Helen Merrill

by Helen Merrill

Overview

Though she eventually came to be known as a "singer's singer," Helen Merrill's 1954 debut is an unmitigated success of mainstream jazz. Besides introducing the uniquely talented young singer, the date also featured small-group arrangements by Quincy Jones and marks the introduction of another future star, trumpeter Clifford Brown. Formidable as his playing is, Brown never overshadows Merrill. She is fully up to the challenge on all fronts and enthusiastically tackles uptempo numbers such as "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "Falling in Love with Love" with aplomb. A winning stylistic combination of cool jazz and hard bop, Merrill particularly excels on Mel Torme's "Born to Be Blue," making the sophisticated tune her own as she revels in Torme's down-and-out lyric. ~ Richard Mortifoglio

Product Details

Release Date:	09/27/2011
Label:	Wax Time
UPC:	8436028698936
Rank:	47054

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Helen Merrill   Primary Artist,Vocals
Quincy Jones   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Conductor
Gil Evans   Primary Artist
Clifford Brown   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Trumpet
Oscar Pettiford   Guest Artist
Jimmy Jones   Guest Artist,Piano
Quincy Jones Orchestra   Featured Artist
Quincy Jones & His Orchestra   Orchestra
Osie Johnson   Drums
Milt Hinton   Bass
Hal Mooney   Conductor
Hank Jones   Piano
Sol Gubin   Drums
Danny Bank   Flute,Sax (Baritone),Clarinet (Bass)
Barry Galbraith   Guitar

Technical Credits

Bob Shad   Producer
Jerome Kern   Composer
Sy Oliver   Composer
Andy Razaf   Composer
Bob Haggart   Composer
Billie Holiday   Composer
Arthur Herzog, Jr.   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
D. Cockran   Composer
Don Marcotte   Composer
Dorcas Cochran   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Howard Dietz   Composer
Sam Coslow   Composer
Mel Torme   Composer
Quincy Jones   Arranger
Quincy Jones & His Orchestra   Orchestration
Otto Harbach   Composer
Arthur Johnston   Composer
Hal Mooney   Arranger
Helen Merrill   Performer
Arthur Schwartz   Composer
Jack Wolf   Composer
Clifford Brown   Performer
Frank Sinatra   Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
Joel Herron   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Abner Silver   Composer
Al Hoffman   Composer
Johnny Burke   Composer
Robert Wells   Composer
Robert Haggart   Composer
Yozo Iwanami   Liner Notes
James Hubert Blake   Composer