king ubu Posted November 3, 2003 Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 source: http://www.universalmusic.fr/servlet/Front...t_id=4400675662 Avec Helen Merrill, le chant oscille constamment au seuil de la déchirure, voire de l'extinction, et fait inévitablement penser à deux autres virtuoses du silence et de la non-virtuosité : Billie Holiday et Miles Davis. Quels que soient les musiques, les mots, la thématique choisie, c'est une même histoire que chante Helen Merrill depuis sa première entrée dans un studio d'enregistrement en 1952 pour un 78-tours du label Roost, avec Jimmy Raney, guitare, et Red Mitchell, contrebasse : "The more I see you" d'un côté, "My funny Valentine" de l'autre. Soit un demi-siècle d'intensité et de drame variables, de climats doux-amers, jusqu'à cet inimaginable Vin de lilas ou Lilac wine qui pourrait bien être emblématique, en ses nuances, parfums et couleurs délicieusement incertaines, de la nature féérique et bleue (entre fées de rêve et faits de vie) du chant d'Helen. Cette ballade rarement chantée par ses consœurs après sa version de 1955 "avec cordes", seules Eartha Kitt, Chris Connor, Nina Simone ou Morgana King surent en donner des lectures remarquables. Quant au thème-titre de la bande sonore du film "Car sauvage est le vent" (Wild is the wind, 1957), il est le produit de deux talents complémentaires : de George Cukor, signataire des plus beaux portraits de femmes du cinéma hollywoodien et de Dimitri Tiomkine, à qui l'on doit quelques-unes des plus mémorables et émouvantes musiques de film. Et puis là, elle se distingue encore plus profondément des autres vocalistes américaines : Helen Merrill n'aime rien tant qu'affiner son rapport amoureux (et partagé) avec la France, et plus précisément avec la langue française, depuis "À tout choisir" ou "Quand tu dors près de moi" et jusqu'à ce "Pierre" de Barbara dont elle retrouve une émotion comme souterraine. Et tandis qu'Alan, son guitariste de fils, la rejoint sur "You" avec un grain de voix qui, finalement, n'est pas sans révéler un certain "esprit de famille", c'est à une musicienne amie, la pianiste Marian McPartland que l'on doit "Portrait of Helen Merrill", un portrait orchestral fort ressemblant de cette Jelena Ana Milcetic qui vit le jour à Manhattan le 21 juillet 1930 et, encore "teenager", fut emportée par la passion du jazz. Belle écoute. Waiting for this! Her last couple of albums were GREAT ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted November 3, 2003 Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 I can´t read a word in French but it sounds interesting... when we´re talking about Helen Merrill! I will pick it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 3, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 I can´t read a word in French but it sounds interesting... when we´re talking about Helen Merrill! I will pick it! Sorry 'bout that. I was browsing the Universal France site and saw that, and thought I'd post albeit in French... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted November 3, 2003 Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 Wow, I didn't know Helen Merrill was still active. I never liked her voice on her late 80's early 90's albums, it just made me want to return to those divine sounds from the 50's ("Born to be blue with Clifford Brown). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 The album she did a couple years back that merged jazz with some traditional Croatian music (her heritage) and featured Steve Lacy on soprano on some cuts was sublime, so I too am looking forward to hearing the new one. Yes, she's lost more than a couple steps on her voice, but like, say, Sheila Jordan, it's not so much about the voice quality but rather the interpretation and the outrageous (if subtle and still highly musical) chances she takes, both emotionally and harmonically. She sometimes aims high and misses, and can sound mawkish as a result at times, but when she hits it, there's nobody active to touch her as a jazz vocalist IMHO except for Shirley Horn. What a musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 Yeah, that was "Helen Merrill aka Jelena Ana Miketic" - sublime indeed! And "You And The Night And The Music" as well as "Brownie" were very good, too! I do like her voice on the later records just as well as on the earlier ones (of which I have only the sides with Brownie, and then those Milestone (?) albums reissued on Universal). You might check out "Music Makers" (Owl, as I get it, these are distributed in the US by Sunnyside, but I don't know about it) - it features her with Gordon Beck (with whom she made a good album of duos, also for Owl) and Steve Lacy or Stephane Grappelli (one per side of the original record). ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 My favorite Merrills are still the ones with Dick Katz from the later 60's, A SHADE OF DIFFERENCE and the other one whose title escapes me right now. But her later recordings, including those you mention, are great. Add CLEAR OUT OF THIS WORLD as another superb one, with some Wayne Shorter contributions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 A heartily recommended later day (from 1984) Helen Merrill record is the Owl album 'No Tears, No Goodbye' she recorded with Gordon Beck on piano. Their reworking of standards like 'Bye Bye Blackbird', 'The Thrill is Gone' or 'I Love Paris' are masterful. And the opening track 'When I Look In Your Eyes' keeps haunting you long after you stopped playing the album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 I love the 'Complete Mercury Recordings' box. Probably not easy to find these days though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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