Customer Reviews

Sings Lullabys of Birdland

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Chris Connor is a consummate actress who happens to sing, and her musicianship and vocal range give new meanings to some familiar tunes, which include selections by George Shearing, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, and Gordon Jenkins. Though she sang with big bands early in her career, she eventually chose to leave them in order to sing in the more intimate confines of the jazz clubs. Her musical flexibility and her unique, personal interpretations found their home there, with much less backup. As a result, this collection is a refreshing change from the tried and true, showcasing interpretations with unusual chromatic jumps, quick changes of key, movements from high to very low register, and even a song in which she and her accompanists simultaneously work the song in different tempos. She never misses a note or a beat.

Swing is Connor's forte, but she avoids pyrotechnics and gives her songs new meaning by slowing down the pace and simplifying such standards as "Lullaby of Birdland," "What is There to Say," and the sweetly whispery "Try a Little Tenderness," all with Ellis Larkins's sensitive and simple piano accompaniments. "Spring is Here," sung with bluesy confidence, is one of the best songs on the album, and she hits every one of the difficult, chromatic low notes, spot-on. In "Why Shouldn't I," her acting, her sense of timing, and her ability to give her own interpretation without having a strong melodic line from the accompanying Ellis Larkin Trio are notable. "Ask Me," "Blue Silhouette," and the up-tempo "Chiquita from Chi-Wah-Wah" are sung with Sy Oliver's big band. The final six songs, with the Vinnie Burke Quartet, include the wonderful "Stella by Starlight" and a very dramatic and ineffably sad version of Gordon Jenkins's "Goodbye."

Connor is a musician, rather than "just" a singer, and the musicians who accompany her never "step on" her notes or intrude. She returns the compliment, allowing each of her accompanists to share the spotlight and the mood of the songs. One of the first singers to leave a successful Big Band career to create her own sound in the jazz clubs, Connor has created her own legend as a musician, her talents beautifully highlighted on this 1986 CD. Mary Whipple

First, let's get some history straight. This is not Chris' first album for Bethlehem, which also was titled "Lullabys (spelled wrong) of Birdland." That was a 10-incher with a black-and-white cover and a spoken introduction. It was followed by another 10-incher, "Lullabies for Lovers" and then the 12-inch "Chris." This album followed and it mixes tracks from the first two 10-inchers with some previously unreleased big band sessions. The cover on the C.D. issue is not the same as the cover on the original L.P.--it's an alternate shot. All that said, this is a splendid collection of early Chris, widely varied in material, moods, orchestrations and accompaniments and recording techniques. When she moved to Atlantic the aural difference was immediate--Atlantic was adept at catching the gradations of Chris' voice in a way Bethlehem never was. On Bethlehem she always sounded muted, on Atlantic she emerged crisp though still misty. This collection has stood the test of time and is well worth getting.

Chris Connor is a consummate actress with a song, and her musicianship and vocal range give new meanings to some familiar tunes, which include selections by George Shearing, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, and Gordon Jenkins. Though she sang with big bands early in her career, she eventually chose to leave them in order to sing in the more intimate confines of the jazz clubs. Her musical flexibility and her unique, personal interpretations found their home there, with much less backup. As a result, this collection is a refreshing change from the tried and true, showcasing interpretations with unusual chromatic jumps, quick changes of key, movements from high to very low register, and even a song in which she and her accompanists simultaneously work the song in different tempos. She never misses a note or a beat.

Swing is Connor's forte, but she avoids pyrotechnics and gives her songs new meaning by slowing down the pace and simplifying such standards as "Lullaby of Birdland," "What is There to Say," and the sweetly whispery "Try a Little Tenderness," all with Ellis Larkins's sensitive and simple piano accompaniments. "Spring is Here," sung with bluesy confidence, is one of the best songs on the album, and she hits every one of the difficult, chromatic low notes, spot-on. In "Why Shouldn't I," her acting, her sense of timing, and her ability to give her own interpretation without having a strong melodic line from the accompanying Ellis Larkin Trio are notable. "Ask Me," "Blue Silhouette," and the up-tempo "Chiquita from Chi-Wah-Wah" are sung with Sy Oliver's big band. The final six songs, with the Vinnie Burke Quartet, include the wonderful "Stella by Starlight" and a very dramatic and ineffably sad version of Gordon Jenkins's "Goodbye."

Connor is a musician, rather than "just" a singer, and the musicians who accompany her never "step on" her notes or intrude. She returns the compliment, allowing each of her accompanists to share the spotlight and the mood of the songs. One of the first singers to leave a successful Big Band career to create her own sound in the jazz clubs, Connor has created her own legend as a musician, her talents beautifully highlighted on this 1986 CD. Mary Whipple

I was perusin' through my local Border's Books an' Music, not strayin' far from the jazz section, an' I came across this. They had it on display so that you could listen to snippets of it on headphones, an' I gave it a spin. I was hooked instantly. The first number that grabbed me was her version'a 'Try a Little Tenderness', one'a the best songs ever, but then I moved on to 'Spring is Here' an' 'Why Shouldn't I?', then 'Ask Me' an' 'Cottage for Sale' an' the KILLER 'Stella by Starlight'. Oh, an' I can't forget 'Goodbye', prob'ly the best cut on this whole album. I had never heard a vocal version'a this song, an' now I don't wanna hear any other. This woman has got some pipes on her an' I fell in love right there in the store. I'm tellin' y'all, standards have rarely sounded so good.

Now I was only plannin' on buyin' one CD that day, as it was the end'a the month an' I only hadda lump sum'a cash that needed to be used for bills. But in my other hand I was firmly grippin' Johnny Hartman's 'Songs from the Heart' an' I wasn't about to let it go. After some middlin' in thought, I decided to jus' buy 'em both. It made it so I couldn't scrape by on my bills an' my power got cut off for a day, but y'know what? It was worth it. I hadda portable CD player an' I ran the batteries down listenin' to Chris Connor's jazzy, sultry croon while I sat in my darkened apartment.

Chris Connor is a consummate actress with a song, and her musicianship and vocal range give new meanings to some familiar tunes, which include selections by George Shearing, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, and Gordon Jenkins. Though she sang with big bands early in her career, she eventually chose to leave them in order to sing in the more intimate confines of the jazz clubs. Her musical flexibility and her unique, personal interpretations found their home there, with much less backup. As a result, this collection is a refreshing change from the tried and true, showcasing interpretations with unusual chromatic jumps, quick changes of key, movements from high to very low register, and even a song in which she and her accompanists simultaneously work the song in different tempos. She never misses a note or a beat.

Swing is Connor's forte, but she avoids pyrotechnics and gives her songs new meaning by slowing down the pace and simplifying such standards as "Lullaby of Birdland," "What is There to Say," and the sweetly whispery "Try a Little Tenderness," all with Ellis Larkins's sensitive and simple piano accompaniments. "Spring is Here," sung with bluesy confidence, is one of the best songs on the album, and she hits every one of the difficult low notes, spot-on.

In "Why Shouldn't I," her acting, her sense of timing, and her ability to give her own interpretation without having a strong melodic line from the accompanying Ellis Larkin Trio are notable. "Ask Me," "Blue Silhouette," and the up-tempo "Chiquita from Chi-Wah-Wah" are sung with Sy Oliver's big band. The final six songs, with the Vinnie Burke Quartet, include the wonderful "Stella by Starlight" and a very dramatic and ineffably sad version of Gordon Jenkins's "Goodbye."

Connor is a musician, rather than "just" a singer, and the musicians who accompany her never "step on" her notes or intrude. She returns the compliment, allowing each of her accompanists to share the spotlight and the mood of the songs. One of the first singers to leave a successful Big Band career to create her own sound in the jazz clubs, Connor has created her own legend as a musician, her talents beautifully highlighted on this 1986 CD. n Mary Whipple

I first encountered Chris Connor when I was in my twenties. So here I am 40 years later and still in awe of the magnificent instrument that she owns. Whether it's upbeat like "How Long Has This Been Going On" or sultry like the title track "Lullaby of Birdland", this is a voice which never disappoints.

If you decide to try out the phenomenal Chris, this is a good starting point. She ranks up there with Sarah, Ella and another beauty from the forties and fifties whom I also recommend: June Christy. Don't get me wrong! Each of these ladies possesses a unique talent. Ella has her scat, and Chris has a voice which reminds one of smokey cabarets and bars at 3AM when night life is drawing to a close. It relaxes you, seduces you and draws you into a world filled with innuendo. Listen to "What Is There To Say" and you'll discover what I mean.

This was the first disc of Chris Connor's for Bethlehem, released in 1954. It's a collection of 3 different dates of rather different complexions. The first is a set of mostly very slow ballads performed with the Ellis Larkins Trio (no personnel info on the CD as to bassist & drummer). It's rather good, though marred a little by the odd recording quality: the singer is very clear & present but the trio sounds oddly recessed & faded--on the two stereo systems I played the CD on this was only a minor oddity on one of them, but on the other quite noticeably strange. Connor's already a very likeable vocalist, though to be honest she's not yet reached her prime & there's some callownesses & blemishes (in particular, her pitching isn't yet as secure as it was to become, & there's a recurring defect of pronunciation: a ghost "r" after a hard "c"; hence "crome", "becrause", &c). The material on these tracks is well-chosen mostly slow, tender ballads, including a lovely "Try a Little Tenderness". Given a choice between Sarah Vaughan's famous take on "Lullaby of Birdland" & Connor's, I might even plump for Connor's simply because she manages to make the atrociously bad lyrics that burden Shearing's great tune sound a little less ridiculous than Vaughan's grandly operatic manner can.

The next session is a pleasant if lightweight big band Sy Oliver session: two trifles ("Ask Me", "Chiquita from Chi-Wah-Wah") & one more atmospheric number, "Blue Silhouettes". Only the latter has much more going for it than period charm, but it's an OK session.

The rest of the material finds Connor backed by the Vinnie Burke Quartet. Or shouldn that be "Quintet"? (The credits on the CD are very unhelpful.) It's accordion(!), guitar, clarinet or flute, bass & drums. Despite the dreaded presence of the squeezebox (which actually functions more or less like an organ on this date) this is actually pretty good & swinging music, if rather smoothed-out & low-key. Not bad, & how often does one get to hear an accordion solo on "Stella by Starlight"?

Early days for Chris Connor: she was to turn in better work on her next two Bethlehem discs & above all on her Atlantic discs. This was the first release by Bethlehem, & it's burdened with an ugly cover image of Connor (general rule of thumb: singers do not look their best with their heads tilted back & their mouths opened like gigantic traps at the centre of a photo composition), & also the mispelling in the title ("Lullabys"?!?). Worth checking out, but it's not a classic.