starters, Stars Of Jazz was usually telecast live. Even if an exception had been made in this case, six months strike me as too long a wait for the airing of an episode.

But there are more solid reasons to state that Connor’s performances were seen only in the 1957 telecast, and not in any episodes from the previous year. The songs performed by the vocalist (" 'S Wonderful" and "Love Walked In") were both Gershwin standards that also appear in her album Chris Connor Sings The George Gershwin Almanac. The recording of the Almanac began in January of 1957 and concluded in May, which was the same month in which the Stars Of Jazz telecast happened. Taking those dates into consideration, it is reasonable to assume that Connor and her label might have wanted to use her appearance on Stars of Jazz to promote the soon-to-be-released Almanac. And indeed, the script for the 1957 episode includes a brief chat with host Bobby Troup during which Connor does promotion for the album. (On the other hand, a November 1956 taping would predate the Almanac's recording sessions by a couple of months. From a promotional standpoint, the more logical numbers to perform in late 1956 would have been those from A Jazz Date With Chris Connor, the album on which she was working during November and December of that year. Besides, there’s the elephant in the room: no 1956 script featuring Connor has turned up, while the one for the 1957 episode certainly has.)

In short: the date given on Calliope LP #3030 is erroneous. As stated by expert David Meeker (author of the aforementioned Jazz on the Screen), this Stars of Jazz series "is notoriously difficult to document accurately in view of the permanent loss of 85% of the series and the errors and omissions in listings, discographies and sleeve notes."

4. AFRS transcription disc Stars of Jazz [No. 48]
AFRS' Star of Jazz transcription discs bear no dates on them. The 1957 dating that I have assigned to disc no. 48 is very tentative. Its only basis is my assumption that the Armed Forces Radio Service transferred and sent out the audio discs during the same years in which the TV versions were airing (1956-1958). If the very few AFRS Star of Jazz discs that I have seen online are any indication, there is no program number in them, either. The number which I have assigned to this disc is actually that of the telecast. (It is found in the telecast's extant script.)

Date: 7/6/57
Location: Newport Jazz Festival, Freebody Park, Rhode Island

Chris Connor (ldr), Paul West (b), Stan Free (p), Ed Shaughnessy (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On(Cole Porter)
b.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene)
c.	Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl(Noel Coward)
d.	Concert Taping	Ridin' High(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	I Miss You So(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
f.	Concert Taping	Fine And Dandy(Paul James, Kay Swift)

All titles unissued.

Bio-Discographical Note: Newport's Fourth Annual All-Star Jazz Circus

Chris Connor performed this set of songs during the Newport Jazz Festival's Fourth Annual All-Star Jazz Circus, a star-studded extravaganza that also featured Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Bobby Hackett, Mahalia Jackson, Stan Kenton, Jack Teagarden, and many other celebrated artists. In addition to Connor and Jackson, the participating female vocalists included Ella Fitzgerald (July 4), Carmen McRae (July 5), Billie Holiday (same day as Chris Connor), and Sarah Vaughan (July 7).

Verve Records Impresario Norman Granz obtained the rights to release the performances. (He was following in the footsteps of Columbia's George Avakian, who had had critical and commercial success with four albums of performances from the festival's Third Annual All-Star Jazz Circus. Duke Ellington's career-reviving sets were among those four.) Granz planned to issue a total of 11 LPs from the 1957 shows. I am not certain that he was able to fully carry out his plan; I am aware of only four such albums. Most notably: Count Basie At Newport (originally scheduled to be volume V of the series) and Ella Fitzgerald And Billie Holiday At Newport (volume II), whose CD incarnation went on to add the McRae set. (The Sarah Vaughan tracks made their belated debut in the Pablo CD Linger Awhile.)

In the case of other above-listed performers, including Chris Connor (and, originally, McRae), Granz could not put their performances on record due to one of three reasons: lack of permission from the labels to which the artists were signed, song sets which contained too many numbers recently recorded for other labels by the given artist, and/or compensation fees that the impresario found unreasonable.

Source

Live concert. Available on tape at the Library of Congress. Possibly broadcast over Voice of America radio by Willis Conover (the festival's master of ceremonies, and one of its producers).

Date: 7/7/58
Location: Newport Jazz Festival, Freebody Park, Rhode Island

Chris Connor (ldr), Chuck Wayne (g), George Duvivier (b), Stan Free (p), Ed Shaughnessy (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	It Only Happens When I Dance With You(Irving Berlin)
b.	Concert Taping	I Miss You So(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
c.	Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl(Noel Coward)
d.	Concert Taping	Here Lies Love(Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger)
e.	incompleteConcert Taping	Blow, Gabriel, Blow(Cole Porter)
f.	Concert Taping	Blow, Gabriel, Blow(Cole Porter)

All titles unissued.

Bio-Discographical Note: Newport's Fifth Annual All-Star Jazz Circus

This was Connor's second appearance at the festival whose first year had been 1954, and whose second year had proved particularly felicitous for Miles Davis (himself an avowed Chris Connor fan), thanks to a very well received solo during a jam performance of "Round Midnight." See also notes under preceding session.

In the May 1958 issue of the Atlantic Long Playing Newsletter (a company's promotional tool), we are told that "Chris came up to Newport a few days before the night she was scheduled to appear. She got the chance she missed in other years to do some sightseeing in the beautiful, historic old town. It was no wonder she was relaxed and appealingly fresh in her set on Sunday night, the last evening of the festival. She sang "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" and "Poor Little Rich Girl" from her Jazz Date LP (1286) and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," a great song that will be in her next LP, Chris Craft (1290)."

Source & Performances

Live concert. Extant at the Library of Congress' music archives, in the form of a "homemade" cassette. Possibly broadcast over the Voice of America radio network by Willis Conover (the Newport Jazz Festival's master of ceremonies, and one of its producers).

Songs

1. "Blow Gabriel, Blow"
According to the Library of Congress' bibliographic data, Connor's first version of "Blow Gabriel Blow" is incomplete. The the second version is presumed to be complete.

Date: 8/3/58
Location: New York

The Horace Silver Quintet (acc), Junior Cook (ts), Blue Mitchell (t), Gene Taylor (b), Horace Silver (p), Louis Hayes (d), Chris Connor (v)

Television Taping

Moonlight In The Mind(unknown)

unissued

Source

Performed on a CBS special entitled Eye On New York: Regarding Jazz, hosted by reporter Bill Leonard, and televised on a Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. No extant video tape known.

Personnel

The personnel is very tentative. Taken from a 1959 Horace Silver Quintet album, it needs corroboration.

Date: 9/4/58
Location: WNTA-TV Studio, Newark, NJ

Edmond Hall (cl), King Curtis [Curtis Ousley] (ts), Henry 'Red' Allen (t), J. C. Higginbotham (tb), Dickie Thompson (g), Vinnie Burke (b), Stan Free (p), Teddy Charles (vib), Sonny Greer (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Television Taping	I Won't Cry Anymore - 3:31(Fred Wise, Al Frisch)
b.	Television Taping	Hallelujah, I Love Him So - 2:37(Ray Charles)
c.	Television Taping	Chinatown, My Chinatown - 1:38(William Jerome, Jean Schwartz)

All titles unissued.

Source

Simulcast on radio and television, as part of the Art Ford's Jazz Party series. No extant video tape known to me.

Date: Circa 1959
Location: New York

Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	(unidentified song)(unknown)
b.	Radio Taping	(unidentified song)(unknown)

Both titles on:

Armed Forces Radio Service LPPGM 62 — [Steve Lawrence] The United States Army Presents The Steve Lawrence Show, Featuring Chris Connor (1959)

Source, Dating And Issue

I have yet to come across a copy of this LP (although I have seen photos online). I am missing its track listing. I am familiar, however, with two other LPs in the series, both of which were released in 1959. Hence my tentative assignment of that year to the Connor item. (For what is worth, the other LPs contain program's #66 and #81. In the former, Lawrence's wife Eydie Gormé guests. She plugs her recently released album, "Eydie in Dixieland." The guest of program #81 is Stan Kenton, who plugs in turn his album "The Stage Door Swings.")

During his music career, Steve Lawrence hosted both radio and television programs which bore the name The Steve Lawrence Show. His radio program dates from 1951, his TV show from 1965. Neither is known to have featured Chris Connor. A third related show, The Steve Lawrence - Eydie Gorme Show, ran on TV for from 1958 to 1959. I do not believe that the tracks under discussion came from that show, either.

Instead, these tracks are probably from a transcribed radio show that Lawrence did for the US Army. It was called The Steve Lawrence Show as well, and it seems to have run in 1958 .

Date: Saturday Afternoon, August 9, 1959
Location: Playboy Jazz Festival, 1800 Madison Street, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois

Chris Connor (v), Other Individuals Unknown (unk)

a.	Concert Taping	I Got Rhythm - 2:44(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
b.	Concert Taping	Misty - 3:21(Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner)
c.	Concert Taping	Señor Blues - 3:13(Horace Silver)
d.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me - 2:40(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg)

All titles on:

US Government's Armed Forces Radio Service LPVolume _ — This Is Jazz! (1959)

Reel To Reel Radio Recordings Collectors' Label commercial CDr/MP3_ — [Various Artists] Live Performances From Female Vocalists ("The First Playboy Jazz Festival" Series) (2017)

Bio-Discographical Note: The First Playboy Jazz Festival

The earliest of all Playboy Jazz Festivals ran from August 7 to August 9, 1959. Publisher Hugh Hefner claimed to have spent $200,000 in advertisement and $12,000 on modifications to the stadium's stage. In the end, a total of $68.069 tickets were bought. Among the performing acts (to be listed at more length in the next paragraph), the highest salary was commanded by Ella Fitzgerald ($10,000). Two other acts, both left unnamed, raked $5,000 each, both placing second in the highest paid ranking.

During the festival, dans watched a stellar array of jazz names performing inside the stadium, which held 19,000 seats. To wit: Count Basie, Earl Bostic, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Bud Freeman with the rest of the Austin High Gang, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Giuffre, Coleman Hawkins, Ahmad Jamal, Stan Kenton, Oscar Peterson, Red Nichols with His Five Pennies, and Sonny Rollins. Vocalists included David Allyn, Louis Armstrong, June Christy, Frank D'Rone, Ella Fitzgerald, the Four Freshmen, Lambert-Hendricks-Ross, Jimmy Rushing, Joe Williams and, of course, Chris Connor. A few other acts who had been announced in advance (Bobby Darin, Nina Simone, Jack Teagarden, Kai Winding) do not seem to have actually appeared at the festival, after all. Mort Sahl served as master of ceremonies.

Connor was one of the artists heard during the festival's Saturday matinee. The others were Kenton, the Four Freshmen (both acts who might have preceded her), the Sonny Rollins Trio, and the Austin High School Gang (both acts that might have followed her).

Under the title The Playboy Jazz All-Stars, Volume 3, Playboy Records released in 1960 a 3LP set which mixed selections from the festival with studio recordings licensed from several record labels. Connor was not included in this volume (nor in the other volumes).

The second Playboy Jazz Festival would have to wait until 1979 to take place. Once it did, though, annual events became the norm. At the time of this writing (October 2017), the 40th festival is about eight months away.

In 2017, Paul R. Adams self-published a book about the first festival. It can be ordered at this link.

Source

Most if not all of the performances from the first Playboy Jazz Festival were recorded onto transcription discs and broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio network in 1960, over a 24-episode range. Abroad, 26 episodes were scheduled for broadcast on the Voice Of America.

Issues

1. Live Performances From Female Vocalists
The above listed CDr contains what is presumed to be Chris Connor's entire set from the festival. The releasing company, Reel To Reel Radio Recordings makes an honest point of letting potential customers know that its CDs are "homemade productions, making use of an original radio recording. The CD labels, cover designs and notes are all home produced." Audio samples posted on YouTube prove that the sound quality of the company's CDs is actually very good. As of early 2019, the website and its CD/MP3 catalogue could still be accessed here, a sample Chris Connor performance here.

Date: 9/13/59
Location: Village Vanguard, New York
Label: ATLANTIC

Chris Connor (ldr), Kenny Burrell (g), Eddie de Haas (b), Bill Rubenstein (p), Lex Humpries (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	3447Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band - 2:09(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) ATLANTIC CD601-602 — Chris Connor Sings The George Gershwin Almanac Of Song (1989) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302173859 (Greece) — Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
b.	3448Concert Taping	Misty - 3:10(Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) New World Licensed LPNW 295 — [Various Artists] When Malindy Sings: Jazz Vocalists, 1938-1961 (1977) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
c.	3449Concert Taping	Señor Blues - 3:19(Horace Silver) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) ATLANTIC©Warner Jazz & Rhino CD8122799391 (United Kingdom) — Introducing Chris Connor (2008) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
d.	3450Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me - 3:17(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) ATLANTIC EP623 — Chris In Person (1959) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) ► ATLANTIC©Victor EPSJET-44 (Japan) — Chris Connor ("5 Big Hits" Series) (1963)
e.	3451Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 2:58(Joe Greene) ATLANTIC EP623 — Chris In Person (1959) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) ► Rhino Licensed CDR2 71282 — [Various Artists] Best Of The '50's ("Atlantic Jazz" Series) (1993)
f.	3452Concert Taping	Hallelujah, I Love Him So - 2:48(Ray Charles) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
g.	3453Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl - 2:46(Noel Coward) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
h.	3454Concert Taping	'Round Midnight - 3:49(Bernie D. Hanighen, Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
i.	3455Concert Taping	Blow, Gabriel, Blow(Cole Porter) unissued
j.	3456Concert Taping	I Miss You So(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin) unissued
k.	3457Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town(Cole Porter) unissued
l.	3458Concert Taping	Fine And Dandy - 2:18(Paul James, Kay Swift) ATLANTIC EP623 — Chris In Person (1959) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
m.	3459Concert Taping	Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 2:49(Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) ATLANTIC EP623 — Chris In Person (1959) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
n.	3460Concert Taping	It Don't Mean A Thing - 3:23(Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
o.	3461Concert Taping	Chinatown, My Chinatown - 2:35(William Jerome, Jean Schwartz) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)
p.	3462Concert Taping	Angel Eyes - 3:38(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis) ATLANTIC LP8040/SD-8040 — Chris In Person (1959) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 6887 — Chris In Person / Chris Connor Sings George Gershwin (2000) Collectables Licensed CDCOL 0403 — Chris Connor (2006) Music Box/General Publishing Company Public Domain CD3302174124 (Greece) — 'Round Midnight ("The Great Singers" Series) (2010)

Cross-references

1. Chris Connor's Atlantic Sessions
This Atlantic session has been exceptionally included in this page because it is a live date. For all other Chris Connor sessions and issues on that label, go to the Atlantic Records page.

Songs

1. "How Little We Know"
There are two frequently recorded songs which bear the title "How Little We Know." Chris Connor happened to record both of them. The one performed at this date ("Who cares to define / What chemistry this is? / Who cares with your lips on mine / How ignorant bliss is / So long as you kiss me / And the world around us shatters? / How little it matters, how little we know" ... ) is best known in a version by Frank Sinatra.

Issues / Collectors' Corner

1. Chris In Person [EP]
The only copy of the EP Chris In Person that I have ever seen is a promo. More specifically, it identifies itself as being "a special promotional EP for D. J. use only" and as containing "excerpts from the new LP that launches Atlantic's April Shower of Music by Chris Connor." I am not certain that this promotional item came in a cardboard cover -- although its commercial version must have. It came instead just in its a paper sleeve. The sleeve was filled with the text that would normally be found in a back cover, such as tracks and brief liner notes. Also included in the sleeve: a relatively small reproduction of the same photo that graces the cover of the 12" LP version.

Dating & Masters

1. Chris Connor Sings The Gershwin Almanac Of Song [CD]
2. "Strike Up The Band"
3. "They All Laughed"
Atlantic CD #601-2 incorrectly gives the date January 23, 1961 to this live performance of "Strike Up The Band." Also incorrectly, Atlantic CD 601-2 gives the date September 13, 1959 to a studio performance of "They All Laughed" whose actual date is April 24, 1957.

Blue Arrowheads (A Technical Note)

Through this page, you may spot blue arrowheads placed next to some album titles. Click on such arrowheads if you want to see a longer list of albums containing the corresponding Chris Connor performance.

Date: Second Half of 1959
Label: US Government's Air Force Recruitment Service

Chris Connor And Her Trio (acc), Mundell Lowe (g), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Program 55Radio Taping	Strike Up The Band - 1:28(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
b.	Program 55; IncompleteRadio Taping	All About Ronnie - 1:15(Joe Greene)
c.	Program 56Radio Taping	Misty - 1:58(Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
d.	Program 56; IncompleteRadio Taping	Fine And Dandy - 0:32(Paul James, Kay Swift)
e.	Program 57Radio Taping	Señor Blues - 2:12(Horace Silver) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
f.	Program 57; IncompleteRadio Taping	Angel Eyes - 0:24(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
g.	Program 58Radio Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 1:00(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
h.	Program 58; IncompleteRadio Taping	I Miss You So - 1:37(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
i.	Program 59Radio Taping	It Don't Mean A Thing - 1:51(Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
j.	Program 59; IncompleteRadio Taping	'Round Midnight - 0:58(Bernie D. Hanighen, Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams)
k.	Program 60Radio Taping	Blow, Gabriel, Blow - 1:37(Cole Porter) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)
l.	Program 60; IncompleteRadio Taping	Lover Man - 1:00(Roger "Ram" Ramirez, Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman)

All titles on:

US Government's Air Force Recruitment Service LPVolume 10 — Sound Flights Into Jazz (1959)

Acknowledgment

My thanks to Chris Connor music fan Jason Perry for his extensive help while I was in the process of researching the album "Sound Flights Into Jazz" Show.

Source

Listed above are the contents of six shows made by Connor for the Air Force Reserve Recruiting Service, all of them originally broadcast over participating AFRS stations. Jim Lowe is the host of all six shows. The in-house orchestra is billed as Elliot Lawrence And The All-Stars. Each show is only five minutes long. Timing allows for two songs (one in full, the other performed in part) and brief patter.

The Radio Show: Song Sequence And Patter

The following are the episodes of Sound Flights Into Jazz which featured Chris Connor, and the vocals that she sang in each one:

Program #55: 1. Strike Up The Band [complete] / 2. All About Ronnie [incomplete]
Program #56: 1. Misty [complete] / 2. Fine And Dandy [incomplete]
Program #57: 1. Señor Blues [complete] / 2. Angel Eyes [incomplete]
Program #58: 1. I Hear The Music Now [complete] / 2. I Miss You So [incomplete]
Program #59: 1. It Don't Mean A Thing [complete] / 2. 'Round Midnight [incomplete]
Program #60: 1. Blow, Gabriel, Blow [complete] / 2. Lover Man [incomplete]

Normally, the incomplete performances last for one full chorus, before Lowe interjects his closing comments. While Lowe closes the show, Connor is still heard in the background, sometimes still singing the words, other times scatting the melody. There is some variance to those norms, however. In the case of "I Miss You So," two full choruses are heard before Lowe jumps in. In the case of "Angel Eyes," Connor's vocal consists of scatting only -- no lyrics.

As for the patter that vocalist and host exchange in these programs, it mixes some friendly banter (e. g., Connor and Lowe joke about the accent they both share, as "fellow Missourians") with recruiting propaganda ("it's smart for a girl to serve in the Air Force Reserve," a rhyming Connor enthusiastically proclaims).

Personnel

All six shows start with the host identification of the personnel: "It's Jim Lowe and here we go on an Air Force Reserve Sound Flight with Chris Connor, Her Trio, plus Mundell Lowe on guitar, and Elliot Lawrence And The All-Stars. It's jazz at its best on Sound Flights."

Since the Trio's members are not identified by name, their individual identity can only be speculated. Ronnie Ball (piano), Dave Bailey (drums), and Ben Tucker (bass) are strong candidates because they can be found performing with Connor at a date that is relatively close in time (see July 16, 1961 session below). That same combo was playing for her when she traveled to Japan in a package tour with The Horace Silver Quintet (1962). In the tour program, the singer and the three musicians are billed as Chris Connor And Her Trio, which is also the billing used in the Sound Flight programs.

For the names of other musicians with which Connor performed live around this time, see, in particular, 1958 sessions above (July 6, July 7, September 13).

Dating

Although specifics such as the recording date(s) of these Sound Flight numbers remain(s) unavailable to me, a variety of clues have led me to confidently pick 1959 as the correct year in which they were taped. For one, eight of this program's twelve songs can also heard in Connor's album Chris In Person, which was taped on September 13, 1959. During the program, Connor even introduces "Señor Blues" as a tune that "we have been rehearsing." (That introduction was most likely pre-written patter, but there is no reason to deem it inaccurate. In addition to including the tune in her live In Person, Connor had also recorded a studio version for Atlantic on September 6, 1959.) Then there is the photo used for the album's cover: it is an Atlantic-period publicity shot of Connor.

Crossreferences: Chris Connor Sessions For The US Government

For more of Connor's work on behalf of the United States Government, browse ensuing 1959-1962 sessions in this page. See also session dated 1971 in the Post-Atlantic page.

Issues

1. Sound Flights Into Jazz, Volume 10
This LP was made for airplay at AFRS radio stations, not for commercial retail. The album's back cover contains the following legend: "Prepared by Office of Information, Continental Air Command, Mitchell Air Force Base, New York."

2. I Hear Music [CD]
This 2012 Japanese CD digitized the contents of the LP Sound Flights Into Jazz, Volume 10, skipping in the process the song performances that are incomplete.

Date: Circa 1960 (Between Late 1959 and August 1960)
Label: US Government's Air Force Recruitment Service

Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	I Hear Music(Burton Lane, Frank Loesser)
b.	Radio Taping	Just In Time(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne)
c.	Radio Taping	Witchcraft(Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh)

All titles on:

US Government's Air Force Recruitment Service vinyl radio transcriptionProgram No. 262 — Manhattan Melodies (1960)

Issue

This album was made by the U.S. Air Force for airplay at participating radio stations. Only one side of the LP features Chris Connor; the other side features Richard Hyman. Each side is 15 minutes long, and the host is Don Sturgess. According to a seller at an online auction, the Chris Connor side "starts with a guy hailing a cab," and telling to the driver, "hey Taxi ... take me to Atlantic Recording Studios on 57th Street. Connor is later heard talking about "her latest LP, bands she sang with, touring, etc." (This same taxi-hailing start is heard in another Manhattan Melodies disc featuring Connor, #85).

I have not been able to locate a copy of this album, but I have seen a photo of the vinyl itself. (No album cover is shown in that photo. Judging from other Armed Radio Forces albums that I have inspected, the Forces might have never made a cover. With exceptions such as the Sound Flight series discussed in the previous session, AFRS vinyl was generally stored in blank sleeves -- just like most 78 discs had been, during their heyday in the 1930s and 1940s.)

The LP describes its contents as "a public service show." Also included on the label of the vinyl: the words "featuring Chris Connor," right under the show's title (Manhattan Melodies) and the identification of the contents as Program No. 262. Track titles are not listed.

Performances

As previously mentioned, I have not listened to this item. Notice that its three above-listed performances were also recorded by Connor for her Atlantic LP Witchcraft. (Two of the songs were issued as a 45 single, too.) It is possible that the versions heard in this USAIR LP are the exact same Atlantic recordings. The Force's engineers would have simply re-pressed the studio tracks from the original Atlantic LP. Then again, it is equally possible that Connor taped brand new versions for the Air Force. (She did so in the case of a previously listed Air Force album -- the one programmed for inclusion in Sound Flights Into Jazz shows.)

My personal inclination is toward the belief that these performances are merely re-pressings of the Atlantic studio versions. Leading me in that direction is the aforementioned patter, in which a man asks to be taken to Atlantic Recording Studios. There is also the fact that an earlier program (no. 85) indeed features Atlantic album masters only -- not newly performed numbers. For the time being, however, I am treating the performances as if they were different from the Atlantic versions. I hope that fellow fans will clarify this matter for our communal benefit, if they are better informed.

Dating

The handwritten date "1960 August 13" appears in the vinyl copy of the Manhattan Melodies LP copy which I have seen. This date is likely to have been the one in which the show was slated to be broadcast on AFRS stations. Alternatively, it could simply be the day in which the vinyl was received by one of those stations.

In the absence of any further details, I have assigned the conservative dating "circa 1960" to this hypothetical session. (The original Atlantic masters of these songs were recorded in September 1959.)

Help Requested

1. Other AFRS Manhattan Melodies LPs
Chris Connor appeared in other LPs from the Manhattan Melodies series. Those of which I am aware bear the numbers 85 and 190.

Details about Manhattan Melodies #85 can be found in the Atlantic Period page, under a session dated December 17, 1956.

Specifics about Manhattan Melodies #190 elude me. I only know that Benny Goodman is the featured artist in the LP's other side, numbered 189. I would particularly like to know which numbers Connor sing on side #190. I would also like to know if these numbers are recordings from one of her albums, or songs being performed for this Air Force radio program.

Still further, I would appreciate receiving similar information about another LP from the Air Force Recruiting Service, bearing the numbers 321 and 322. It might or might not be a Manhattan Melodies album. Side 321 is said to feature Conor.

Date: January or February 1960
Label: US Government's "Stars For Defense" Series

Ray Bloch And His Orchestra (acc), Barry Galbraith (g), Ben Tucker (b), Ronnie Ball (key), Dave Bailey (per), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	Lonesome Road(Gene Austin, Nathaniel Shilkrat)
b.	Radio Taping	Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most(Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf)
c.	Radio Taping	Black Coffee(Joseph F. "Sonny" Burke, Paul Francis Webster)
d.	Radio Taping	Witchcraft(Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh)
e.	Radio Taping	Baltimore Oriole(Hoagy Carmichael, Paul Francis Webster)

All titles on:

Armed Forces Radio Service LPProgram no. 178? — Stars For Defense (1961)

SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)

Dating

My tentative dating for this session relies on the fact that the songs were also recorded by Connor for her albums Witchcraft (1959) and Double Exposure (1960). The recording of the studio versions falls between September 1959 and December 1960. Since all five performances from this Stars For Defense program are connected to that pair of albums, it would be reasonable to expect them to date from around the same time. Following such line of reasoning, we could simply propose that Connor and Atlantic were using the Stars For Defense program as promotion for both LPs.

Also pointing to the same time period: the presence of guitarist Barry Galbraith, whose last studio session with Connor took place on November 16, 1960. There is no knowledge as to when exactly he stopped playing for Connor, but his absence from future sessions points to late 1960 or 1961 as the time of departure.

While waiting for the retrieval of additional details of relevance, I once picked "late 1960 to 1961" as the likeliest period during which this disc's contents were performed. But more recently found information, to be detailed next, has led me to make the change to the date being currently shown above. (Note that it is still a tentative date.)

Issues

1. Programs 1No. 77 And No. 178 In The "Star For Defense" Series
This transcription disc features Chris Connor on one side (no. 178), Robert Rounseville on the other side (no. 177). The label of the disc also credits (announcer) Jay Jackson, Ray Bloch And His Orchestra, and Leo A. Hoegh. The latter was the director of the Office Of Civil And Defense Mobilization, the entity responsible for these discs. Connor's side of the disc bears a (no-later-than) February 28, 1960 playing date. It can thus be presumed that its contents were recorded some time in January or February of that year.

Since as I am under the (still-to-be-corroborated) assumption that program no. 178 features the performances listed above, I have gone on to tentatively assign a January or February 1960 date to this session.

If correct, the recording date for these Defense performances would actually be quite a few months earlier that that of the the studio counterparts from the aforementioned album Double Exposure. However, all three songs in question are familiar standards that Connor could have been singing in concert for a long time before committing them to Atlantic's wax.

2. Program No. 545 In The "Star For Defense" Series
Another Star For Defense program known to feature Chris Connor is no. 545. Unfortunately, I am missing most of the relevant data for that disc, including its track listing. Could #545 be the unnumbered LP under discussion? The scant details at hand do not support this possibility: Program no. 545 bears a (no-later-than) March 29, 1967 playing date, which is too far away from the presumed taping date of the performances listed herein. (AFRS albums tended to be from the same year in which its performances were taped -- the exceptions being those cases in which the included performances were not newly taped ones, but tracks taken from albums that the given artist had released on commercial record labels.)

3. Other Programs In The Star For Defense Series
So far, I have not located any other programs featuring Chris Connor in this series. However, I have no logs for the show, and there is not much information readily available. In any case, viewers should bear in mind that the hypothetical nature of the main claims just made. The program under discussion could most certainly turn out to be one with a number higher than 177.

Source

The above-listed numbers were originally heard in one or more shows from the AFRS radio series Stars On Parade. Having listened to snippets of these performances (found online), I can guarantee that these are mostly small combo performances, different from the ones originally heard in Chris Connor's Atlantic LPs Double Exposure and Witchcraft.

Personnel

The CD I Hear The Music Now is my only source for the above-given personnel. The Ray Bloch Orchestra is credited with the accompaniment for the last two performances only. (This credit gives further credence to the theory that the session under discussion is program no. 178. Then again, Bloch must have been the regular accompaniment, and would thus be present for most other programs from the same years.) The above-listed trio of musicians is credited for the other three performances, with Barry Galbraith added only in "Black Coffee." The CD is reported to include the musical performances only -- none of the talk from the original AFRS disc. Since I have not listened to either item, I do not know if the musicians were credited by name during the show. (Judging from other AFRS radio shows featuring Connor, chances are that the quartet was indeed credited by name.)

Chris Connor Gives No Lip Service To The Big Beat

In a brief write-up entitled Chris Connor Sings For Real (newspaper or magazine origin unknown, date also unknown but presumed to fall somewhere between April 4 and 9, 1960), Bert Burns tells his readers that Connor "could not perform on Ch. 5's BIG BEAT yesterday because she could not bring herself to lip sync. She told them that each rendition of a song is a work of art to her, and each time it comes out differently. It is physically impossible for me to lip sync to a recording. I cannot duplicate the recording. So Chris is now headlining at Basin Street East with Mort Sahl, will make her major TV debut Sunday on the Ed Sullivan Show (CH 2, 8pm). Her song, you may be sure, will be for REAL."

Date: 4/10/60
Location: New York

Chris Connor (v)

Television Taping

I Get A Kick Out Of You - 2:00(Cole Porter)

Sundays & Sofa/TVT Public Domain CDTVT-9450- 4/2 — [Various Artists] The Sullivan Years: Great Ladies of Jazz (1995)

Source And Dating

Taken from the master tapes of the Ed Sullivan Show, this audio originated in a televised performance that was broadcast and taped on the above-given date. (In the Central and Eastern time zones, Sullivan's show aired live. Other zones watched a taping of the live show.)

Video of this performance can be seen in a non-commercial videotape, consisting of jazz-oriented performances from the Ed Sullivan Show. If the information that I have received about it is correct (confirmation would be appreciated), the Paley Center for Media might have a copy.

This particular episode of The Ed Sullivan Show was billed as his Fourth Salute to ASCAP. Most of the other guests were also female singers. They came from a variety of fields, including opera and vaudeville: Blossom Seely, Roberta Peters, The McGuire Sisters, Jill Corey, and Rose Hardaway. Presumably, Connor was representing the world of jazz. Alfred Drake and a dancer, Carol Haney, also guested.

The caption under a press photo for this appearance states that "[s]ong star Chris Connor will be featured on April 10th on the Ed Sullivan Show (CBS-TV) singing a medley of famous Cole Porter hits." In a Press releases 1959-1960. Ted Green, of Radio TV Daily, promoted the appearance as follows: "song star Chris Connor will spark Ed Sullivan's April 10th 'Salute to ASCAP' TV show, singing her special Cole Porter medley: a terrific click in her recent night club engagements."

Songs And Cross-references

1. "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
While reminiscing about this TV appearance, Chris Connor's companion and manager Lori Muscarelle revealed that Connor's performance of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" was heard mostly over the closing credits, because the show had run out of time.

1. "Come Rain Or Come Shine"
On July 17, 1960, Chris Connor was seen in The Ed Sullivan Show again. I suspect that her second "visit" to the show was not a live appearance, but a taping of another number which Connor might have performed on this date (April 10), and which would have been left unshown due to time constraints.

Date: Between April 10 and 13, 1960
Location: Basin Street East, E48th St., New York

Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

Witchcraft(Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh)

unissued

Bio-Discographical Note: Chris Connor Sets Basin Street East Afire

In what might have been her debut engagement at this jazz-friendly nightclub, Chris Connor appeared at the Basin Street East nightclub from June 5 to 18, 1959. She actually headed a bill whose other leads (billed below her) were Max Roach and Herbie Mann. Connor made a return to the venue in January, staying through the first week of January, if not longer. On that run, she shared the bill with George Shearing.

The singer's success at the club was reflected by the fact that she was booked again for April, from the 10th to the 13th. This particular run was belatedly reviewed by Howard Cook in the April 18, 1960 issue of Billboard magazine: "Miss Connor in her present stint is showing more fire and drive that she has offered in previous engagements, Backed by a big, swingin' band with a flock of top sidemen, she sounds better than ever before. With her present selection of tunes, she's showing concentration on rhythm as melodic variation. Opening with a racy reading of I Hear The Music Now, she moves onto I Miss You So, Señor Blues, Get Out Of Town and You Don't Know What Love Is. For an effective change of pace, she does her classic All About Ronnie backed by trio. In any mood, she's most acceptable, and her fans are going to be gassed to see her in action."

During an interview conducted by jazz writer Marc Myers, Connor spoke extensively about one particular engagement, likely to have taken place in 1961: "one of the most thrilling nights of my life. I was following Peggy Lee into New York's Basin Street East in the 1960s. I learned Peggy was going to stay over and catch me singing the next night. She also had wanted to stay in New York for a few extra days. During that run, I was on the same bill as Stan Kenton and the Oscar Peterson Trio. People were lined up outside for three blocks, and it was a Monday. The club's manager came over to me and said, 'Chris, having you, Stan and Oscar on the same bill is my dream night.' They announced me, and I came up on stage. For my first number, I was going to do Something’s Coming, from West Side Story. You might know I’d pick a hard tune like that, right? So I’m up on the stage and I look down at the first table. Sitting there was Ethel Merman, Judy Garland and Ava Gardner. And that's just at the first table. Well, my knees started to shake. Of course, I loused up the beginning of the song. But Stan stopped the band, made a joke and started all over again. The next time through I was perfect.”

Asked by Myers if Lee had gone to greet her backstage, in her dressing room, Connor added: Did she ever. I was so excited. There was Peggy Lee, my childhood idol, sitting right in front of me. Peggy said, 'Chris, I think you need some champagne, and so do I.' So we sat there for 45 minutes on my break and drank and talked. That was the thrill of my life, just being with Peggy Lee. When I got back on stage for my second show, I knocked them out. I blew them away. After the show I learned that Frank Sinatra was in a corner and had said to someone, 'Shut up, I want to hear this broad' [laughing].”

Source

Three-track 33-rpm acetate, containing just this single vocal, along with two instrumentals from the band at the engagement. Also heard is an announcer, who identifies the venue at Basin Street (and who might be Mort Sahl).

Dating

The dating is tentative. Though I am currently thinking that the acetate dates from 1960, there still remains the possibility that it belongs instead to one of Connor's aforementioned 1960 runs. Were the announcer to be confirmed as Mort Sahl, the dating would gain a greater degree of certainty. (In the March 28, 1960 issue of Billboard, we are told that "MCA has signed Chris Connor to an exclusive pact. Thrush's next date is at Basin Street East in New York starting on April 10 with comic Mort Sahl. ")

UK's Granada TV Features Chris Connor

According to the Overseas News Front column of the April 18, 1960 issue of Billboard magazine, Chris Connor would be "making her British debut April 21 when she stars in Granada-TV's Variety Show. Her Witchcraft album is released this month on London-American." Meanwhile, in the N.Y. Daily News, columnist Danton Walker also announced that Chris Connor would be flying to London on April 19 "for 24 hours to headline the monthly Granada T.V. spectacular, which spotlites a top-notch American star on each show." I do not know which songs Connor picked for this show. Given the mention of the album Witchcraft and Connor's presumable promotion of it, the likeliest suspects are the two numbers which she most often performed from that LP: "I Hear The Music Now" and "You Don't Know What Love Is." Of course, she could have also made her selections according to a different criteria; "All About Ronnie" was probably an expectation wherever she performed.

Date: 7/17/60
Location: New York

Chris Connor (v)

Television Taping

Come Rain Or Come Shine - 2:31(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

Sundays & Sofa/TVT Public Domain CDTVT-9450- 4/2 — [Various Artists] The Sullivan Years: Great Ladies of Jazz (1995)

Source And Dating

Taken from the master tapes of the Ed Sullivan Show, this audio originated in a televised performance that was broadcast on the above-given date. (Sullivan's show aired live -- at least in the Central and Eastern time zones. Other zones saw a taping of the live show. However, I suspect that this particular Connor performance was taped on April 10, 1960, and saved for later broadcasting.)

Chris Connor once reminisced about an even that is likely to have happened right before the start of this performance. She amusingly remembered that Ed Sullivan had told her: "now keep your eyes open when you sing this time, Chris."

Also scheduled to appear during this episode of the popular variety show were two young Italian singers (Teddy Randazzo and Val Valenti, working separately), two comedians (Dick Van Dyke and Alan King, also working separately), an accordion player (Dick Contino), a ventriloquist (Edgar Bergen), and a dancer (Peg Leg Bates). But the main guest star was Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra, featuring his wife, vocalist Abbe Lane.

Date: 7/16/61
Location: Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ben Tucker (b), Ronnie Ball (p), Dave Bailey (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out - 2:54(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
b.	Concert Taping	Hallelujah, I Love Him So - 2:27(Ray Charles)
c.	Concert Taping	Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most - 5:09(Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf)
d.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:43(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On - 3:43(Cole Porter)
f.	Concert Taping	Blow, Gabriel, Blow - 2:10(Cole Porter)

All titles on:

Imagem Discos E Tapes LP5041/5041 (Brazil) — [Various Artists] Jazz No Municipal (1972)

Westwind Collectors' Label LP0025 (Germany) — [Various Artists] At The American Jazz Festival In Latin America (1988)

Imagem Discos E Tapes CDCD-1027 (Brazil) — [Various Artists] Jazz No Municipal, Volume 2 (1990)

Westwind Collectors' Label CD2025 (Germany) — [Various Artists] At The American Jazz Festival In Latin America (1995)

Westwind Collectors' Label CD2062 [Germany] — [Various Artists] The Jazz Festivals In Latin America (1995)

Jazz Door Collectors' Label CD12151 (Italy) — [Various Artists] Hot Stuff From Brazil (2007)

Source & Venue

Taped live in Brazil at a so-called American Jazz Festival. Sponsored by the State Department of the United States, the week-long festival featured not only Chris Connor And Her Trio but also a renowned assembly of instrumentalists, all of them on the same tour: Ahmad Abdul-Malik on oud, Al Cohn, Kenny Dorham, Roy Eldridge, Curtis Fuller, Coleman Hawkins, Jo Jones, Herbie Mann, Ray Mantilla, and "Zoot" Sims. Willis Conover served as tour announcer.

Songs, Issues And Timings

1. At The American Jazz Festival In Latin America [CD]
In both the booklet and the back cover of this album's CD edition, all the timings are incorrect. Even when factoring in the applause that follows each performance, these timings do not reflect the duration of each track. In some cases, more than half a minute has been wrongly added. Next to the Connor tracks listed above, I have entered not the timings printed in the CD but the ones determined by my CD player.

2. Medley: "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
3. Medley: "From This Moment On"
These two songs are performed as a medley. "From This Moment On" begins at 1:16 and lasts until 2:52, when Connor returns to "I Get A Kick Out Of You." The two songs have been separately entered herein. However, since they are intertwined, each one has been given the medley's overall timing (3:43).

Issues

Listed below are various issues that contain material from the Brazilian concert under discussion. (Some of these issues in question do not contain vocals sung by Chris Connor, but just the instrumentals from the concert. They are thus listed only for the purpose of presenting as complete a picture as available.)

1. Jazz Committee For Latin American Affairs [LP]
The earliest issue of material from the 1961 festival, Jazz Committee For Latin American Affairs (FM 303) contains a total of five instrumentals: "Red Door," "Loverman," "Ismaa," "It's All Right With Me," "Autumn Leaves," and "Wee Dot." No Chris Connor tracks are found in this LP. First issued in 1963, it was reissued various times on vinyl:

a) on Roulette Records, possibly released in 1968
b) as Fresh Sound FSR 704, issued in Spain, date unknown
c) under the title Fred Miles Presents and the catalogue number FM 403, country of origin and release date unknown

2. Jazz No Municipal [LP]
My thanks to Diego Viegas for alerting me to the existence of this 1972 Brazilian album, which I now believe to be the earliest release of the Chris Connor festival tracks under discussion. However, my belief should be deemed very tentative, because my knowledge of the Brazilian album market is limited. Since the festival had happened 11 years before the release of this LP, other albums with the same material could have been released in Brazil between 1961 and 1971. I would appreciate receiving confirmation (and/or details) about any such hypothetical album.

3. At the American Jazz Festival in Latin America [LP & CD]
This issue contains a total of nine tracks. In addition to the five Chris Connor vocals listed above, there are four instrumentals: "Love For Sale," "Lover Come Back To Me," "Rifftide" and "The Man I Love." The instrumentals feature Tommy Flanagan, Coleman Hawkins, and Roy Eldridge, along with some of the other musicians who were part of the tour. The LP version came out in 1988, the CD version in 1995.

4. The Jazz Festivals In Latin America [CD]
Released in 1995, this 3CD set -- with which I am acquainted only through online advertisement -- seems to contain most of the taped contents from the festival: 22 tracks, including those which feature Chris Connor. It is not complete, however: the instrumentals "Ismaa" and "Loverman" appear to have been excluded.

5. Hot Stuff From Brazil [CD]
My acquaintance with this entry (Jazz Door JD 12151) is based only on photos seen online. It seems to be a CD reissue of At the American Jazz Festival in Latin America (#4 above). If such is the case, it should include Connor's vocals. I would like to receive further information and/or corroboration about the details pertaining to this particular item, which was originally released in 2005.

6. [Kenny Dorham] Hot Stuff From Brazil [LP & CD]
This LP (West Wind 015) and its CD reissue (West Wind 2015) contain six of the festival's instrumentals: "Wee Dot," "Halley's Comet," "The Red Door," "A Night In Tunisia," "Autumn Leaves," and "It's All Right With Me." It is credited to Kenny Dorham not because he was the main artist, but because the trumpet player is the first of the musicians listed (per discographical conventions). The LP came out in the late 1980s, the CD in 1995. There are no Chris Connor tracks in either format.

7. [Coleman Hawkins] Body And Soul [LP & CD]
[LP: Westwind, released in 1988]
[CD: Westwind, released in 2003]
This LP (West Wind 018) and its CD reissue (West Wind 2018) contain six of the festival's instrumentals: "Rifftide," "The Man I Love," "Body and Soul," "Love For Sale," "Caravan," and "Lover, Come Back To Me." Although the issue is credited to legendary saxophone player Coleman Hawkins, these are actually ensemble performances in which Hawkins is just one more member of the mix. My acquaintance with both the LP (released in 1988) and the CD (released in 2003) is, once again, limited to web data. Web listings for the CD show no Chris Connor tracks, but the listings for the LP vary. In some instances, Connor's festival rendition of "Hallelujah, I Love Him So" is among the tracks. At the present time, I am assuming that such online listings are mistaken -- i.e., no Connor tracks are included. I would appreciate receiving confirmation or rebuttal from owners of the LP.

Date: 1/2/62
Location: Sankei Hall, Tokyo

Chris Connor (ldr), Ben Tucker (b), Ronnie Ball (p), Dave Bailey (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)
b.	Concert Taping	Come Rain Or Come Shine(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
c.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg)
d.	Concert Taping	Where Flamingos Fly(John Benson Brooks, Harold Courlander, Elthea Peale)
e.	Concert Taping	Hallelujah, I Love Him So(Ray Charles)
f.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)

All titles unissued.

Performance And Source

Opening night of a jazz tour through Japan. The acts on the bill were Chris Connor, Horace Silver, and members of his group (Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook). The tour had been put together by their common manager, Monte Kay.

This concert has been preserved in the form of a homemade audio copy, kept by a collector. It might have been originally broadcast on Japanese radio.

Date: 3/17/62
Location: Birdland Club, New York

Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

If This Isn't Love(Burton Lane, Erwin 'Yip' Harburg)

unissued

Source

See note under previous date.

Songs

Aside from "If This Isn't Love," the titles of the songs in this tape from Boris Rose's collection remain a mystery. At a duration of 21:30, the tape could conceivably include up to five numbers.

Date: 9/13/62

Chris Connor (v)

Television Taping

Goodbye(Gordon Jenkins)

unissued

Source

This televised performance comes from the NBC summer show "The Lively Ones," with Vic Damone as host. Damone's other guests for this episode were Terry Gibbs, Cal Tjader and His Latin Jazz Band, and Si Zentner. A videoreel copy is available at the Library of Congress.

Song & Performance

At the Library of Congress, this performance has been watched by Marcia Baggott, an ardent fan of Chris Connor. (I have not watched it.) Baggott has enthusiastically described the visuals as follows: "the sound of a foghorn and a scene of a lighthouse -- very film noir -- and then there's Chris! She's a vision in white against a dark, rather sinister-looking stone wall (Land's End, we learn at the end of the show), very tall, elegant, statuesque, beautiful. She wears a mandarin collar and shiny (gold?) buttons down the front, big pockets. Great makeup -- very dark lipstick -- and her hair is very Doris Day, kind of a bubble cut, I think we used to call it or we should have if we didn't. She solemnly intones: I'll never forget you ... The cameraman pans around some dead branches as she begins her descent down a short flight of stone steps in spike heels. Her first step is a bit tentative, but after that she's home free. [...] It was obviously the same arrangement of Goodbye as in Sings Lullabys For Lovers, but sung more passionately, and, yet, at the same time, restrained. [...] Hand movements were minimal, but effective [...]"

According to Chris Connor's companion, friend and manager Lori Muscarelle, this was Connor's favorite among her own TV appearances.

A 1956 TV Performance Of "Goodbye"?

I once read comments by a music fan who claimed to have seen Chris Connor singing "Goodbye” on TV, but his recollection did not match the known details about the TV appearance presently under scrutiny. The fan claimed to have watched Connor singing “Goodbye during a 1956 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. "It was late in the show when they finally got her on," the music fan reminisced, "and it turned out to be a kinescope [...] of her. The picture was dark and murky -- no color TV yet -- and she was shot from the distance, no close ups."

Could it be that this viewer misremembered the year and the show? Could he be confusing Connor's 1962 performance in Vic Damone's show, with her 1960 appearance(s) in The Ed Sullivan Show? ...

Alternatively, could it be that a Chris Connor kinescope (or telescription) dating from her Bethlehem period did exist? (It is worth noting here that Marcia Baggott’s above-quoted description of the 1962 TV performance bears some elements that suggest an earlier date: the same arrangement from the Bethehem period, and a Doris Day hairdo that Connor particularly favored during the same Bethlehem period. Could it be that Damone’ show used an old kinescope?)

The matter remains unclear. Currently, the most reasonable assumption is that the unidentified music fan remembered a few details correctly, a few other details incorrectly.

Date: Between 1960 and 1962
Label: US Government's Office Of Civil Defense

Other Individuals Unknown (acc), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)
b.	Radio Taping	God Bless The Child(Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)

Both titles on:

Armed Forces Radio Service LPPGM 4 — Sounds Of Freedom (1962)

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Scott Weiner for sending me information about the Sounds Of Freedom LP. I have not listened to this album.

Issue And Performances

Sounds of Freedom was one of various syndicated recruiting shows put together by the Air Forces. At least 13 such shows were created. They are extant in the form of transcription discs that were sent to participating radio stations. All shows were hosted by Mike Wallace, and centered around a specific topic. The topic of Program #4 was "The Sounds And Songs Of American Colleges." In addition to the two performances by Chris Connor, the program also includes one number by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross ("Gimme Me That Wine") and a number by regular cast member Oscar Brand ("Air Reserve Blues").

Dating

As discussed in the next paragraphs, the dating for this session is speculative, relying as it does in the fact that the artists recorded commercial versions of the same songs in the late 1950s.

The radio program under discussion contains a Lambert, Hendricks And Ross version of "Gimme That Wine." Since the group recorded a studio version of that song for Columbia in 1959, I am inclined to believe that the AFRS version (which might or might not be the same studio master) is from that year or the next one.

At Atlantic, Chris Connor recorded a studio version of "I Gotta Right Sing The Blues" on November 16, 1960 and a studio version of "God Bless The Child" on April 9, 1962. The last of these dates could lead to the assumption that the versions on the Sounds Of Freedom program were attempted in 1962 or later, the assumption being that the second song had not been part of her repertoire before. However it is by no mean impossible that she would have been singing "God Bless The Child" long before she recorded her studio version. The number is, after all, a very well-known, oft-sung standard.

In any case, and for the time being, I am tentatively choosing the year 1962 as the likeliest to be correct.

Issues

1. I Hear The Music Now [CD]
This SSJ CD is entirely dedicated to Connor's performances on various Armed Forces radio shows. I do not know why the CD's producers decided to skip this session's "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues," incorporating "God Bless The Child" only. (In the case of other radio sessions, the CD includes all the numbers from each one, the only exception being one radio show in which some of the numbers were not heard in their entirety during the radio show. Those incomplete numbers have been excluded. Could it be that "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" is also a truncated radio performance? This is a question that I cannot answer yet, because I have not been able to listen to the original "Sounds Of Freedom" radio show, nor to the AFRS LP that contains it.)

Date: Between January 18 and 27, 1963
Location: Village Gate, New York
Label: FM

Chris Connor (ldr), Mundell Lowe (g), Richard Davis (b), Ronnie Ball (p), Ed Shaughnessy (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Concentrate On You - 2:48(Cole Porter) FM 45FM 3002 — {A Lot Of Livin' To Do / I Concentrate On You} (1963) Elenco LPSE 2001 (Brazil) — [Various Artists] Kaleidoscópio Elenco (1965) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
b.	Concert Taping	A Lot Of Livin' To Do - 2:03(Lee Adams, Charles Strouse) FM 45FM 3002 — {A Lot Of Livin' To Do / I Concentrate On You} (1963) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
c.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 2:56(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
d.	Concert Taping	Black Coffee - 3:58(Joseph F. "Sonny" Burke, Paul Francis Webster) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
e.	Concert Taping	Only The Lonely - 5:10(Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
f.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 3:50(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
g.	Concert Taping	Something's Coming - 4:17(Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim)
h.	Concert Taping	You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 2:15(John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell)
i.	Concert Taping	Old Devil Moon - 2:56(Erwin 'Yip' Harburg, Burton Lane) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
j.	Concert Taping	Goodbye - 3:07(Gordon Jenkins) ROULETTE LP(Japan) YS 8534 RO — Singin' In N.Y. (1978)
k.	Concert Taping	Ten Cents A Dance - 4:22(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

All titles on:

FM LPFMLP 300 FM 9132 / SFMLP 300 FM 9132 — Chris Connor At The Village Gate, Early Show & Late Show (1963)

Elenco LPMEV 01 (Brazil) — Chris Connor At The Village Gate (1964)

Blue Moon Licensed/Public Domain CDBMCD 3074 (Spain) — 'S Wonderful (1998)

FM©EMI CD0946-3-71346-2-7 — Chris Connor At The Village Gate (2006)

VICTOR LPRF 7016 (Japan) — Chris Conner At The Village Gate

Fresh Sound Collectors' Label LPFSR-705 (Spain) — Chris Connor At The Village Gate, Early Show & Late Show

Source

Chris Connor FM output consists of two albums and one single. For the other LP (FM 312), see the Post-Atlantic page, year 1963.

Dating

The month and two-week span are tentative. I have entered them on the basis of my knowledge of Connor engagements at the Village Gate during those specific weeks. However, I cannot rule out the possibility of Connor's return to the venue later in the year, and the attendant likelihood of taping for the album at that time. The January engagements were actually restricted to two weekends: Friday the 18th to Sunday the 20th, and Friday the 25th to Sunday the 27th. Connor and the The Horace Silver Quintet shared the marquee on all those dates, which the Village Vanguard billed as Weekend Jazz.

Collectors' Corner

1. Chris Connor At The Village Gate, Early & Late Show

Each of the four above-listed LP versions of At The Village Gate features artwork different from the other two.

The original FM cover has a gray-colored background. A drawing of the singer's face has been encased inside an orange-colored circle, measuring about 9 inches. Her eyes are closed, her open mouth. The back cover features a similar circle in a different color (yellow-green) and with a slightly different drawing of the singer's face (a more dramatic expression). This original cover was recalled at the singer's request, who objected to the balloon-like quality given to her face by illustrator Frank Guana.

On FM, I have seen only the above-listed cover. I presume that the album was issued with a second cover, which is likely to have been the same one used by Fresh Sound Records (and by all companies that have issued the album on CD).

The cover of the Fresh Sound album has a black background, and features a red-colored oval, measuring approximately 10" by 7". Inside this oval, there is a photo of Connor, from the upper torso up, and wearing a necklace. She has been photographed in the act of singing, with microphone in view. The album's back cover features a similar oval; against a red background, the oval is tinted black, and contains another photo of Connor singing, once again sporting a more dramatic expression than the one she shows in the front cover.

Common to both front covers is the title Early Show, and a listing of the songs on the LP's A side. Conversely, both back covers bear the title "Late Show," and list the songs on the LP's B side.

The third artwork variation of At The Village Gate can be found in Victor LP 7016. This Japanese release uses a drawing as its front cover: a woman is seen singing, microphone in hand, and pianist at a distance. Shown in profile, she is a redhead, barely if at all resembling Connor.

A fourth version of this LP was released by Elenco, a Brazilian record label. The cover is a plain black & white canvas, with some bits of green. The album's title is the same as in the other versions.

Chris Connor Dials M For Music

To the best recollection of a fellow fan, Chris Connor appeared twice in the CBS-TV show Dial M For Music, which was hosted by Norman O'Connor (aka The Jazz Priest) and broadcast from New York on either Sundays or saturdays. Online sites do list Connor among the guests of an undated episode, along with "Cannonball Adderley, Tony Parenti, the Deans of Dixieland, Abene Trio." The last act listed is most likely to be the Mike Abene Trio, and to have served as Connor's accompaniment.

One of her appearances is believed to have taken place in 1966, the other in 1967. The numbers that she performed probably were from her ABC-Paramount albums Now! and Chris Connor Sings The Bossa Nova. Further details unknown.

Date: ca. 1966
Label: US Government's Treasury Department Service

Ray Bloch And His Orchestra, Unknown (acc), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Radio Taping	Goin' Out Of My Head(Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein)
b.	Radio Taping	Carnival (Black Orpheus)(George David Weiss, Luiz Bonfá, Luigi Creator, Hugo Peretti)
c.	Radio Taping	Nowhere Man(Paul McCartney, John Lennon)

All titles on:

US Government's Treasury Department Service LP1024 — Guest Star; Chris Connor (1966)

SSJ Collectors' Label CDXQAM 1058 (Japan) — I Hear The Music Now (2012)

Sources And Issues

1. Name Of The Original Radio Show
The above-listed numbers were originally heard in the AFRS radio show "Guest Star," which the CD I Hear The Music Now (mis)identifies as "Savings Bond." "Guest Star" was produced by the Treasury of Department's U.S. Savings Bonds Division.

2. Now! (ABC-Paramount LP)
Having listened to online snippets of these performances, I believe that they are different from the ones heard in Chris Connor's ABC-Paramount LP Now!. Connor phrases them similarly, but the musical backing is not the same.

Dating

My tentative dating for this session relies on (a) the November 7, 1966 playing date found on the label of the Guest Star LP and (b) the fact that all three numbers were recorded by Connor for her 1966 album Now!.

Personnel

1. Ray Bloch And His Orchestra
The CD I Hear The Music Now claims that Connor is accompanied by the Ray Bloch Orchestra in all three performances. The credit to Bloch should be deemed tentative, at least until I or fellow fans can listen to the CD and determine if the orchestra is truly backing Connor. (The snippets found online do not suggest the presence of an orchestra.)

2. Merv Griffin
The show's host was Merv Griffin.

3. Bob Carroll
Chris Connor is heard in only one side of the original LP. Bob Carroll is the other side's so-called guest star.

Chris Connor And The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra: An Unreleased Album?

Chris Connor once told a fan that she had recorded an album with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Most likely, Connor meant that she had recorded a studio date with the orchestra, and that the date was scheduled to be released as an album. It was apparently left unissued. Nothing else is know about this project -- not even its recording date.

Date: December 3, 1971 (Two Shows)
Location: Lenny's On The Turnpike, Peabody, Massachusetts

Harvie Swartz (b), Mike Abene (p), Mickey Jay (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 4:15(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
b.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:17(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
c.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 3:18(Pat Upton)
d.	Concert Taping	Nowhere Man - 4:49(Paul McCartney, John Lennon)
e.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 2:12(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
f.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:10(Joe Greene)
g.	Concert Taping	Spinning Wheel - 3:48(David Clayton Thomas)
h.	Concert Taping	Carnival (Black Orpheus) - 5:30(George David Weiss, Luiz Bonfá, Luigi Creator, Hugo Peretti)
i.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 2:33(Cole Porter)
j.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 4:27(Cole Porter)
k.	Concert Taping	I've Gotta Be Me - 4:32(Walter Marks)
l.	Concert Taping	The Long And Winding Road - 4:25(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
m.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles - 3:00(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin)
n.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 3:29(Pat Upton)
o.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:30(Cole Porter)
p.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On - 3:30(Cole Porter)
q.	Concert Taping	Buy And Sell - 6:18(Laura Nyro)

All titles unissued.

Source

Taped on location, with the singer's approval. Extant tapes have been used for educational purposes at The New England Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts). In seminars about Chris Connor's music, students have listened to the following selections from this evening: "All Or Nothing At All," "All About Ronnie," "Spinning Wheel," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "From This Moment On," "I've Gotta Be Me," "I'm All Smiles."

Concert & Patter

The extant tape contains two shows from the same night. The first shows runs from "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" to "I Get A Kick Out Of You," where it abruptly cuts. ("I Get A Kick Out Of You" was probably part of a two-song medley, the second song being "From This Moment On.")

An appreciative but apparently drunk member of the audience is clearly heard through much of this concert's taping. At one point, her loud comments hold the entire audience's attention, and causes a seemingly amused Chris Connor to say that she (Connor) is trying to control herself.

Songs

1. Medley: "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
2. Medley: "From This Moment On"
The second of the above-listed versions of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" was sung by Chris Connor as a medley with "From This Moment On." The two songs have been separately entered herein. However, since they are intertwined, each song has been given the medley's overall timing. (Also, and as already mentioned, the other above-mentioned version of "I Get A Kick Out of You" might have also been performed as part of a medley, but the tape cuts abruptly while Connor is still singing the first song.)

Date: December 4, 1971 (Two Shows)
Location: Lenny's On The Turnpike, Peabody, Massachusetts

Harvie Swartz (b), Mike Abene (p), Mickey Jay (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Spinning Wheel - 3:58(David Clayton Thomas)
b.	Concert Taping	Nowhere Man - 5:28(Paul McCartney, John Lennon)
c.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:25(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
d.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 3:02(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 1:32(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
f.	Concert Taping	As I Love My Own - 3:46(Rod McKuen)
g.	Concert Taping	Alone Together - 3:28(Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz)
h.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 3:43(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
i.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:42(Joe Greene)
j.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 2:10(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
k.	Concert Taping	Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) - 3:11(Carole King, Gerry Goffin)
l.	Concert Taping	Here's That Rainy Day - 4:59(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)
m.	Concert Taping	Ridin' On The Moon - 3:36(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

All titles unissued.

Chris Connor Joins The Jazz Set

Chris Connor made at least one appearance in this New Jersey-based TV show. The evidence for her appearance is a thank-you note sent to her by Peter Anderson, co-producer of the program, which was broadast by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (Trenton, New Jersey). The song(s) that she performed remain unknown.

In his blog, noted music journalist and producer Chris Albertson has the following to say about the program: "In 1972, I hosted and co-produced a weekly half-hour television show called The Jazz Set. It started as a local production of New Jersey Public Television, but was soon picked up by PBS and aired over close to 300 stations, coast to coast ... Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to have copies of these shows made for myself, and I understand that the station wiped most of them to reuse the tapes. I did record a few off the air on my Sony U-matic machine, but this precedes cable, so the quality is rabbit ears poor ..."

Albertson continues: "The set was built to look like a club, complete with bar, bartender, and a vintage jukebox that we filled with great stuff — it was probably the hippest box in New Jersey. Each week, we invited people to become 'patrons,' but there were a couple of occasions when we had to scrounge around and recruit some of the station’s office staff. To some people, this all looked so real that we received letters and cards from around the country ask[ing] for the club’s address—viewers who were planning a visit to New York wanted to come to the club. After all, it featured some of the best players in any land! ... I should mention Peter Anderson, whose concept the series was. He was co-producer, director, and a great guy to work with— he even got the sound right ... Peter made sure that The Jazz Set had the priorities right. He treated each show like a recording session — guest artists were asked to run through a number, listen to a test audio recording, and approve of the balance."

Chris Connor Does Buddha (Live)

According to an article published in the March 10, 1974 issue of Newsday, "last spring [Chris Connor] cut a live album for Buddha Records (as yet unreleased) in Philadelphia's Just Jazz club." Nothing else is known about this date, which was never issued. The pianist and leader at the live date might have been Mike Abene, who was definitely playing for Connor in March 1974.

Date: 6/12/76
Location: unknown, Philadelphia

Dave Shapiro (b), Dan Hurley (p), Sherman Ferguson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Feel The Earth Move(Carole King)
b.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter)
c.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On(Cole Porter)
d.	Concert Taping	Here's That Rainy Day(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)
e.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)
f.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday(Pat Upton)

All titles unissued.

Source

Preserved on audiotape by a Connor fan, this set was performed during an episode of The Mark Of Jazz, a music show hosted by disc jockey Sid Mark. Since the tape doesn't include the beginning or the end of the show, further specifics are hard to ascertain.

The tape starts as the show's theme ("Chameleon") is ending; Mark then introduces his guest, Connor. The tape seems to contain Connor's full segment, including a short interview.

The Mark Of Jazz was the name of both a radio and a television show originating in Philadelphia and hosted by Sid Mark. It is difficult to determine whether the contents heard in this tape originate in one media or the other. Of course, it is possible that each episode of the show, including this one, was simulcast on radio and television. My general impression is that I am listening to audio from a televised show. The audience's rather proper and controlled applause certainly suggests a TV ambience. (By "TV ambience," I mean one aware that it is being videotaped, whether at a TV studio or a nightclub.)

Date

The date June 12, 1976 is provided by one of my two sources for this "Mark Of Jazz" episode. The other source is more speculative, offering just a "1971 or 1972" estimate.

Date: October 22, 1976 (First Set)
Location: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California

Bill Douglass (b), Bob Kaye (p), Eddie Marshall (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 3:13(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
b.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles - 2:42(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin)
c.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 4:53(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)
d.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 3:09(Pat Upton)
e.	Concert Taping	I've Gotta Be Me - 3:26(Walter Marks)
f.	Concert Taping	I'll Catch The Sun - 4:42(Rod McKuen)
g.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 3:47(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
h.	Concert Taping	The Sweetest Sounds - 1:40(Richard Rodgers)
i.	Concert Taping	The Wind - 4:24(Russ Freeman, Jerry Gladstone)
j.	Concert Taping	Ridin' On The Moon - 3:14(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

All titles on:

Soundboard Collectors Label CD2000 GFRR 1361 — Live In San Francisco, 1976 (2017)

Source

Originally available at the commercial website Concert Vault. More recently, made available on CD in Japan.

Personnel

1. Bill Douglass
2. Eddie Marshall
During this 1976 set, Connor misidentifies the instruments played by these two musicians. She wrongly refers to Douglass as the date's drummer and to Marshall as its bassist. A blogger at Wolfgang's Vault comments that "Chris can be forgiven for getting the names a little mixed up, she had only met them that afternoon at rehearsal."

Incidentally, there were two well-known musicians named Bill Douglass. One was indeed a drummer, who passed away in 1994, but he is did not play in this date. The other is the bassist and bamboo flutist who played at this live date and who, according to his own webpage, "has been performing music in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1965."

Songs

1. Instrumentals
This set began with an instrumental version of "Stella By Starlight" (5:43) which did not feature Chris Connor.

2. "The Love I Can't Forget"
Both Concert Vault and the above-listed CD wrongly title one of this concert's songs after its closing line, "the love I can't forget." The song's correct name is instead "The Wind."

Issues

1. Live In San Francisco, 1976 [CD]
Both the release year and the name of the releasing label are tentative bits of data, and could thus be erroneous. This 2CD set's track listing contains the same errors found in the track listing at Concert Vault.

Date: October 22, 1976 (Second Set)
Location: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California

Bill Douglass (b), Bob Kaye (p), Eddie Marshall (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	The Gypsy In My Soul - 2:37(Clay A. Boland, Moe Jaffe)
b.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:23(Joe Greene)
c.	Concert Taping	Spinning Wheel - 3:03(David Clayton Thomas)
d.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 2:37(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	Lush Life - 7:03(Billy Strayhorn)
f.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:23(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
g.	Concert Taping	God Bless The Child - 3:37(Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.)
h.	Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl - 3:22(Noel Coward)
i.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 2:14(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
j.	Concert Taping	All Too Soon - 3:09(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)
k.	Concert Taping	I Feel The Earth Move - 2:35(Carole King)
l.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:31(Cole Porter)
m.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On - 3:31(Cole Porter)

All titles on:

Soundboard Collectors Label CD2000 GFRR 1361 — Live In San Francisco, 1976 (2017)

Source

Originally available at the commercial website Concert Vault. More recently, made available on CD in Japan.

Songs And Patter

1. Instrumentals
This set began with an instrumental version of Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas" (4:31) which did not feature Chris Connor.

2. "All About Ronnie"
3. "Things Are Swingin' "
Before she begins singing "All About Ronnie," Chris Connor tells her audience that she'd like to sing a song that she "recorded many years ago with that very great man Mr. Kenton." After she finishes singing "Things Are Swingin'," and as the audience applauds, Connor lets them know that the song was "written by Miss Peggy Lee." She also introduces the final medley with the words "here's a little bit of Cole Porter." These comments, along with the introduction of the trio's members, are just about the only spoken utterances that Connor makes throughout the show.

4. "I Feel The Earth Move"
For this show, Chris Connor is at her most improvisational

5. Medley: "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
6. Medley: "From This Moment On"
These two songs are performed as a fast-paced medley. "From This Moment On" begins around 1:35. Next, around 2:30, Connor goes back to "I Get A Kick Out Of You." At closing time, she combines lines from both songs. The two songs have been separately entered herein. However, since they are intertwined, each one has been given the medley's overall timing (3:29).

Issues

1. Live In San Francisco, 1976 [CD]
Both the release year and the name of the releasing label are tentative bits of data, and could thus be erroneous. This 2CD set's track listing contains the same errors found in the track listing at Concert Vault.

Date: October 22, 1976 (Third Set)
Location: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California

William "Bill" Douglass (b), Bob Kaye (p), Eddie Marshall (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 2:52(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
b.	Concert Taping	Didn't We - 3:30(Jimmy Webb)
c.	Concert Taping	Out Of This World - 3:20(Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
d.	Concert Taping	I've Gotta Be Me - 2:59(Walter Marks)
e.	Concert Taping	Here's That Rainy Day - 4:27(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)
f.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles - 2:21(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin)
g.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 2:49(Pat Upton)
h.	Concert Taping	Listen To The Warm - 4:18(Rod McKuen)
i.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 3:41(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
j.	Concert Taping	Ridin' On The Moon - 2:56(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

All titles on:

Soundboard Collectors Label CD2000 GFRR 1361 — Live In San Francisco, 1976 (2017)

Source

Originally available at the commercial website Concert Vault. More recently, made available on CD in Japan.

Songs And Patter

1. The above-linked website lists a total of 12 tracks, two of them consisting of banter. The first piece of so-called banter is merely a quick mention of musician names. The second piece is over four minutes long. It is entirely spent in Connor's attempt at finding an encore to sing for the clamoring audience. "When The Wind Was Green" is among the numbers shouted. At one point, Connor seems set on singing "Good Morning, Heartache" but she gives up after the first piano strides are heard. She confesses, in jocular tone, that she just hadn't prepared any additional material.

2. "Didn't We"
In an idiosyncratic and uncharacteristically melodramatic interpretative choice, Connor lets out a very quick whimper after she sings the line "and it had turned to sand." (The interpretation is still a very good one, and the whimper is so brief that it can easily be missed.)

3. "When I Hear The Music Play"
4. "Listen To The One"
At the Concert Vault website's page for this concert, two of the songs are mistitled. The correct titles are "I Hear The Music Now" and "Listen To The Warm." .

Issues

1. Live In San Francisco, 1976 [CD]
Both the release year and the name of the releasing label are tentative bits of data, and could thus be erroneous. This 2CD set's track listing contains the same errors found in the track listing at Concert Vault.

Date: 10/31/76
Location: Tokyo

Yasuo Arakawa (b), Bob Kaye (p), Takeshi Inomata (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 2:36(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
b.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles - 2:11(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin)
c.	Concert Taping	The Wind - 4:10(Russ Freeman, Jerry Gladstone)
d.	Concert Taping	Spinning Wheel - 2:51(David Clayton Thomas)
e.	Concert Taping	Lush Life - 5:52(Billy Strayhorn)
f.	Concert Taping	The Sweetest Sounds - 1:32(Richard Rodgers)
g.	Concert Taping	All Too Soon - 2:48(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)
h.	Concert Taping	Just In Time - 2:19(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne)
i.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:29(Cole Porter)
j.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On - 3:29(Cole Porter)
k.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 4:31(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)
l.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 2:56(Pat Upton)
m.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 1:54(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)

All titles unissued.

Bio-Discographical Note: Chris Connor Tours Japan, 1976

As part of a concert review published in the January 9, 1977 edition of The Boston Globe, reviewer Ernie Santosuosso mentions that "[l]ast thanksgiving Connor returned from an extended tour of Japan where the receptions, in her words, were fantastic. The Japanese were familiar with her book and would request Lush Life, Just In Time and, of course, All About Ronnie. 'On my birthday over there, the fans presented me with at least six dozen roses,' she said. 'They make you feel ecstatic'."

Source

This concert was broadcast over the Japanese radio airwaves. It has been preserved in the form of a homemade audio tape, kept by a collector. Furthermore, pianist Bob Kaye has uploaded the broadcast to YouTube, here.

Songs And Patter

1. Medley: "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
2. Medley: "From This Moment On"
These two songs are performed as a fast-paced medley. "From This Moment On" begins around 1:35. Next, around 2:30, Connor goes back to "I Get A Kick Out Of You." At closing time, she combines lines from both songs. The two songs have been separately entered herein. However, since they are intertwined, each one has been given the medley's overall timing (3:29).

3. Patter
The song "All Too Soon" is preceded by a brief comment uttered in Japanese by the concert's host. The host is also heard at the end of the concert, as is Connor. She just says "thank you."

Date: 1/29/77
Location: Merry-Go-Round, Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

The Jim McNeely Trio (acc), Bob Bodley (b), Jim McNeely (p), Joe La Barbera (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy)(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
b.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
c.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin(Cole Porter)
d.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	From This Moment On(Cole Porter)
f.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)

All titles unissued.

Source & Venue

Taped on location, with the singer's approval. This was the last night of Chris Connor's third engagement at the club. Extant tapes have been used for educational purposes at The New England Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts).

Songs

1. Medley: "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
2. Medley: "From This Moment On"
The songs "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "From This Moment On" were sung as a medley.

Concert Review

This engagement was reviewed by Ernie Santosuosso for the newspaper The Boston Globe. The reporter deemed Connor "a first-rate singer in the classical jazz style" and a "seasoned professional" who "possesses an instinct for lyrical clout and a sound appreciation of the license she can employ in her improvisations." As for his opinion about the numbers, the vocalist's rendition of I've Got You Under My Skin struck him as 'jaunty.' Not even Cleo Laine could surpass Connor's version of Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home, Santosuosso enthusiastically remarked. But the set's "musical apex" was "Good Morning, Heartache, which she endowed with a pained wistfulness that should characterize the singing of all torch songs."

Date: August 18, 1980 (First Set)
Location: El Morocco Restaurant, Worcester, Massachusetts

Todd Coleman (b), Jim McNeely, The Jim McNeely Trio (p), Ted Sedeeko(?) (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	The Gypsy In My Soul - 3:12(Clay A. Boland, Moe Jaffe)
b.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles - 2:31(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin)
c.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still - 3:33(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
d.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring - 3:21(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
e.	Concert Taping	Ridin' On The Moon - 3:03(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
f.	Concert Taping	Buy And Sell - 3:54(Laura Nyro)
g.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town - 2:49(Cole Porter)
h.	Concert Taping	Blue, Green, Grey And Gone - 3:33(Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Francis Lemarque)
i.	Concert Taping	Just In Time - 2:34(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne)
j.	Concert Taping	God Bless The Child - 3:18(Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.)
k.	Concert Taping	More Today Than Yesterday - 3:09(Pat Upton)
l.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:35(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

All titles unissued.

Date: August 18, 1980 (Second Set)
Location: El Morocco Restaurant, Worcester, Massachusetts

Todd Coleman (b), Jim McNeely, The Jim McNeely Trio (p), Ted Sedeeko(?) (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 2:48(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
b.	Concert Taping	Glad To Be Unhappy - 3:31(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
c.	Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl - 3:10(Noel Coward)
d.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:42(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
e.	Concert Taping	The Wind - 3:59(Russ Freeman, Jerry Gladstone)
f.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 2:49(Cole Porter)
g.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day - 1:10(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
h.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 0:26(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
i.	Concert Taping	Where Flamingos Fly - 3:27(John Benson Brooks, Harold Courlander, Elthea Peale)
j.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 1:51(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
k.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:11(Joe Greene)
l.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On - 1:46(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)

All titles unissued.

Date: 9/25/81
Location: Sweet Basil, 88 Seventh Avenue (between Bleecker and Grove Streets), New York City, New York

Chris Connor (ldr), Horst Liepolt (pdr), Steve LaSpina (b), Fred Hersch (p), Tony Tedesco (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 2:58(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
b.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 4:43(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
c.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring - 3:26(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
d.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 1:41(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983)
e.	Concert Taping	Where Flamingos Fly - 3:31(John Benson Brooks, Harold Courlander, Elthea Peale) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
f.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 2:55(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
g.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:30(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983)
h.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town - 2:18(Cole Porter) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
i.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 2:58(Joe Greene) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
j.	Concert Taping	Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Free And Easy) - 3:30(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
k.	Concert Taping	Just In Time - 2:38(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
l.	Concert Taping	Glad To Be Unhappy - 3:20(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
m.	Concert Taping	Poor Little Rich Girl - 2:58(Noel Coward) APPLAUSE CS/LPAPCS/APLP 1020 — Live (1983)
n.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 2:42(Cole Porter) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
o.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day - 2:25(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
p.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me - 2:46(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
q.	Concert Taping	Lush Life - 4:08(Billy Strayhorn) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
r.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still - 3:28(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) EVIDENCE CDECD 22110-2 — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (1995) Absord Music Licensed (Jpn ) CDABCJ-271 (Japan) — Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (2003)
s.	Concert Taping	I'm All Smiles(Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin) unissued

Source

National Public Radio broadcast this concert live from New York's Sweet Basil nightclub. The broadcast was part of "Jazz Alive," one of the network's regular series.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a copy of the radio broadcast, nor any additional information, other than the details shared below. Given the large number of songs listed, it is possible that two sets from the same evening were heard.

Song Sequence

The correct sequence in which Connor sang these numbers remains unknown to me. The order shown above follows the LP's sequence, tagging at the end the performances that are on CD only.

Issues, Masters, And Timing

As shown above, two versions of the NPR program have been commercially issued, one as the 1981 Applause LP Chris Connor Live and another as the 1995 Evidence CD Lover Come Back To Me: Live At Sweet Basil (reissued in 2003).

Neither issue includes the entire radio program. Three of the songs from the LP were excluded from the CD, and four of the songs on the CD are not found in the CD. According to a listener of the broadcast, there are also additional numbers that remain commercially unissued. He reliably remembers "I'm All Smiles," in particular.

Furthermore, the CD skips most of the brief spoken comments made by Connor as introductions to the songs. The LP includes many of those comments. The inclusion or exclusion of parlando intros is one of the reasons why the same performances have different timings in the LP and the CD(s). In this session, I have chosen to enter the longer timings, irrespective of issue.

Date: Broadcast in October 1981
Location: Corcoran Gallery Of Art , Washington, DC

Dick Sarpolo (b), Bob Kaye (p), Richard DeRosa (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Willow Weep For Me - 2:31(Ann Ronell)
b.	Concert Taping	I've Got You Under My Skin - 3:14(Cole Porter)
c.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out - 3:00(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
d.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes - 4:02(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
e.	Concert Taping	Come Rain Or Come Shine - 2:26(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
f.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 3:34(Joe Greene)
g.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:58(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
h.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You - 2:43(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)

All titles unissued.

Source

This concert, part of the Corcoran Gallery's "Great American Songwriters" Series, was broadcast over National Public Radio. In NPR's Boston affiliate, the broadcast was preceded by a brief historical feature dating back to the 1950s, and possibly taken from the station's own archives. In the feature, we hear a radio disc jockey who refers to Chris Connor as the new vocalist with Stan Kenton And His Orchestra. He also mentions, in passing, her previous stints with both Jerry Wald and Claude Thornhill. The dee jay finally proceeds to play Connor's then-current single with Kenton, "All About Ronnie." (Only the disc jockey is present in the historical feature -- not Chris Connor.)

Some of the songs from this Corcoran concert were also played at seminars about Chris Connor's music that were held at The New England Conservatory, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Songs

1. "Willow Weep For Me"
In the extant tape, this song is not heard in its entirety. It misses the initial chorus.

2. "I Love Being Here With You"
At the concert, Connor sang this number as an encore.

Date: Broadcast on July 3, 1982
Location: Cool Jazz Festival, Avery Fisher Hall, New York

Chris Connor (ldr), Zoot Simms (ts), Dizzy Gillespie (t), Jay Leonhart (b), Mike Renzi (p), Shelly Manne (d), Chris Connor (v, spk), Bill Henderson, Carrie Smith, Sylvia Syms (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
b.	Concert Taping	Willow Weep For Me(Ann Ronell)
c.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin'(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
d.	Concert Taping	I Miss You So(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
e.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)
f.	Concert Taping	How High The Moon(Nancy Hamilton, William Morgan Lewis)

All titles unissued.

Source And Performance

This Chris Connor set was heard during This Time The Ladies: A Celebration Of Women Songwriters, an one-night event put together by singer Sylvia Syms. The event was in turn part of the Cool Jazz Festival, and was broadcast on National Public Radio. The host at the event was Jim Lowe; the NPR hosts were Paul Anthony and Susan Stamberg. Preserved in homemade fan tapes.

The evening featured various artists doing mini-concerts, each dedicated to the songs of one or more female songwriters. During her set, Connor briefly credits the female songwriters responsible for each of the numbers that she sings: Dorothy Fields, Nancy Hamilton, Peggy Lee, Ann Ronnell, Bertha Scott).

Personnel & Songs

1. "How High The Moon"
"How High The Moon" is a jam number that features all the main artists who had performed at the one-night event, including Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Henderson, Zoot Simms, Carrie Smith, and Sylvia Syms. (With an exception: Carmen McRae performed, too, but she did not participate in this number). During the jam, Connor both sings and scats.

Date: 1/23/85
Location: Sacramento, California

Paul Desmond (b), Richard Rodney Bennett (p), Vince Lateano (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Ill Wind(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)
b.	Concert Taping	Black Coffee(Joseph F. "Sonny" Burke, Paul Francis Webster)
c.	Concert Taping	Let's Take The Long Way Home(Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
d.	Concert Taping	We'll Be Together Again(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine)
e.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town(Cole Porter)
f.	Concert Taping	Lover(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
g.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

All titles unissued.

Source

Tape, recorded from the soundboard at the concert. Presumed to be one out of at least two sets, or to otherwise be incomplete.

Songs

1. "Ill Wind"
2. "Black Coffee"
These two titles are performed as a medley.

Personnel

1. Paul Desmond
All personnel names were gathered from the audio of the concert, during which Connor introduced the musicians by name. This Paul Desmond is not the famous saxophonist, but a bassist about whom I have not been able to locate further information.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Nathan Bupp for acquainting me with this date.

Date: Unknown, perhaps around August of 1986 or August of 1987

Richard Rodney Bennett (p, v), Chris Connor (v)

a.	RehearsalPrivate Taping	High On A Windy Hill - 3:13(Joan Whitney, Alex Kramer)
b.	RehearsalPrivate Taping	Love Is Just Around The Corner - 2:29(Lewis E. Gensler, Leo Robin)

Both titles unissued.

Source

Chris Connor preserved these rehearsal performances on two homemade cassettes. The rehearsals seem to have taken at one of the two performer's homes. No other details are unknown. The assigned date is merely an educated guess; it relies on the fact that Connor also kept homemade cassettes of rehearsals with Bennett for their albums Classic (recorded in August of 1986) and New Again (recorded in August of 1987).

Personnel

1. Sir Richard Rodney Bennett
The singing pianist performs both duty in "Love Is Just Around The Corner," a vocal duet with Chris Connor. The other number features him on piano only.

Date: 11/22/86
Location: International Art of Jazz (IAJ) Concert, unknown, possibly Long Island, New York

Turk Mauro (sax), Carver Scott Lee (b), Lee Musiker (p), Akir Atona (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	They Can't Take That Away From Me(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
b.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
c.	Concert Taping	That Old Devil Called Love(Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts)
d.	Concert Taping	(unidentified song)(unknown)
e.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
f.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
g.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
h.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town(Cole Porter)
i.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene)
j.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
k.	Concert Taping	Lover(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
l.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
m.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)
n.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas)
o.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
p.	Concert Taping	We'll Be Together Again(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine)
q.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance(Irving Berlin)
r.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
s.	Concert Taping	The More I See You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
t.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
u.	Concert Taping	I Miss You So(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
v.	Concert Taping	Let's Take The Long Way Home(Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
w.	Concert Taping	Lover(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
x.	Concert Taping	Ten Cents A Dance(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
y.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)

All titles unissued.

Source

Available on tape at the Library of Congress. Because I have not listened to this concert, I cannot fully guarantee that Connor sings all the numbers listed. Although these are all songs that were in Connor's repertoire, I cannot discard the possibility that a few were instrumentals, performed by the musicians who accompanied her on this evening.

Date: 1987
Location: Tralfamadore Café, Buffalo, NY

Chris Connor (ldr), Jim Coleman (b), Lee Musiker (p), Warren Odze (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) unissued
b.	Concert Taping	Old Devil Moon(Erwin 'Yip' Harburg, Burton Lane) unissued
c.	Concert Taping	'Round Midnight(Bernie D. Hanighen, Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams) unissued
d.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town(Cole Porter) unissued
e.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer) unissued
f.	Concert Taping	The More I See You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) unissued
g.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) unissued
h.	Concert Taping	We'll Be Together Again(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine) unissued
i.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee) unissued
j.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) unissued
k.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren) unissued
l.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene) unissued
m.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer) SJJ-USA CD002 — [Various Artists] From California With Love (2011)

Source

This live performance was simulcast on Buffalo's WEBR-AM 970 radio show Jazz In The Nightime, hosted by Jack Lockhart. (The station's call letters were changed to WNED-AM in the 1990s.) Taped by listeners.

Issues

1. From California With Love [CD]
Released in the summer of 2011, this CD was conceived in direct response to the March 11, 2011 catastrophe (earthquake and tsunami) that devastated Northeast Japan. Proceeds from sold copies went to the relief of Japanese victims, while salary and fees were waived by all participating artists (Alan Broadbent, Jim Cox, Johnny Holiday, Diane Hubka, Christian Jacob, Leslie Lewis with the Gerald Hagen Trio, Dick Noel, Frankie Randall, Sue Raney, Kurt Reichenbach, Tierney Sutton, Tom Warrington, Pinky Winters).. Singer Diane Hubka is credited with having originally come up with the idea. Nearly all tracks in this collection were newly recorded in 2011. The one exception is the Chris Connor track, taken from the present concert, and donated by Connor's partner-manager, Lori Muscarelle.

Chris Connor Does Buffalo

Chris Connor performed in Buffalo with relative frequency. Thanks to local resident and fan Rick Kaye, I am aware of various Connor engagements there not only in 1987 but also in later years: 1991, 1996, and 1999. Both the 1996 and 1999 appearances took place at the Calumet Arts Cafe (54 West Chippewa), where she was accompanied by the Harold Danko Trio.

Chris Connor had also performed in Buffalo long before this 1987 date. According to a report from another local resident, the city was witness to one of Connor's very first solo appearances in either 1953 or 1954 -- not long after she had left Kenton's band.

I do not know if any of those other concerts (1991, 1996, 1999, 1950s) were also broadcast over the radio airwaves. If they were, there is the possibility that homemade tapings are in the possession of fans. So far, I have not heard of any such tapings, however.

Date: 1988 (or thereabouts)
Location: New York City

Mike McGrew (b), Mike Abene (p), Richard DeRosa (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	That Old Devil Called Love(Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts)
b.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
c.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
d.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
e.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)
f.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)

All titles unissued.

Source

Tape, which has preserved just the above-listed selections from a longer concert.

Personnel

1. Mike McGrew
All personnel names were gathered from the audio of the concert, during which Connor introduced the musicians by name. I have had trouble discerning the bassist's name. "Mike McGrew" should thus be deemed a tentative entry, subject to eventual modification.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Nathan Bupp for acquainting me with this date.

Date: Late October, 1989
Location: "Bird" Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan

Chris Connor (ldr), Carver Scott Lee (b), Bob Kaye (p), Vinton W. "Vinnie" Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
b.	Concert Taping	That Old Devil Called Love(Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts)
c.	Concert Taping	Get Out Of Town(Cole Porter)
d.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
e.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
f.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
g.	Concert Taping	In Love In Vain(Jerome Kern, Leo Robin)
h.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
i.	Concert Taping	Love(Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)
j.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
k.	Concert Taping	All Too Soon(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)
l.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)

All titles unissued.

Source

This concert was possibly broadcast over the Japanese radio airwaves. It has been preserved in the form of a homemade tape. I believe that the date and location given above are correct; I do have a less reliable source that gives the date as 1976, the location as Tokyo, and the title of the ninth song as "Lover" instead of "Love." Also different in the alternate source are the names of the date's bassist (Jack Lee) and drummer (Dean Johnson).

Date: 9/20/90
Location: Pizza On the Park, London
Label: AUDIOPHILE

Chris Connor (ldr), George H. Buck, Jr. (pdr), Alan Barnes (as), Duncan Lamont (ts), Spike Heathley (b), Bob Kaye (p), Terry Jenkins (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band - 2:10(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
b.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got - 2:33(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
c.	Concert Taping	Gone With The Wind - 3:30(Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
d.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes - 3:30(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
e.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You - 2:18(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett

All titles on:

AUDIOPHILE CDACD-246 — The London Connection (1993)

Date: 9/21/90
Location: Pizza On the Park, London
Label: AUDIOPHILE

Chris Connor (ldr), George H. Buck, Jr. (pdr), Alan Barnes (as), Duncan Lamont (ts), Spike Heathley (b), Bob Kaye (p), Terry Jenkins (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still - 3:49(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
b.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:12(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
c.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved - 3:14(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
d.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
e.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out - 2:34(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
f.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me - 2:29(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett

All titles on:

AUDIOPHILE CDACD-246 — The London Connection (1993)

Date: 9/22/90
Location: Pizza On The Park, London
Label: AUDIOPHILE

Chris Connor (ldr), George H. Buck, Jr. (pdr), Alan Barnes (as), Duncan Lamont (ts), Spike Heathley (b), Bob Kaye (p), Terry Jenkins (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Hear The Music Now - 2:48(Sammy Fain, Jerry Seelen, Ambroise Charles Thomas) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
b.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 2:10(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
c.	Concert Taping	That Old Devil Called Love(Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
d.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
e.	Concert Taping	This Can't Be Love - 2:05(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
f.	Concert Taping	Key Largo - 2:38(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
g.	Concert Taping	The More I See You - 4:49(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett
h.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:06(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett

All titles on:

AUDIOPHILE CDACD-246 — The London Connection (1993)

Date: ca. May 31, 1991; The Back To Balboa Convention
Location: Probably Rendezvous Ballroom, Hyatt Newporter Resort, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, California

Marion "Buddy" Childers (con, t), Gabe Baltazar, Bob Cooper, Jack Nimitz, Bill Perkins, Bud Shank (sax), Conte Candoli, Walter "Pete" Candoli, Charles "Chuck" Findley, Steve Huffsteter, Frank Szabo (t), Eddie Bert, Rick Culver, Dick Hyde, Richard T. "Dick" Nash, George Roberts, Jiggs Whigham (tb), Mark Adams, James Atkison, Nathan Campbell, Marilyn Johnson (frh), Ralph Blaize (g), Alan Broadbent, Thomas "Tom" Rainer (p), Peter Donald (d), Jack Costanzox (bo), Jules Greenberg (per), Chris Connor (v)

RehearsalConcert Taping

All About Ronnie - 4:52(Joe Greene) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett

unissued

Venue, Date And Performance

Rehearsal performance. See notes under next session.

Arrangement

1. "All About Ronnie"
For this all-Kenton orchestra convention, Chris Connor acquiesced to performing All About Ronnie at the request of the event's promoters. Because the hit version of this number used the full orchestra, one particular difficulty arose. To quote Connor herself, "Bill Russo was going to conduct All About Ronnie, but they couldn't find the Kenton (Russo) arrangement, so Buddy Childers conducted a Richard Rodney Bennett arrangement for me." Bennett's arrangement of All About Ronnie dated back to a Radio City Music Hall tribute to Miles Davis, in which Connor sang the number at the request of Davis himself.

Date: June 2, 1991; The Back To Balboa Convention
Location: Rendezvous Ballroom, Hyatt Newporter Resort, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, California

a.	Concert Taping	If I Should Lose You(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) unissued
b.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter) unissued
c.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 4:53(Joe Greene) / arr: Richard Rodney Bennett MAMA Musical Archives Foundation Collectors' Label CDMMF 1003 — [Various Artists] Back To Balboa: Kenton's 50th Anniversary Celebration (1995)

Venue, Date And Performance

These Chris Connor vocals were heard during a four-day convention (May 30-June 2, 1991) in celebration of Stan Kenton's career. The events were sponsored by California State University's radio station FM 88.1 KLON.

Anita O'Day was also among the convention's performers; she sang her set during the first of two shows by the Stan Kenton Alumni band (May 31st). Connor's appeared at the second show, held on the afternoon of June the 2nd. In an earlier edition of this discography, I had assigned the date May 31, 1991 to Connor's Back To Balboa set. I gleaned that dating, now known to be wrong, from the limited documentation that I had at that earlier time. Various witnesses have now corroborated that Connor performed on Sunday the 2nd, not on Friday the 31st.

Perhaps a confusion between Connor's and O'Day's sets elicited the error in the documentation that I originally consulted. Another alternative explanation: we should not dismiss the possibility that Connor could have been originally scheduled to sing on the 31st. Or perchance Connor rehearsed on the 31st, and that rehearsal date has been misidentified as the date of the actual performance.

There is also one report which claims that Connor's opening number was "All Too Soon," not "If I Should Lose You." Since I have listened to a tape of Connor's set, I can confidently ascertain that she did not sing "All Too Soon" at this event.

"If I Should Lose You" and "I Get A Kick Out Of You" were sung with rhythm section, "All About Ronnie" with full alumni orchestra.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to June Christy," Connor succinctly remarked before launching into "All About Ronnie." (Christy had passed away on June 21, 1990.) Bob Cooper, Christy's widower and himself a member of the Kenton Orchestra alumni, was reportedly moved to tears by this brief acknowledgment of his wife.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my friend Brian Thomas, in the United Kingdom, for his kind and generous help. He provided various specifics about this session and a few others found in this page.

Date: 1992 (Two Shows, Same Night?)
Location: Sculler's, Allston, Massachusetts

Dave Clark (b), Bob Kaye (p), Vinton W. "Vinnie" Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	As Time Goes By - 4:45(Herman Hupfeld)
b.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got - 2:09(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
c.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 2:50(Cole Porter)
d.	Concert Taping	I Miss You So - 4:28(Jimmy Henderson, Bertha Scott, Sid Robin)
e.	Concert Taping	That Old Devil Called Love - 3:09(Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts)
f.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring - 3:25(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
g.	Concert Taping	Things Are Swingin' - 1:26(Peggy Lee, Jack Marshall)
h.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone - 2:50(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
i.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 3:16(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
j.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain - 2:06(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
k.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out - 2:27(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
l.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 5:27(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)
m.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You - 2:16(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
n.	Concert Taping	It's Easy to Remember - 5:57(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
o.	Concert Taping	Key Largo - 2:29(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
p.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance - 5:44(Irving Berlin)
q.	Concert Taping	Lover, Come Back To Me - 2:52(Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg)
r.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still - 3:59(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
s.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band - 2:02(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
t.	Concert Taping	We'll Be Together Again - 5:07(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine)

All titles unissued.

Source

Taped on location, with the singer's approval. Extant tapes have been used for educational purposes at The New England Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts). In seminars about Chris Connor's music, students have listened to some of the songs from this set.

Concert

The above-listed contents might comprise two shows from the same night.

The last three songs could be encores. In the extant tape, they come right after the singer has finished her show (or part of her show), without no clear indication as to their origin. All three numbers are sung without any preceding or following commentary.

Date: 12/24/92
Location: Osaka, Japan

Bob Kaye (dir, p), The Bob Kaye Trio (acc), Carver Scott Lee (b), Vinton W. "Vinnie" Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	It's Easy to Remember - 5:20(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
b.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone - 2:42(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
c.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got - 2:10(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
d.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes - 3:18(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
e.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring - 3:24(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
f.	Concert Taping	Jingle Bells - 2:54(James Lord Pierpont)
g.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:02(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
h.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain - 2:22(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
i.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All - 2:50(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
j.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 4:43(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)

All titles unissued.

Source

Musical director and pianist Bob Kaye is the source for this videotaped concert, which took place during a visit to Japan in 1992.

In 2010, Kaye made most of the concert available through YouTube. To see Kaye's YouTube clips, click on the linked songs below.

"It's Easy to Remember", Uploaded on April 19, 2010

"The Thrill Is Gone", Uploaded on April 19, 2010

"Everything I've Got", Uploaded on April 22, 2010

"Angel Eyes", Uploaded on April 22, 2010

"It Might As Well Be Spring", Uploaded on April 22, 2010

"Jingle Bells", Uploaded on April 23, 2010

"Lover", Uploaded on April 23, 2010

"September In The Rain", Uploaded on April 23, 2010

"All Or Nothing At All", Uploaded on April 23, 2010

"Good Morning, Heartache", Uploaded on April 23, 2010

The actual sequence in which the songs were performed is not known to me. Hence I have placed them in the order in which Kaye uploaded them. Note that, shortly after she sings "Jingle Bells," Connor wishes the audience a merry christmas and bids them good night. Thus "Jingle Bells" was probably this concert's last performance.

Songs

1. "Jingle Bells (I Like A Sleigh Ride)"
Chris Connor closes her rendition of "Jingle Bells" with the words "I like a sleigh ride," an obvious reference to Peggy Lee's version of the same song from her Capitol album Christmas Carousel. (The album was one of Chris' avowed favorites, and so was its singer. Connor's rendition of "It Might As Well Be Spring" also seems to have been inspired by Lee's.)

2. Instrumental
Also part of this concert is the instrumental "You And The Night And The Music" (7:19), with which The Bob Kaye Trio probably opened the show.

Cross-references

1. Chris Connor On Video

In addition to this batch of concert clips, Bob Kaye has uploaded a second batch, from a different concert. See below, session dated February 22, 1995. There is also a third concert video clip, under a session dated October 24, 2003 (8:30 p.m. event), and a notable recording session clip (May 31 - June 4, 1992). That is the full extent of available video performances by Chris Connor. No Connor video has ever been commercially issued (aside from a fleeting sight of her, as a member of the audience of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, watching Anita O'Day perform).

Date: September 27, 1993 (First Set)
Location: Unknown venue, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia

The Bob Kaye Trio (acc), Chip Jackson (b), Bob Kaye (p), Vinton W. "Vinnie" Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	This Can't Be Love(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
b.	Concert Taping	Summertime(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
c.	Concert Taping	The More I See You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
d.	Concert Taping	Everything I've Got(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
e.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)
f.	Concert Taping	As Time Goes By(Herman Hupfeld)
g.	Concert Taping	Key Largo(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
h.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)
i.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
j.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter)
k.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
l.	Concert Taping	All Too Soon(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)
m.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)

All titles unissued.

Source, Dating, And Cross-references

Heard, as a live remote broadcast, over the airwaves of Temple University's radio station WRTY, on the radio show Jazz Night Out. Preserved in a homemade tape. See also concert immediately below.

Performances

This set closes with (or uses as an interlude) a long instrumental by the Bob Kaye Trio.

Date: September 27, 1993 (Second Set)
Location: Unknown venue, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia

The Bob Kaye Trio (acc), Chip Jackson (b), Bob Kaye (p), Vinton W. "Vinnie" Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
b.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
c.	Concert Taping	It Might As Well Be Spring(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
d.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
e.	Concert Taping	Funny (Not Much)(Marcia Neil, Phillip Folsom Broughton, Hughie Prince, Bob Merrill)
f.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance(Irving Berlin)
g.	Concert Taping	All Or Nothing At All(Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
h.	Concert Taping	Easy To Remember(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
i.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
j.	Concert Taping	Lover(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
k.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie(Joe Greene)

All titles unissued.

Date: 2/22/95
Location: Quinnipiac University, Connecticut

Bob Kaye (dir, p), Dick Lieb (con), Dick Lieb And His Musicians (acc), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved - 3:29(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)
b.	Concert Taping	All About Ronnie - 5:05(Joe Greene)
c.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance - 2:41(Irving Berlin)
d.	Concert Taping	Good Morning, Heartache - 4:00(Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham)
e.	Concert Taping	Summertime - 2:47(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
f.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:05(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
g.	Concert Taping	All Too Soon - 2:43(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)
h.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone - 2:40(Arthur H. Benson, Dale E. Petite)
i.	Concert Taping	Just One Of Those Things - 2:43(Cole Porter)
j.	Concert Taping	I Feel A Song Coming On(Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer)

All titles unissued.

Source

Musical director and pianist Bob Kaye is the source for this videotaped concert, held at Quinnipiac College in 1995. On October 18, 2010, Kaye made most of it available on YouTube. If interested in watching this concert's performances, do so as soon as possible; bear in mind that videos can be removed from YouTube at any time, without any advance notice. Here are the links to Kaye's video clips:

"Dearly Beloved", Uploaded on October 17, 2009

"All About Ronnie", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"Let's Face The Music And Dance", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"Good Morning, Heartache", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"Summertime", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"Lover", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"All Too Soon", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"The Thrill Is Gone", Uploaded on October 18, 2009

"Just One Of Those Things", Uploaded twice once on December 27, 2009 and once on December
18, 2006

No video for "I Feel A Song Coming On" was uploaded.

The actual sequence in which these songs were performed is not known to me. Hence I have placed them in the order in which Kaye uploaded them. Connor introduces Bob Kaye and Dick Lieb to the audience after she sings "Lover." Various numbers feature relatively long instrumental interludes (including a sax solo during "All About Ronnie") which highlight the talents of Bob Kaye and the accompanying musicians. Connor is seen leaving the stage right after she finishes "The Thrill Is Gone."

Of the above listed video clips, the following clips were also shown during a public event held on the evening of August 14, 2007 at the New England Conservatory's Brown Hall:

All About Ronnie
The Thrill Is Gone
Good Morning, Heartache
Let's Face The Music And Dance
Lover
Dearly Beloved
I Feel A Song Coming On

The event was part of pianist and professor Ran Blake's summer intensive course The Music Of Chris Connor. Note that the last song listed is not among those uploaded on YouTube. (My source for the details about this 2007 event is a written text -- not a witness account. There is always the possibility that "I Feel A Song Coming On" was erroneously listed, or that the clip for this song was from a different concert.)

Cross-references

1. Chris Connor On Video
In addition to this batch of concert clips, Bob Kaye has uploaded a second batch; see above, session dated December 24, 1992. There is also a third concert video clip, under a session dated October 24, 2003 (8:30 p.m. event). That is the full extent of available video performances by Chris Connor, and none of them has been commercially issued (aside from a seconds-long sight of her in the audience of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, watching Anita O'Day performing).

Date: Broadcast on April 1, 1996
Location: University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

Chris Connor (ldr), Chip Jackson (b), Billy Taylor (p), Steve Johns (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Summertime(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
b.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
c.	Concert Taping	This Can't Be Love(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
d.	Concert Taping	Just One Of Those Things(Cole Porter)
e.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
f.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
g.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
h.	Concert Taping	Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye(Cole Porter)
i.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You(Cole Porter)

All titles unissued.

Source

This was a special Chris Connor appearance on the radio show Jazz at Kennedy Center, hosted by Bill Taylor. In addition to singing the above-shown set, Connor also responded to numerous question by the host and by members of the audience. Preserved in homemade tape.

Songs & Performance

1. "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
2. "Just One Of These Things"
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" is heard twice during the broadcast, once in full and once in an edited version. The same pattern applies to "Just One Of These Things." More exactly, segments of "I Get A Kick Out of You" are edited into the beginning of the radio show, and parts of "Just One of These Things" are edited into the ending. The host talks over the incomplete performance of "I Get A Kick Out Of You."

Date: 11/3/97
Location: Concerti Telecom Italia, Teatro Sistina, Rome

Johnny Griffin (ts), Harry "Sweets" Edison (t), Slide Hampton (tb), Ben Brown (b), Vince Benedetti, Tardo Hammer (p), Bobby Durham (d), Chris Connor, Annie Ross (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Summertime - 3:22(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
b.	Concert Taping	Key Largo - 2:23(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
c.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes - 3:09(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
d.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band - 2:05(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
e.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day - 3:22(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
f.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 3:00(Cole Porter)
g.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:36(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
h.	Concert Taping	When The Saints Go Marchin' In - 6:19(Katherine Purvis, James Black)

All titles unissued.

Source

Extant on fan-made tapes, this concert was presumably broadcast over Italian radio -- and perhaps televised as well. The program started off with a six-song instrumental set, performed by The Golden Men Of Jazz. Afterwards, Ross and Connor did their respective mini-sets. For the last portion of the concert, The Golden Men Of Jazz returned to play four more instrumentals and a finale, "When the Saints Go Marchin' In." Singers Connor and Ross joined the instrumentalists during that finale.

In addition to having access to a DVD copy of the tape, I have counted with the welcome assistance of pianist Tardo Hammer, who was one of the concert's players. Hammer kindly clarified and corrected various points of interest, including the exact year in which the concert took place (1997).

Personnel

1. The Golden Men Of Jazz
Along with Chris Connor and Annie Ross, the concert's billed stars were The Golden Men Of Jazz, an ensemble put together for the occasion. It consisted of Vince Benedetti, Ben Brown, Bobby Durham, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Johnny Griffin, and Slide Hampton.

2. Tardo Hammer
Tardo Hammer came to this concert as Annie Ross' pianist but upon Chris Connor's request, agreed to fulfill piano duties for her set as well. His piano is heard in all of the above-listed performances, except for the last one.

3. Vince Benedetti
Vince Benedetti played piano strictly in his capacity as a member of The Golden Men of Jazz. Of the above-listed numbers, he performed only in "When The Saints Go Marching In."

Date: Broadcast some time between March 2000 and Spring of 2001
Location: WICN Public Radio, Worcester, Massachusetts

The Bob Kaye Trio (acc), Carver Scott Lee (b), Bob Kaye (p), unidentified (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Summertime - 3:10(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
b.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon - 5:17(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
c.	Concert Taping	Key Largo - 2:34(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
d.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved - 3:07(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)
e.	Concert Taping	It's Easy to Remember - 3:30(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
f.	Concert Taping	This Can't Be Love - 1:51(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
g.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day - 3:27(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
h.	Concert Taping	Just In Time - 2:26(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne)
i.	Concert Taping	We'll Be Together Again - 4:40(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine)
j.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band - 2:12(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
k.	Concert Taping	The More I See You - 4:38(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
l.	Concert Taping	I Get A Kick Out Of You - 2:25(Cole Porter)
m.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You - 2:32(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
n.	Concert Taping	As Time Goes By - 4:31(Herman Hupfeld)
o.	Concert Taping	Let's Take The Long Way Home - 2:29(Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
p.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance - 2:28(Irving Berlin)
q.	Concert Taping	Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - 4:08(Cole Porter)
r.	Concert Taping	A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening - 1:46(Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson)
s.	Concert Taping	Lover - 2:14(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
t.	Concert Taping	Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry - 3:57(Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne)
u.	Concert Taping	The Thrill Is Gone - 2:46(Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)

All titles unissued.

Source And Venue

This concert was broadcast on the WCIN Public Radio show Jazz Matinee, hosted by Carol Sloane. At the concert, Sloane also served as master -- or rather, mistress -- of ceremony. The name of the venue remains unknown to me. One song from this concert, "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry," has been heard and studied in seminars about Chris Connor's music, conducted at The New England Conservatory (in Boston, MA).

Personnel And Songs

1. The Bob Kaye Trio
2. "If I Were A Bell"
The concert began with an instrumental segment by The Bob Kaye Trio. The segment included a version of "If I Were A Bell."

3. Carol Sloane
4. "All About Ronnie"
During an interlude between "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "I Love Being Here With You," hostess Carol Sloane briefly reminisced about hearing Connor's voice on the radio back in the 1950s. As part of her recollection, Sloane (herself a well-known, celebrated vocalist) sang almost the entire first chorus of "All About Ronnie."

Date: 9/19/01
Location: Birdland, New York

Chris Connor (ldr), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
b.	Concert Taping	Haunted Heart(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)
c.	Concert Taping	Key Largo(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
d.	Concert Taping	Just In Time(Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne)
e.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)
f.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
g.	Concert Taping	A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening(Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson)
h.	Concert Taping	As Time Goes By(Herman Hupfeld)
i.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
j.	Concert Taping	My Heart Stood Still(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
k.	Concert Taping	Lover(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

All titles unissued.

Source

Live concert, apparently taped by an audience member.

Help Requested: Personnel

I do not know the names of the musicians who accompanied Connor at this date. Help on this matter would be appreciated.

Date: Broadcast on March 20, 2002
Location: National Public Radio

Marian McPartland (p), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Summertime(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
b.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
c.	Concert Taping	Key Largo(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
d.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
e.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
f.	Concert Taping	As Time Goes By(Herman Hupfeld)

All titles unissued.

Source

This was Chris Connor's guest appearance in Piano Jazz, a National Public Radio show hosted by Marian McPartland. Unfortunately, I have not listened to this episode. From my listening of other episodes, I know that guests are extensively interviewed.

Personnel

1. Marian McPartland
During this broadcast, two piano instrumentals were performed by the hostess: "When Lights Are Low" and "In The Days Of Our Love."

Date: 3/26/03
Location: Birdland, New York

Chris Connor (ldr), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	This Can't Be Love(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
b.	Concert Taping	Where Can I Go Without You?(Peggy Lee, Victor Popular Young)
c.	Concert Taping	Key Largo(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
d.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
e.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
f.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
g.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
h.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
i.	Concert Taping	Gone With The Wind(Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel)
j.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)
k.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
l.	Concert Taping	The More I See You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
m.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

All titles unissued.

Source

Live concert, apparently taped by an audience member. During this date, Connor performed two song sets. This one was the first.

Help Requested: Personnel

I do not know the names of the musicians who accompanied Connor at this concert. Help on this matter would be appreciated.

Date: 6/23/03
Location: Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York

Mike Renzi (p), Chris Connor (v)

Concert Taping

Where Can I Go Without You?(Peggy Lee, Victor Popular Young)

unissued

Source

This is Connor's single performance from the various-artists show There'll Be Another Spring: A Tribute To Peggy Lee, which was part of the JVC Jazz Festival series.

Although I have no evidence, I imagine that this performance was taped, along with the rest of the show. Performance by many of the other participants have actually been broadcast on Jazz Set, a National Public Radio program hosted by singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, herself one of the evening's performers. It is therefore logical to assume that a full tape still exists, containing all the evening performances.

Vocally, it was not a good Connor performance, unfortunately. In 2004, this lackluster tribute was reprised at the Hollywood Bowl, but Connor did not participate in that second edition.

Date: Friday, October 24, 2003; 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: The Balboa Rendezvous Convention, At The Amphiteatre Of The Hyatt Newporter Resort, Newport Beach, California
Concert #2, entitled All About Ronnie

Christian Jacob Trio (acc), Adrian Rosen (b), Christian Jacob (p), Kendall Kay (d), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	I Love Being Here With You(Dave Cavanaugh aka Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee)
b.	Concert Taping	Angel Eyes(Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis)
c.	Concert Taping	Key Largo(Benny Carter, Karl Suessdorf, Leah Worth)
d.	Concert Taping	Summertime(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward)
e.	Concert Taping	Blue Moon(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
f.	Concert Taping	A Foggy Day(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
g.	Concert Taping	Day In - Day Out(Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer)
h.	Concert Taping	The More I See You(Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
i.	Concert Taping	September In The Rain(Al Dubin, Harry Warren)
j.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance(Irving Berlin)
k.	Concert Taping	Where Can I Go Without You?(Peggy Lee, Victor Popular Young)
l.	Concert Taping	Strike Up The Band(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

All titles unissued.

Source And Venue

This was the second of the 14 concerts which were held during the four-day-long Balboa Rendezvous Convention, described in its brochure as a "celebration of the composers, arrangers, instrumentalists, vocalists and music that created the Stan Kenton legacy." Sponsored by the Los Angeles Jazz Institute under the leadership of director Ken Poston, the convention began on a Thursday evening (October 23) and finished on Sunday, October 26, 2003.

After the opening event on Thursday, the other three days were tightly filled with a variety of promising events. As stated in the brochure: 14 concerts, 7 panel discussions and 3 film showings.

The brochure gave the title All About Ronnie to Connor's scheduled show. Nonetheless, and as shown above, she did not play that song during her segment.

Connor's segment actually began with a mini-concert by The Christian Jacob Trio. They played instrumental versions of "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Just Friends."

I have listened to only the first half of this Connor show -- up to "Blue Moon." Although I do not know of anyone who has a copy of the entire concert, I find it reasonable to assume that some of the attendees audiotaped it in its entirety. I have actually come across an online comment from a gentleman who indeed claims to have videotaped the full show.

Date: October 24, 2003; 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Balboa Rendezvous Convention, Plaza Ballroom, The Hyatt Newporter Resort, Newport Beach, California
Concert #4, entitled Concert In Miniature (1st Set) & Concert Encores (2nd Set)

Other Individuals Unknown (acc), Marion "Buddy" Childers, Scott Whitfield (t), Chris Connor (v)

a.	Concert Taping	Let's Face The Music And Dance - 3:25(Irving Berlin)
b.	Concert Taping	Dearly Beloved - 3:51(Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer)

Both titles unissued.

Cross-references

1. Chris Connor On Videotape, At YouTube
Under the title LA Jazz Inst. Chris Connor, a video of these two performances is available here. The video was uploaded by YouTube subscriber Orthoman8 on April 29, 2008. This Chris Connor (mini)concert is one of only four live or studio performances available to fans anywhere. The other three are also at YouTube; for details, consult live sessions above, dated December 24, 1992 and February 22, 1995, and also, from this discography' studio pages, the notes to the session dated May 31, 1992.

Source And Performance

Performed during the fourth concert of the Balboa Rendezvous Convention, which began on October 26 and closed on October 26, 2003. That fourth concert was divided into two sets, the first entitled Concert in Miniature, the second Concert Encores.

Further specifics about this date are not available to me. A few additional details can be gleaned from watching the YouTube video. At the beginning of the clip, Connor is being introduced, and the audience is clapping. At the very end, the host is overheard saying, "alright, that's the first half ..." Based on his comment, I am tentatively assuming that Connor's segment closed Concert in Miniature, the first of the event's two sets.

From the fact that we see her being introduced in the clip (with clapping following), I gather that the two above-listed numbers were the only ones which she performed during the Concert in Miniature section of the concert.

I do not know if Connor also participated in Concert Encores, the second set. I doubt that she did. The brochure lists Connor as one of three guests for this concert. The other two were Lee Konitz and Don Bagley. If their guest status meant that each had the spotlight for a segment, chances that Connor did not perform in the second set are high. Time was too limited. (The scheduled opening time for this event was 8:30 p.m. The next event, a film, was scheduled for 9:00 p.m.)

A General Note About Radio's Preservation Of Concerts From The Big Band Era

Radio broadcasting accounts for the preservation and dissemination of much concert material from America's big band era. In some instances, listeners staying in the comfort of their homes were able to tape a concert as it was being broadcast over the radio airwaves, thereby preserving performances that otherwise could have been lost forever. In other cases, radio employees were given (or kept for themselves) the acetates and transcription discs on which such concerts had been waxed by the American Forces Radio Service (AFRS) and other radio networks. Those preserved acetates, transcription discs and homemade tapes eventually served as source material for certain record companies (many of them collectors' labels rather than major or established labels) which transferred them to commercial cassettes, LPs and CDs.

As providential as their existence is, albums containing remotes (and/or broadcasts) suffer all too often from one significant flaw: inaccuracy of the accompanying discographical information -- especially, the stated recording dates. Errors tend to result from the producers' assumption that the date handwritten or stamped in their sources (i.e., the transcription discs, the acetates and, to a lesser extent, the homemade tapes) refer to the day on which the concert took place. Such is not necessarily the case. More often than not, those dates indicate either (a) the last day on which an AFRS radio station was contractually allowed to air the transcription disc or (b) the date on which the given acetate had been cut, which might or might have not been the same day on which the number was performed. Only occasionally does the date refer to the actual recording day.

The Chris Connor Bio-Discography:
Concert, Radio And Television Dates

by Iván Santiago Mercado

Sessions Reported: 79

Performances Reported: 555

Unique Songs Reported: 149

Unique Issues Reported: 108

The Chris Connor Bio-Discography:Concert, Radio And Television Dates

by Iván Santiago Mercado

Sessions Reported: 79

Performances Reported: 555

Unique Songs Reported: 149

Unique Issues Reported: 108

The Chris Connor Bio-Discography:
Concert, Radio And Television Dates