Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
Following my Friday post on vocalist Chris Connor and her months with Stan Kenton in 1953, many readers emailed wanting to know where I had acquired the tracks that I featured. Truth is I have a rather extensive collection of Chris's recordings, and many of my live Kenton recordings in 1953 come from Stan Kenton's Concert in Miniature and Concert Encore road broadcasts.
Chris joined Stan Kenton's band in January 1953. She began singing at the University of Missouri in the late 1940s and then teamed up with Bob Brookmeyer's jazz group in Kansas City before going on to New York to join Claude Thornhill in '49. During a radio broadcast of her singing with Jerry Wald's orchestra in '52, Kenton vocalist June Christy heard Chris and recommended her to Kenton. Christy had left Kenton's band in '51 but continued to make guest appearances with the band. Kenton hired Chris and soon after she began appearing on the band's road broadcasts between March and June of '53.
Here are Chris's live appearances with Kenton, thanks to the meticulous work of Terry Vosbein:
March 17, 1953—Trianon Ballroom, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (go here)
March 28, 1953—Blue Note Club, Chicago (go here).
April 4, 1953—Blue Note Club, Chicago (go here).
April 14, 1953—Sampson Air Force Base, Geneva, N.Y. (go here).
April 21, 1953—Municipal Auditorium, Springfield, Mass. (go here).
April 24, 1953—Birdland, New York City (go here).
April 28, 1953—Birdland, New York City (go here).
April 29, 1953—Birdland, New York City (go here).
May 1, 1953—Birdland, New York City (go here).
May 5, 1953—Birdland, New York City (go here).
May 12, 1953—Glen Echo Park Ballroom, Washington, D.C. (go here).
May 19, 1953—Palm Gardens, Columbus, Ohio (go here).
June 2, 1953—Star Ballroom, Dakota City, Iowa (go here).
Notes: Chris's June 30 appearance was her last known broadcast with Kenton. She recorded in the studio with Kenton's band for Capitol on July 8, 1953. Then she left to become a solo recording artist.
Reader Ed Frank sent along a link to an in-depth discography of Chris Connor by Iván Santiago Mercado (go here).
You'll find a main menu of Kenton's complete road broadcasts between 1952 and '56, compiled by Terry Vosbein, here.
Used with permission by Marc Myers
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