king ubu Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I would sure like to hear this one: Quote
JSngry Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I would sure like to hear this one: I have heard it, and yes, you would! Quote
king ubu Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I would sure like to hear this one: I have heard it, and yes, you would! Hey, got an idea how I could? ubu Quote
JSngry Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I had a college friend who had it back when it came out. If I knew where he was today, I'd hook you up. Alas... Quote
king ubu Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 Alas... 'that texan for "hélas"? Someday someone will sure produce a nice little reissue of that one... time will tell. ubu Quote
king ubu Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 according to amazon.de it was released on CD in Japan in 2002. They no longer offer it though. Couldn't find it at amazon.co.jp. Maybe ask that man from Japan that sells all these disks to Hans and Weizen. thanks for your help, John, but I won't start buying from Japan now! Maybe once I'm not a student anymore, but for today... there's too much stuff around here anyway! And I am a patient man (at least I'm trying to be, I jumped for the Blackhawk two days before 2001 - you know, "those" germans - offered it for half the prize I got mine...) ubu Quote
king ubu Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 just to prove my sherlock holmes google skills then: Merrill/Lewis - Django cool! but 27 $ + 6.5$ shipping... this is would be too much for my wallet! ubu Quote
jazz1 Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 27 $ + 6.5$ shipping... this is would be too much for my wallet! Yeah, it is too much, but then again can I live without it???? Can you???? I think that I will sleep over it, see how I feel in the morning!! Maybe I will just have a cheap weekend, save here and there, then ...........? Quote
JSngry Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 Maybe I will just have a cheap weekend, save here and there, then ...........? Dude, remember this - Unless serious misfortune befalls you, you will always have and not have money. You may be hungry today, but you can probably eat tomorrow. If you can find a way to add somethig good to your life, ESPECIALLY something that is here today and possibly gone for MAY tomorrows, do it. You may be broke for a minute, but once you got it, you got it forever, at least in theory. Quote
DrJ Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I remember some nice Merrill discussions on the old BN BB. I'm a huge fan. The Emarcy box stuff is great, of course, most people know of that material. The collaborations with Katz - A SHADE OF DIFFERENCE and THE FEELING IS MUTUAL - are giant albums, pillars of vocal jazz that I think ought to be in any collection but are still very under-appreciated I'm sure. Her later Emarcy's are also uniformly wonderful: BROWNIE and CLEAR OUT OF THIS WORLD are particularly good. Obscure Merrill: there's one track on which she sings - a devastating "Last Night When We Were Young" - on Tommy Flanagan's Inner City piano trio recording PLAYS THE MUSIC OF HAROLD ARLEN, which Merrill produced. Flanagan's trio is in great form, but it's that cut that steals the show. However, I may be the biggest sucker for JELENA ANA MILCACTIC a.k.a. HELEN MERRILL, a crowning achievement. She's lost a step or two on her voice, but never has she sounded more emotionally direct. The arrangements are just perfect, and Steve Lacy makes some nice craggy comments on soprano. The eastern European folk music touches are totally organic, never crass or contrived. A wonderful artist. I'm lookin' forward to hearing the John Lewis collaboration too. Quote
jazz1 Posted September 27, 2003 Report Posted September 27, 2003 If you can find a way to add somethig good to your life, ESPECIALLY something that is here today and possibly gone for MAY tomorrows, do it. You may be broke for a minute, but once you got it, you got it forever, at least in theory. Wake up this morning with the urge, went to my PC and commited myself, even worst I ordered another Helen Merrill called "Mixes" seems like a brand new re;lease, does anybody knows about it?? I just could not resist, so cheap 13 bucks at Barnes and Noble. Quote
Alexander Posted September 27, 2003 Report Posted September 27, 2003 I only have her album with Clifford Brown (which I LOVE) and a date she did in the 80s with Stan Getz (also very nice). I'll take some of the recommendations (that are available...I'd love to hear that one with Teddy Wilson too!) under advisement. I've been meaning to get more Ms. Merrill for some time... Hey, Dr.J! Love that avatar. "You'd better watch your step..." Quote
mmilovan Posted September 27, 2003 Report Posted September 27, 2003 Helen is surely one of my favorite female jazz vocals, and I like her special approach with so many feelings involved in a song (and I like that her's roots are, in fact, from my country ). Apart from being mentioned in various contexts, I must remind people to collaboration with Gill Evans, and they suit each other very fine. Monk, Teddy and Helen! Of course, Monk is next to his favorite pianist - Wilson. Great photo, and probably the album is also nice - pity we don't have it widely available. Quote
king ubu Posted September 27, 2003 Report Posted September 27, 2003 Obscure Merrill: there's one track on which she sings - a devastating "Last Night When We Were Young" - on Tommy Flanagan's Inner City piano trio recording PLAYS THE MUSIC OF HAROLD ARLEN, which Merrill produced. Flanagan's trio is in great form, but it's that cut that steals the show. However, I may be the biggest sucker for JELENA ANA MILCACTIC a.k.a. HELEN MERRILL, a crowning achievement. She's lost a step or two on her voice, but never has she sounded more emotionally direct. The arrangements are just perfect, and Steve Lacy makes some nice craggy comments on soprano. The eastern European folk music touches are totally organic, never crass or contrived. A wonderful artist. I'm lookin' forward to hearing the John Lewis collaboration too. That was the one track I mentioned above. A nice Flanagan date, too! And yes, Jenela Ana Miketic is a great record! I got it out of some sale bin for 6 or 7 bucks. It's a grower! And Lacy is marvellous! ubu Quote
jazz1 Posted September 28, 2003 Report Posted September 28, 2003 A wonderful artist. I'm lookin' forward to hearing the John Lewis collaboration too. I found another few Helen Merrill cds, First something new to me a cd called "Mixes" it features Tom Harrell and Art Farmer. Also a French issue called "Autour de minuit" on which Helen does a version of "You go to my head" in French. And lastly "plays the music of Alex Wilder with pianist Roland Hanna. I obviously ordered the Jowhn Lewis cd, and Casa Forte which was missing. A new Helen Merrill cd will also be released in France on Oct 23rd called "Lilac Wine" on the Gitanes/Emarcy label #067566 (and in Japan #UCCM-1045.) No details on instrumentation, but here are the track titles: Lilac Wine Wild Is The Wind Pierre Something I Dreamed Last Night Love Me Tender / How Sweet You Are The Island One More Walk Around The Garden Portrait Of Helen Merrill You Something to look forward to. Quote
mmilovan Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 Well, just to refer to my question posted here: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...opic=6634&st=15 It would be real beauty to hear "Bill Evans of the Swing Era" - Teddy Willson behind Hellen, right? And Monk, too! Quote
mmilovan Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 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. Hmmm, Lon... session with Hellen, Teddy and Monk??? Quote
paul secor Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 Obscure Merrill: there's one track on which she sings - a devastating "Last Night When We Were Young" - on Tommy Flanagan's Inner City piano trio recording PLAYS THE MUSIC OF HAROLD ARLEN, which Merrill produced. Flanagan's trio is in great form, but it's that cut that steals the show. Helen Merrill produced 3 albums for Trio Records (Japan) in 1978. In addition to the Flanagan LP (originally Trio 9143), there were Al Haig Plays the Music of Jerome Kern (Trio 9135) and Roland Hanna Plays the Music of Alec Wilder (Trio 9134). She sang one vocal on each. Quote
jazzbo Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 I think Monk visited the studio but I don't think he appears in the recording. But I don't know and wouldn't be disappointed if he did! Quote
mikeweil Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 I would sure like to hear this one: I have heard it, and yes, you would! Hey, got an idea how I could? ubu hey, me got idea! Quote
mikeweil Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 Now that I think about it, Helen Merrill probably was the first jazz vocalist I ever really appreciated. Bought a copy of A Shade of Difference in a sales bin not long after it was released, listened to it a thousand times - didn't have as many jazz records back then - and started to dig her subtleties. That one bar of scatting after the theme of "I want a little boy" outweighs all of Ella's chorusses for me. Quote
king ubu Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 Now that I think about it, Helen Merrill probably was the first jazz vocalist I ever really appreciated. Bought a copy of A Shade of Difference in a sales bin not long after it was released, listened to it a thousand times - didn't have as many jazz records back then - and started to dig her subtleties. That one bar of scatting after the theme of "I want a little boy" outweighs all of Ella's chorusses for me. I entered her orbit with "A Shade of A Difference", too! What a great record! I think Dick Katz' arrangements succeed in creating a backing almost as subtle and brooding as Ms Merrill's voice. By the way, has anyone gotten the new album, Lilac Wine, about which a started a thread some time ago? Anyone care to make a short review? ubu Quote
mikeweil Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 That's the photo from the Shade of Difference photo session: Quote
jazzbo Posted January 15, 2004 Report Posted January 15, 2004 I agree immensely about A Shade of Difference, a wonderful album so well arranged and excecuted. . . . I come back to it time and again and am always rewarded! I need to try to find more of her work, those elusive titles. . . ! Quote
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