EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I really dig her! She may not have the most powerful soprano/contralto voice, but hers is a warm, charming, velvet-like voice. I enjoy when she whispers more than sings... Favorite recordings? Mine are, first of all, the Clifford Brown date (her voice melts perfectly with Clifford´s trumpet tone and Jimmy Jones or Hank Jones piano) and the Gil Evans date. I have these two in a single cd included in a Verve collection released in Spain a few years ago. Hearing her singing "Falling in love with love" or "Don´t explain" makes me shiver! And then there are discs such as "The feeling is mutual" (Milestone, 1967), "Chasin´ the bird" (Inner city, 1979) or "A Shade of difference" (Milestone, 1968) that I got in some cheap Gitanes releases. I like her even in such unusual recording as "Carrousel" (Finlandia Recordings, 1996) with Finish musicians and arrangements and some compositions by conductor Torrie Zito; or "Jelena Milcetic a.k.a. Helen Merrill" (Gitanes, 1999), a really strange disc indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 How could you avoid falling on love with her....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Yes, how could you??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I could go on and on and on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I've become a big fan too. I think as much as I love her Emarcy dates on the box set, I really love the Dick Katz collaborations more, and Chasin' the Bird in particular, and some later dates such as "You and the Night and the Music" and "Just Friends". . . . I haven't heard the Finlandia but I have it on my list. . . . I like the boldness that she exhibits to tackle almost any musical situation. There are some singers that just wouldn't dare to do half of what she does and does so very well. And the sound and texture of her voice is so unique and sensuous. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 One day I want to have her recording with Teddy Wilson. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I like the boldness that she exhibits to tackle almost any musical situation. There are some singers that just wouldn't dare to do half of what she does and does so very well. And the sound and texture of her voice is so unique and sensuous. . . . Sure! "Sensuous" is a good word to describe her voice! I must recognize that I´m too bad describing music or whatever with adjectives... and then there´s my poor English problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz1 Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I really dig her! Favorite recordings? There is nobody like Helen Merrill, she is just so compelling, sings like she is in love with the song itself. Sings with passion. I love all her cds, one my favorite track is "Dream of you" and it opens the "Giants of jazz" release, which by the way is an excellent way to start discovering Helen Merrill. I even called my car Helen, and there is always a few cds of hers in the shuttle. If I had to leave on a desert island with cds of 2 artists only it would be Art Pepper and Helen Merrill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Count me in as a big fan of Ms Merrill! The Brownie album and the three collaborations with Dick Katz are among my favorite vocal jazz albums. I like the settings, the surrounding musicians, arrangements very much. Some quite adventurous stuff there! And her husky beautiful voice... The Brownie tribute album, "Clear Out Of This World", "You And the Night and The Music", "Jelena Ana Miketic a.k.a. Helen Merrill", and "Music Makers" (trios with Gordon Beck and either Stéphane Grappelli or Steve Lacy added) are other very good albums. Seems to be a new one coming (it's listed already on amazon). Lon, what's that Teddy Wilson thing? And what's the story behind that picture? ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 There's an album with Teddy that was a Japan only release, recorded I believe when Teddy was touring Japan, and Helen was living there. I think the picture with Monk may be from that same period, Monk may well have been in Japan then as well, but I don't know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Hey I named my wife Helen! No wait a minute, that was her name when I met her. . . pure coincidence, probably. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Cool, Lon! Now you maybe could name your cat... That album with Teddy sure sounds interesting! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 (edited) No, my cat has already been named, for thirteen years, Marjorie Bouvier Haggerty-Armstrong, because when we took her home from the pound, literally a little handful of tortoiseshell fur, she used to sit on the window sill and growl like Marge Simpson at people or animals or the occasional car drifting by. . . . Edited September 25, 2003 by jazzbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Here's the cover, this and the Monk photo are both from 1970 in Tokyo, the Monk photo mentions "from a recording session". . . . I think they're connected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Now that must be a cool cat, Lon! If only you had such a nice fuzzy webcam as Mr Sangrey, you could show her to everybody here! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Yes, I do believe that Monk stopped by the recordings session: here's what I found as personnel: 323m-1-18 Helen Merrill - Teddy Wilson / Helen Sings, Teddy Swings (Victor SMJX-10111)* Larry Ridley, Lenny MacBrown Looks like a real WINNER! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Yeah, no webcam, and Marjorie has since become a very shy old lady, hiding from anything pointed at her. . . . ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Yes, I do believe that Monk stopped by the recordings session: here's what I found as personnel: 323m-1-18 Helen Merrill - Teddy Wilson / Helen Sings, Teddy Swings (Victor SMJX-10111)* Larry Ridley, Lenny MacBrown Looks like a real WINNER! Sounds cool! RCA could reissue that in their Bluebird First Editions series, no? (By the way, where's the first edition with these?) ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Check out http://www.helenmerrill.com/ For some reason, it doesn't come up on Google, at least not for me. The adventures of Miss Merrill on the wheels of steel: I am a fan. A SHADE OF DIFFERENCE is one of the most arresting vocal albums I've ever heard. The later collaboration w/Gil Evans, COLLABORATION, is outstanding too. I think I prefer it to the earlier one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 This BB will bankrupt me! Inspired by your posts, and at lunch time, I´ve bought my 9th and 10th Mrs. Merrill cds: "Casa Forte" and "You and the night and the music". This will be my listening tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Check out http://www.helenmerrill.com/ For some reason, it doesn't come up on Google, at least not for me. It´s an interesting site, Jim. Lots of pictures and covers! (that´s where I found the above placed pictures) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.D. Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 1 I Like Helen... well represented in my collection 2 I dislike the stereo tricks in the intro to "It don't mean a Thing" the opening track to Feelin'... corny even when it was released and really sounds dated when you play it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Inspired by your posts, and at lunch time, I´ve bought my 9th and 10th Mrs. Merrill cds: "Casa Forte" and "You and the night and the music". This will be my listening tonight! EKE, hope you like them! Casa Forte is a nice addition to the other Gitanes discs. By the way, in those "Helen Merrill Presents" series, there were three reissues not by her, but by Tommy Flanagan (with one very fine bonus track featuring Ms Merrill), Al Haig and Roland Hanna (I could not locate the later two). That Flanagan disc is very good, too, in my opinion. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I have the Flannagan and I really dig it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted September 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 In the liner notes of "Jelena Ana Milcetic aka Helen Merrill" is included an interesting description of Helen´s singing, by Marian McPartland: "Helen Merrill is one of the truly jazz singers. She has a totally unique way of approaching a song: sensitive, yet strong, melodic yet on the edge of dissonance. No matter what her accompaniment may be, she can unerringly pick out any notes from the most complex chords, and sing with complete confidence and daring. It is this total musicality and understanding of a song that makes Helen a complete artist in the realm of jazz singers" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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