Tags
Language
Tags
March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
25 26 27 28 29 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Helen Merrill - Anything Goes - The Complete Helen Merrill, 1952-1960 (2022)

Posted By: Rtax
Helen Merrill - Anything Goes - The Complete Helen Merrill, 1952-1960 (2022)

Helen Merrill - Anything Goes - The Complete Helen Merrill, 1952-1960 (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 1.3 GB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 749 MB
5:09:52 | Jazz, Vocal | Label: Fremeaux Heritage

Helen Merrill, a vocal jazz luminary. Not just a magnificent American artist, but one of the greatest ballad singers of all time. This “complete recordings” set prepared by Olivier Julien looks back over the best years in her career, when she recorded with musicians who were all jazz legends – Earl Hines, Clifford Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Hank Jones and Bill Evans – and made superb albums in the company of producers and composers equally legendary, Quincy Jones, Gil Evans, Ennio Morricone, etc.

VA - Compact Jazz: Best of the Jazz Vocalists (1992)

Posted By: Designol
VA - Compact Jazz: Best of the Jazz Vocalists (1992)

VA - Compact Jazz: Best of the Jazz Vocalists (1992)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 390 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 161 Mb | Scans included
Jazz, Vocal Jazz | Label: Verve/Polygram | # 845 466-2 | Time: 01:08:27

From a label with no shortage of first-rate jazz material come this very attractive vocal sampler. Staying true to the Compact Jazz ethos, Best of the Jazz Vocalists favors quality over hits and comes with a budget price tag. The majority of songs are from the label's prime '50s and '60s run, including a cloud-bound "Summertime" by Helen Merrill and one of the all-time great versions of "If You Could See Me Now," compliments of Billy Eckstine. Continuing with this balancing act between the sexes, the collection also includes fine work by Bill Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, and Anita O'Day; latter-day entries include Lincoln's "I've Got Thunder and It Rings" from her 1990 Verve debut and Horn's "I Got Lost in His Arms" from 1988's Close Enough for Love. Nicely wrapped up with Nina Simone's Afro-percussion clarion call "Come Ye," this Verve roundup works as the perfect primer for more adventurous trips through the label's fertile stores of essential jazz.

Helen Merrill & Gil Evans - Collaboration (1988)

Posted By: gribovar
Helen Merrill & Gil Evans - Collaboration (1988)

Helen Merrill & Gil Evans - Collaboration (1988)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue+log) - 232 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 105 MB | Covers - 52 MB
Genre: Vocal Jazz | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Nippon Phonogram/EmArcy (834 205-2)

In 1956, a year before Miles Ahead, singer Helen Merrill hired the nearly forgotten arranger Gil Evans to write charts for a dozen songs on one of her record dates. In 1987, they had a reunion, and 11 of the 12 numbers (with "Summertime" taking the place of "You're Lucky to Me") were recorded again. Rather than just a re-creation album, this project found Evans writing fresh arrangements, utilizing three very different ten-pieces: one with a woodwind quintet, another with six horns, and a third that included five strings. This inspired outing, one of the most rewarding sets of Helen Merrill's later years, was also one of Evans' last great dates and one of his few post-1972 classics. 57 at the time, Merrill is in superb form on such numbers as "Where Flamingos Fly," "A New Town Is a Blue Town," "By Myself" and "Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home."

Helen Merrill - You've Got A Date With The Blues (1959) [Reissue 1989]

Posted By: gribovar
Helen Merrill - You've Got A Date With The Blues (1959) [Reissue 1989]

Helen Merrill - You've Got A Date With The Blues (1959) [Reissue 1989]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 163 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 88 MB | Covers - 14 MB
Genre: Vocal Jazz | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Verve (837 936-2)

Helen Merrill dates are always something special. This set for Metrojazz, which has been reissued as a Verve CD, matches the cool-toned yet inwardly heated singer with an all-star sextet arranged by Quincy Jones and featuring solos by trumpeter Kenny Dorham and either Frank Wess or Jerome Richardson on flute and tenor. The repertoire includes versions of "You Go to My Head" and "Just Squeeze Me" sung in French, a couple of numbers by producer Leonard Feather, Duke Ellington's "The Blues From Black, Brown and Beige," and a haunting rendition of "The Thrill Is Gone."

John Lewis & Helen Merrill - Django (1977) [Japanese Edition 2011]

Posted By: gribovar
John Lewis & Helen Merrill - Django (1977) [Japanese Edition 2011]

John Lewis & Helen Merrill - Django (1977) [Japanese Edition 2011]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 256 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 96 MB | Covers - 56 MB
Genre: Vocal Jazz | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Solid Records (CDSOL-1407)

Helen Merrill's first American record since 1968 (she had spent much time in Japan) is mostly a duet set with pianist John Lewis; three songs also have flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Connie Kay. The emphasis is on ballads, with all of the nine songs (other than the pianist's "The Singer") being quite well-known. The obvious empathy between Merrill and Lewis is well displayed on such numbers as "Django" (which has rarely been sung), "Angel Eyes," "Alone Together" and "Mad About the Boy." An introspective set full of subtle creativity.

Helen Merrill & Stan Getz - Just Friends (1989)

Posted By: tirexiss
Helen Merrill & Stan Getz - Just Friends (1989)

Helen Merrill & Stan Getz - Just Friends (1989)
EAC | FLAC (image+.cue, log) - 411 MB | MP3 (CBR 320 kbps) - 275 MB | Covers Included | 44:24
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz | Label: Emarcy | Catalog: 842 007-2

Veteran singer Helen Merrill is greatly assisted on this fine set by the warm tenor of Stan Getz, who was always a perfect choice for accompanying vocalists. With pianist Joachim Kuhn (replaced by Torrie Zito on three of the nine songs), bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark and drummer Daniel Humair completing the group, Merrill sounds quite inspired on such selections as "Just Friends," "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Yesterdays" and even "It's Not Easy Being Green."

VA - I Get A Kick Out Of You: The Cole Porter Songbook, Volume II (1991)

Posted By: Designol
VA - I Get A Kick Out Of You: The Cole Porter Songbook, Volume II (1991)

VA - I Get A Kick Out Of You: The Cole Porter Songbook, Volume II (1991)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 277 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 130 Mb | Scans ~ 58 Mb | 00:56:29
Vocal Jazz, Vocal Pop, Standarts | Label: Verve/Polygram | # 511 070-2

Terrific versions of classic Cole Porter songs recorded by jazz's greatest vocalists… Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Merrill, Dinah Washington, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday, Fred Astaire, Blossom Dearie, Morgana King, and Betty Carter.

Helen Merrill - Clear Out Of This World (1992)

Posted By: gribovar
Helen Merrill - Clear Out Of This World (1992)

Helen Merrill - Clear Out Of This World (1992)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 237 MB | Covers - 45 MB
Genre: Vocal Jazz | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Gitanes Jazz/Emarcy (510 691-2)

Although Helen Merrill is often thought of as a singer from the 1950s (when she made her initial reputation), she has stayed aware of more recent developments in jazz. On this superior CD, Merrill is accompanied by pianist Roger Kellaway, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Terry Clarke; three songs add trumpeter Tom Harrell, while two others have Wayne Shorter on tenor or soprano. Whether performing veteran standards (such as "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" and "Some of These Days") or more modern pieces, Merrill's haunting voice and her all-star sidemen uplift and revitalize the material. A consistently memorable set full of subtle surprises.

Helen Merrill - Casa Forte (1980) [Japanese Edition 2011]

Posted By: gribovar
Helen Merrill - Casa Forte (1980) [Japanese Edition 2011]

Helen Merrill - Casa Forte (1980) [Japanese Edition 2011]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 243 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 87 MB | Covers - 57 MB
Genre: Vocal Jazz | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Ultra-Vibe, Inc. (CDSOL-1409)

Helen Merrill is in top form throughout this 1980 session, backed by pianist Torrie Zito's thoughtful arrangements. Merrill, who improvises like a member of the band, always knows the possibilities within each song she performs and finds a way to make it her own. A good part of the CD includes bossa nova tunes, highlighted by her deliberate lyrical treatment of "Wave" in which Zito is her sole accompanist. Her silken voice is wrapped in strings for the lush takes of "So Many Stars" and "Like a Lover," with Bucky Pizzarelli providing the perfect touch on guitar. "Natural Sounds" is an unjust obscurity, a touching ballad sung by Barbra Streisand in the mid-'60s on a live album, though Merrill handles it with far more finesse. There are also enjoyable renditions of standards like "Too Marvelous for Words" and "Close Enough for Love."