RIP Connie Francis

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP Connie. She was 87.

[JSngry]

 

[felser]

RIP - she was often tied to horrible songs and production, but she was not without talent, and survived a lot of personal trauma.  She was 19 when "Who's Sorry Now" hit in the late 50's, 26 when she had her last top 40 hit in 1964.

[GA Russell]

RIP. 

I remember Where the Boys Are being popular, but her songs were never a part of my life.  Maybe (I'm just guessing) her hits were bigger on the adult stations than on the teen stations.

[felser]

1 hour ago, GA Russell said:

RIP. 

I remember Where the Boys Are being popular, but her songs were never a part of my life.  Maybe (I'm just guessing) her hits were bigger on the adult stations than onami the teen stations.

Her prime was a bit before my time, but that's the one by her I always liked, and 'Stupid Cupid' is stupid fun.  Can't name a third song by her...

[JSngry]

Sure you can!

That's the first one that comes to my mind, actually.

My question is - who laid that track?

[Big Beat Steve]

The passing of Connie Francis' reminds me of an oddity in her discography:
A question to those with esoteric (or should I say "wide-ranging"? ) enough tastes to be able to reply to the following:

Is anyone among the forumists familiar with this CD by Connie?

https://www.discogs.com/de/release/2521147-Connie-Francis-Connie-Francis-In-New-York

Any opinions on what the music would be like? (I.e. jazz vocalist-wise, not that I have undue expectations on out-and-out hipness, but some adequate dose of swing throughout would be appreciated.)  

Some time last year I saw this CD in the "1 EUR" sale bins at my favorite local brick-and-mortar store. However, having already picked several other "finds" from those crates that day, being unfamiliar with the leader name of the backing orchestra,  and unsure abut how "jazzy" her singing is on these tracks after all, I let it sit there and haven't checked that corner of the bins since. 

Did I make a mistake (though ... at 1 EUR you cannot really go wrong)? Or is this nothing to write home about even in the "pop jazz" field of that era?

 
 

 

Edited Friday at 04:21 PM by Big Beat Steve

[JSngry]

I would pass.

Try Gogi Grant (w/Johnny Madel) instead.

It's the charts that salvage this one, And Gogi keeps her head above water.

[Big Beat Steve]

Thanks! From the samples I've listened to now, I tend to agree (though Ol' Man Mose ain't bad - and would be danceable). Gogi Grant also seems to have a more interesting voice for that kind of material (at least to these ears ). Of course Johnny Mandel as the leader of the backing orchestra is in a totally different league and he and the likes of him would almost be a case of "buying unheard-unseen" - at that price anyway . Though in both cases I'd really like to be able to do WITHOUT those saccharine background strings on certain tracks ... 

[felser]

21 hours ago, JSngry said:

Sure you can!

That's the first one that comes to my mind, actually.

 

You're right.  I had blessedly blocked that one from my memory!

[JSngry]

Lousy song, cheesy vocal, but a good track, especially the guitar solo, 

[sgcim]

RIP, Connie.
She brought her own guitarist when she toured, so I was out of work when she was appearing at the theater in NY, where I was in the house band, for the first few nights that she sang there.
Then, when she was attacked at the Holiday Inn, right near the theater, they replaced her with Melba Moore, who didn't carry her own guitarist with her.
I was really young when I had that gig,still in my teens, so when they asked me if I could play R&B, I said "sure", not even knowing what the hell that meant. I was completely about jazz when I had that gig, and didn't give a crap about any 'commercial' music.
The guys in the house band kind of gave me a hard time, because I was getting paid a full week's salary for only working half the week (about seven bills, which was pretty good money back in the 70s), and they were getting the same amount for working a full week of shows.
 

[JSngry]

Plus they actually COULD play R&B?

[sgcim]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Plus they actually COULD play R&B?

Well, they had people like George Barrow, Charlie Fowlkes in the band, and I forget the rhythm section, but the conductor/pianist knew what he wanted, and told them how to play her show.