Helen Merrill fans REJOICE!!!!!

[AllenLowe]

I love her voice but rarely like the way they record her, especially after the Mercurys - she has a delicate sound, and I have a feeling they've been using ribbon mics on her all these years, a mistake, given how they tend to soften the focus - she needs condensers, IMHO -

Edited December 22, 2009 by AllenLowe

[colinmce]

I would indeed drop $60 on the Merrill, but $400 on the Kirk is way out of line.

[fomafomic65]

Man, I wish those old Mercury box sets weren't so expensive.

Yeah, I waited and watched until an Amazon seller had it priced around $15 per disc (ca $60.00). I figured it was worth that price, and after listening to it, I think I was right! (And I was lucky in getting the Vaughan and Washington Mercury boxes just as they were going out of print.)

Many thanks to others for the recommendations on Merrill. I'll check those out!

gregmo

I had the Washington and Vaughan Mercury cds too. Whant a tease has been finding them one after the other! Never felt Merril's were as good as those, though (with the clear exception of the Clifford Brown - Gil Evans session).

As it happens maybe I'm wrong; am I?

[carnivore]

Man, I wish those old Mercury box sets weren't so expensive.

Yeah, I waited and watched until an Amazon seller had it priced around $15 per disc (ca $60.00). I figured it was worth that price, and after listening to it, I think I was right! (And I was lucky in getting the Vaughan and Washington Mercury boxes just as they were going out of print.)

Many thanks to others for the recommendations on Merrill. I'll check those out!

gregmo

I had the Washington and Vaughan Mercury cds too. Whant a tease has been finding them one after the other! Never felt Merril's were as good as those, though (with the clear exception of the Clifford Brown - Gil Evans session).

As it happens maybe I'm wrong; am I?

While the arrangements aren't as radical I've always felt that the one with Hal Mooney - 'Merrill at Midnight' has some of her best singing ever. A marvelous collection of songs too.