Helen Merrill With Clifford Brownのアルバムを聴いて他のアルバムも聴いてみたいと思っていたところこの作品を見つけました。若干ダブるものもあるがこの価格なら問題ないと判断し購入しました。どれも素晴らしい歌声で満足しているのですが7枚のアルバムを4枚に凝縮してあるのでどこから違う作品になったのか判らないのが少し残念です。
I was curious about Ms Merrill because my aunt Ñico's record collection had quite a few excellent recordings that I noticed were on the Mercury label especially with the likes of Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan. When the stores were deleting their vinyl collection and selling their record albums at $3 and $4 a pop I spied Helen Merrill's first disc at the now defunct Tower Records on East 4th Street in the East Village and snatched it up. When I played it at home I was surprised at how sweetly understated Ms Merrill's delivery was and how the late, great Clifford Brown seemed to "sing" a duet or clever response to Helen's phrasing. She is in a category of her own and had enough props to be up there with the best of the best and in a private recording of a party held by the equally iconic Leonard Feather Ms Merrill holds her own singing a duet with Billie Holiday ("You Go To My Head") with Mr Feather playing the piano.
This is a great collection of a great, highly underrated artist.
Helen Merrill (b.1930), started her recording career in 1952 and continued into the twenty first century. She lived and recorded for some years in Italy and Japan before returning for good to the U.S.
This compilation is from her early years and feature the following albums:
Helen Merrill 1954 With Strings 1955 Dream of You 1957 Merrill At Midnight 1957 The Nearness of You 1958 I`ve Got`a Date With the Blues 1958 Parole E Musica 1960
The first album, "Helen Merrill" with Clifford Brown on trumpet, has become a classic, earning a spot on The Penguin Jazz Guides "1001 Best Albums." The last album, "Parole E Musica" recorded in Italy, is unique in that prior to each of the eleven standards, a male voice recites the lyrics in Italian!
While Real Gone does not provide liner notes, (who reads them anyway?) the names of all accompanying musicians and arrangers are given. The sound is excellent for this package of exemplary jazz singing.
Merci à France Musique de m'avoir fait découvrir la voix sublime d'Helen Merrill il y a deux semaines seulement. Avoir vécu aussi longtemps dans l'ignorance, quelle infamie ! Dès la fin de la première heure de la quinzaine qui lui a été consacrée, j'ai passé commande. L'album de 4CD réunissant ses premiers disques est arrivé ce matin. La meilleure façon possible de terminer l'année. Quel bonheur !