Helen Merrill.

One of the silkiest, most melodic and emotion-launching voices 
in the world of jazz.


A fine singer with a warm, expressive voice, Helen Merrill's infrequent recordings tend to be quite special with plenty of surprises and chance-taking. She started singing in public in 1944 and was with the Reggie Childs Orchestra during 1946-1947. Merrill, who was married for a period to clarinetist Aaron Sachs, had opportunities to sit in with some of the top modernists of the time, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Bud Powell. She was with Earl Hines in 1952 and started recording regularly for EmArcy in 1954. Her collaboration with Clifford Brown was her first classic. She made several notable EmArcy albums during 1954-1958 (including one in 1956 that helped bring Gil Evans out of retirement); all have been reissued in a large box. After recording for Atco and Metrojazz in 1959, she moved to Italy for the next four years, touring often in Europe and Japan. Back in the U.S., Merrill teamed with pianist/arranger Dick Katz for a pair of notable and unpredictable Milestone dates (1967-1968) and then moved to Japan where she was quite popular. Helen Merrill returned to the United States in the mid-'70s and has since recorded for Inner City, Owl, EmArcy (including a reunion date with Gil Evans) Antilles, and Verve, which released her 2000 album Jelena Ana Milcetic a.k.a. Helen Merrill.
 (Artist Biography by Scott Yanow)




Helen Merrill with Quincy Jones Septet 
- You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To.


 Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz   vocalist.  Her  first  album,  the  eponymous  1955  release  Helen Merrill, was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation of bebop jazz musicians.[2] After a prolific 1950s and '60s when she recorded with Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown, Merrill spent time recording and touring in Europe and Japan, falling into obscurity in the United States. In the 1980s and '90s, a contract with Verve Records and high-profile performances in America returned her to prominence.[2][3] Noted for her emotional, sensual vocal performances, her career continues in its sixth decade with concerts and recordings.

Jelena Ana Milcetic was born in New York City in 1930 to Croatian immigrant parents.[4] She began singing in jazz clubs in the Bronx in 1944 when she was fourteen.[5] By the time she was sixteen, Merrill had taken up music full-time.[6] In 1952, Merrill made her recording debut when she was asked to sing "A Cigarette For Company" with the Earl Hines Band; the song was released on the D'Oro label, created specifically to record Hines' band with Merrill. Etta Jones[7] was in Hines' band at the time and she too sang on this session, which was reissued on the Xanadu label in 1985. At this time Merrill was married to musician Aaron Sachs. They divorced in 1956.[8]

Merrill was signed by Mercury Records to their EmArcy label. In 1954, Merrill recorded her first LP, an eponymous record featuring trumpeter Clifford Brown[9] and bassist Oscar Pettiford.[10] The album was produced and arranged by Quincy Jones, who was twenty-one years old.[9] The success of Helen Merrill prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract.[11]

Merrill's follow-up to Helen Merrill was the 1956 LP, Dream of You, which was produced and arranged by arranger and pianist Gil Evans. His arrangements for Merrill laid the foundation for his work with Miles Davis.[12]

Abroad 

After recording sporadically through the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent much of her time touring Europe, where she enjoyed more commercial success than she had in the United States. She settled for a time in Italy, recording an album there and doing concerts with jazz musicians Piero Umiliani,[13] Chet Baker,[14] Romano Mussolini,[15] and Stan Getz. In 1960 arranger and composer Ennio Morricone, noted for his film scores, worked with Merrill on an EP, Helen Merrill Sings Italian Songs, on the RCA Italiana label.

Parole e Musica: Words and Music was recorded in Italy with Umiliani's orchestra in the early 1960s while Merrill was living there. The LP features the unusual additions preceding each song, of spoken translations of eloquent Italian word lyrics, complementing the ballads and torch songs.[16]

She returned to the U.S. in the 1960s, but moved to Japan in 1966, staying after touring there and marrying Donald J. Brydon (of United Press International) in April 1967.[17] She developed a following in Japan that remains strong to this day. In addition to recording while in Japan, Merrill became involved in other aspects of the music industry, producing albums for Trio Records[18] and co-hosting a show on FEN (Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) with Bud Widom in Tokyo.[19]

Later career 

Merrill returned to the U.S. in 1972. She recorded a bossa nova album, a Christmas album,[20] and a Rodgers and Hammerstein album.[21] In 1987, she and Gil Evans recorded fresh arrangements of Dream of You released under the title Collaboration, becoming the most critically acclaimed of Merrill's albums in the 1980s.[22]

In 1987 she co-produced Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter.[23] In 1995 she recorded Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown.[24] Jelena Ana Milcetic a.k.a. Helen Merrill (2000) draws from her Croatian heritage as well as her American upbringing. The album combines jazz, pop, and blues songs with traditional Croatian songs sung in Croatian.[4] She released the album Lilac Wine in 2003.

Personal 

Merrill has been married three times, first to musician Aaron Sachs,[25] second to UPI vice president Donald J. Brydon,[17] and third to arranger-conductor Torrie Zito.[26]

She had one child from her first marriage, a son known professionally as Alan Merrill, who was a singer and songwriter who wrote and recorded the original (1975) version of the rock classic "I Love Rock N Roll" as lead vocalist of the British band Arrows.[27]

Discography 

Helen Merrill (EmArcy, 1954)
Helen Merrill with Strings (EmArcy, 1955)
Dream of You (EmArcy, 1956)
Merrill at Midnight (EmArcy, 1957)
You've Got a Date with the Blues (MetroJazz, 1958)
The Nearness of You (EmArcy, 1958)
American Country Songs (Atco, 1959)
Helen Merrill Sings Italian Songs (RCA Italiana, 1960)
The Artistry of Helen Merrill (Mainstream, 1965)
The Feeling Is Mutual with Dick Katz (Milestone, 1967)
A Shade of Difference (Milestone, 1968)
Helen Swings, Teddy Swings! with Teddy Wilson (Catalyst, 1970)
Helen Merrill Sings the Beatles (Victor (Jp), recorded 1970, released by 2003)
Sposin' with Gary Peacock Trio (Victor (Jp)/Storyville, 1971)
John Lewis/Helen Merrill (Mercury, 1977)
Autumn Love (Catalyst, 1977)
Something Special (Inner City, 1978)
Chasin' the Bird (Inner City, 1980)
Casa Forte (Inner City, 1981)
Rodgers & Hammerstein Album (DRG, 1982)
The Complete Helen Merrill on Mercury (Mercury, 1985)
No Tears, No Goodbyes with Gordon Beck (Owl, 1985)
Music Makers (Owl, 1986)
Collaboration with Gil Evans (EmArcy, 1988)
Sings Jerome Kern (PAR, 1988)
Duets with Ron Carter (EmArcy, 1989)
Just Friends (EmArcy, 1989)
Christmas Song Book (JVC, 1991)
Clear Out of This World (Antilles, 1992)
Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown (Verve, 1994)
You and the Night and the Music (Verve, 1997)
Jelena Ana Milcetic a.k.a. Helen Merrill (Gitanes, 2000)
Lilac Wine (Sunnyside, 2003)
As guest[edit]

With Billy Eckstine and Benny Carter:
Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter (Verve, 1986)

(...)

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 Helen Merrill: If You Go Away.

 Helen Merrill: Born To Be Blue.
Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown: Don't Explain.
Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown:You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To.


Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown: What's New.


Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown:Falling in Love With Love.
Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown:Yesterdays.


Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown: 'S Wonderful.

   ΠΗΓΗ: JazzTube

Helen Merrill:I'm a Fool to Want You.


Helen Merrill: Dream of You.
Helen Merrill: People Will Say We're In Love
Helen Merrill: I've Never Seen.
Helen Merrill: He Was Too Good To Me.

Helen Merrill: A New Town Is A Blue Town.
Helen Merrill: After You, Who?


Helen Merrill: Lazy Afternoon.


Helen Merrill: The Things We Did Last Summer.

len Merrill: Softly, as in a morning sunrise.
 Gordon Beck: When I Look in Your Eyes.
Helen Merrill: Casa Forte.

  1.Natural Sounds 0:00 A2 Antonio's Song 4:05 A3 Vera Cruz 8:59 A4 Wave 14:03 A5 So Many Stars 16:42 B1 Like a Lover 20:10 B2 Too Marvelous for Words 24:10 B3 How Insensitive 26:58 B4 Casa Forte 30:31 B5 Close Enough for Love 33:28


Helen Sings, Teddy Swings! - Helen Merrill With Teddy Wilson.

【00:00】A1 - Summertime 3:47 【03:47】A2 - I Cried For You 3:32 【07:22】A3 - Lover Man 4:53 【12:14】A4 - I Only Have Eyes For You 4:07 【16:22】A5 - I Cover The Waterfront 3:40 【20:05】B1 - East Of The Sun 3:27 【23:33】B2 - You Better Go Now 3:52 【27:27】B3 - Pennies From Heaven 2:41 【30:08】B4 - I Must Have That Man 3:57 【34:06】B5 - Embraceable You 4:13


Helen Merrill Ft. Bill Evans: The Nearness Of You (Album).

 1. Bye Bye Blackbird 00:00 2. When the Sun Comes Out 02:54 3. I Remember You 07:41 4. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise 09:50 5. Dearly Beloved 13:08 6. Summertime 15:12 7. All of You 18:38 8. I See Your Face Before Me 22:10 9. Let Me Love You 24:48 10. The Nearness of You 27:36 11. This Time the Dream's on Me 31:38 12. Just Imagine 33:57
Helen Merrill: Essential Jazz Legends.  (1)

 00:00 “You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To“ Helen Merrill 04:18 “Don't Explain“ Helen Merrill 09:29 “Born to Be Blue“ Helen Merrill 14:44 “Lilac Wine“ Helen Merrill 19:08 “You've Got A Date With the Blues“ Helen Merrill 22:38 “Falling In Love With Love“ Helen Merrill 26:32 “Beautiful Love“ Helen Merrill 29:46 “Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year“ Helen Merrill 33:37 “Mountain High, Valley Low“ Helen Merrill 36:38 “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise“ Helen Merrill 39:57 “The Masquerade Is Over“ Helen Merrill 43:58 “Bye Bye Blackbird“ Helen Merrill 46:53 “When I Fall In Love“ Helen Merrill 50:13 “The Nearness Of You“ Helen Merrill 54:16 “All Of You“ Helen Merrill 57:48 “I Remember You“ Helen Merrill 59:58 “Just You, Just Me“ Helen Merrill 01:03:34 “Summertime“ Helen Merrill 01:07:00 “The Thrill Is Gone“ Helen Merrill 01:10:36 “Wait Till You See Him“ Helen Merrill 01:14:00 “Yesterdays“ Helen Merrill

Helen Merrill: Essential Jazz Legends.  (2)

 00:00 “The End of A Love Affair“ Helen Merrill 03:26 “Let Me Love You“ Helen Merrill 06:14 “Dearly Beloved“ Helen Merrill 08:20 “Anything Goes“ Helen Merrill 11:27 “The Meaning of the Blues“ Helen Merrill 14:34 “When the Sun Comes Out“ Helen Merrill 19:22 “Vous m’éblouissez (You Go To My Head)“ Helen Merrill 22:47 “I See Your Face Before Me“ Helen Merrill 25:26 “When the World Was Young“ Helen Merrill 28:37 “This Time the Dream's On Me“ Helen Merrill 30:57 “Blues In My Heart“ Helen Merrill 34:35 “'s Wonderful“ Helen Merrill 37:48 “Am I Blue“ Helen Merrill 41:21 “Blue Gardenia“ Helen Merrill 44:40 “Comes Love“ Helen Merrill 47:39 “Just Imagine“ Helen Merrill 51:01 “Lorsque tu m'embrasses (Just Squeeze Me)“ Helen Merrill 53:48 “Signing Off“ Helen Merrill 55:21 “The Blues“ Helen Merrill 01:00:43 “What's New“ Helen Merrill 01:05:42 “You Won't Forget Me“ Helen Merrill

 ΠΗΓΗ: Seniors Jazz