A Jazz Date With Chris Connor/Chris Craft:
Chris Connor on Atlantic...

rhino R271747

This Rhino compact disc combines two Atlantic Records album releases featuring Chris Connor with the Ralph Sharon Group: Ralph Sharon-piano, arranger; Joe Puma-guitar; Oscar Pettiford-bass; Osie Johnson-drums; Eddie Costa-vibes. The group was aided and abeted by Chino Pozo on bongos, Mongo Santamaria on congas, Joe Wilder on trumpet with Al Cohn and Lucky Thompson on tenor sax and Sam Most on flute included on A Jazz Date With Chris Connor. The album was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and recorded in New York City on November 16 and December 17 and 19, 1956.

The Chris Craft portion of the disk uses Stan Free on piano, Mundell Lowe on guitar, George Duvivier and Percy Heath sharing bass spots, Bobby Jaspar on flute and Al Epstein on English horn and bass clarinet. The album was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and recorded in New York City on March 13, April 8 and May 23, 1958.

In the liner notes Ralph Sharon tells us, "I like to think of Chris as a sort of a vocal Erroll Garner." It can't get much better than that...

TRACKS: A Jazz Date With Chris Connor

• 1. Moon Ray (Artie Shaw-Paul Madison-Arthur Quenzer



• 2. Poor Little Rich Girl (Noe Coward)



• 3. Just Squeeze Me (Duke Ellington-Lee Gaines



• 4. Fancy Free (Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer)



• 5. It's A Most Unusual Day (Jimmy McHugh-Harold Adamson)



• 6. All I Need Is You (Peter DeRose-Benny Davis-Mitchell Parish)



• 7. It Only Happens When I Dance With You (Irving Berlin)



• 8. Lonely Town (Leonard Bernstein-Betty Comden-Adolph Green)



• 9. Everything I've Got (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)



• 10. Driftwood (Peter Udell-Tommy Goodman)



• 11. I'm Shooting High (Jimmy McHugh-Ted Koehler)



• 12. My Shining Hour (Harold arlen-Johnny Mercer)

Chris Craft

• 13. Moonlight In Vermont (Karl Suessdorf-John Blackburn)



• 14. Blow, Gabriel, Blow (Cole Porter)



• 15. Here Lies Love (Ralph Rainger-Leo Robin)



• 16. Be A Clown (Cole Porter)



• 17. Good For Nothin' [But Love] (Jimmy Van Heusen-Edgar DeLange)



• 18. On The First Warm Day (Bart Howard)



• 19. Chinatown My Chinatown (William Jerome-Jean Schwartz)



• 20. One Love Affair (Bart Howard)



• 21. The Night We Called It A Day (Matt Dennis-Tom Adair)



• 22. Johnny One Note (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)



• 23. Lover Man (Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson)



• 24. Be My All (Bart Howard)