Helen Merrill – This Is… Helen Merrill! Vol. 1-4 (2009/2019) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1955 release “Helen Merrill”, was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation of bebop jazz musicians. After a prolific 1950s and ’60s when she recorded with Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown, Merrill spent time recording and touring in Europe and Japan, falling into obscurity in the United States. In the 1980s and ’90s, a contract with Verve Records and high-profile performances in America returned her to prominence. Noted for her emotional, sensual vocal performances, her career continues in its sixth decade with concerts and recordings.

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.

Helen Merrill – This Is…Helen Merrill! Vol. 1 (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 51:34 minutes | 528 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

Tracklist:
01 – Alone Together (Version 1)
02 – Alone Together (Version 2)
03 – Glad To Be Unhappy
04 – This Is My Night To Cry
05 – How’s The World Treating You? (Version 1)
06 – How’s The World Treating You? (Version 2)
07 – Don’t Explain
08 – Born To Be Blue
09 – You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
10 – ‘S Wonderful
11 – Yesterdays
12 – Falling In Love With Love
13 – What’s New

Digitally Remastered.

Helen Merrill – This Is…Helen Merrill! Vol. 2 (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 56:00 minutes | 572 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

Tracklist:
01 – You Won’t Forget Me
02 – Lilac Wine
03 – Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
04 – Beautiful Love
05 – Just You, Just Me
06 – When I Fall In Love
07 – The End Of A Love Affair
08 – Mountain High, Valley Low
09 – Anything Goes
10 – Comes Love
11 – (I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
12 – Wait Till You See Him
13 – He Was Too Good To Me
14 – I’ve Never Seen
15 – I’m A Fool To Want You
16 – Troubled Waters

Digitally Remastered.

Helen Merrill – This Is…Helen Merrill! Vol. 3 (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 47:05 minutes | 481 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

Tracklist:
01 – Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
02 – Where Flamingos Fly
03 – I’m Just A Lucky So And So
04 – A New Town Is A Blue Town
05 – By Myself
06 – People Will Say We’re In Love
07 – You’re Lucky To Me
08 – Dream Of You
09 – Blue Guitar
10 – Listen
11 – I’ll Be Around
12 – Soft As Spring
13 – If I Forget You
14 – After You
15 – It’s A Lazy Afternoon

Digitally Remastered.

Helen Merrill – This Is…Helen Merrill! Vol. 4 (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 56:55 minutes | 538 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

Tracklist:
01 – If You Go
02 – If Love Were All (Version 1)
03 – If Love Were All (Version 2)
04 – Easy Come, Easy Go
05 – The Things We Did Last Summer
06 – Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair
07 – I See Your Face Before Me
08 – I Remember You
09 – Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
10 – Bye Bye Blackbird
11 – This Time The Dream’s On Me
12 – Dearly Beloved
13 – Summertime
14 – Let Me Love You
15 – When The Sun Comes Out
16 – All Of You
17 – The Nearness Of You
18 – Just Imagine