Search - Artist/Band: Helen Merrill

• Name: Helen Merrill
• Birthday: 07/21/1930
• Birth Place: New York, NY
• Decades Active: 1950,1960,1970,1980,1990,2000
• Genre: Vocal Music
• Styles: Vocal Jazz, Standards, Cool, Post-Bop
• Moods: Bittersweet, Calm/Peaceful, Sparse, Delicate, Dreamy, Reflective, Intimate, Passionate, Sweet, Elegant, Refined/Mannered, Relaxed, Sensual, Soft, Warm

Title	Release
The Nearness of You/You've Got a Date with the Blues W	01/09/2009
The Helen Merrill-Dick Katz Sessions	2008
Helen Merrill/Dream of You WA	11/26/2007
Thousand Yen Jazz: Best	12/12/2005
Complete Recordings [With Clifford Brown] WA	09/27/2005
Love Is Song WA	07/21/2005
Colezo: Helen Merrill WA	06/27/2005
Parole e Musica WA	11/16/2004
Lilac Wine WA	05/11/2004
Deep in a Dream WA	12/02/2003
Django WA	12/02/2003
Mixes WA	08/12/2003
Cool and Bossa WA	04/22/2003
In Tokyo/Sings Folk WA	08/21/2001
Jelena Ana Milcactic a.k.a. Helen Merrill	04/18/2000
New Best One	09/22/1999
Dream of You [Giants of Jazz]	08/01/1999
You and the Night and the Music	05/12/1998
Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown WA	1995
Helen Merrill with Strings WA	11/06/1994
Bossa Nova in Tokyo WA	10/21/1993
Imagination	1993
Compact Jazz: Helen Merrill	08/04/1992
Just Friends WA	08/04/1992
Clear Out of This World WA	1992
Christmas Song Book	1991
Helen Merrill Sings Irving Berlin	1988
Helen Merrill Sings Jerome Kern	1988
Helen Merrill Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein	1988
Collaboration WA	1987
Music Makers	03/1986
No Tears, No Goodbyes WA	1984
Casa Forte	1980
Chasin' the Bird	1979
Helen Merrill Sings the Beatles WA	1970
A Shade of Difference WA	07/1968
Helen Merrill Sings Screen Favorites	05/01/1968
The Feeling Is Mutual WA	11/1967
The Artistry of Helen Merrill	1965
Helen Merrill in Italy	1960
American Country Songs	1959
You've Got a Date with the Blues WA	1959
The Nearness of You WA	1958
Dream of You WA	1957
Merrill at Midnight WA	1957
Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown WA	1955
Jazz 'Round Midnight: Helen Merrill WA

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. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide