Helen Merrill - Early Years: The First Four Albums And More 1952-58 (2026)

Helen Merrill, a jazz vocalist born in New York in 1929 to Croatian immigrant parents, sang in clubs from the mid-1940s and made her first recordings in 1952. The success of her Mercury album brought her a long-term contract and peak popularity in the 1950s and ’60s, and her album career lasted into the 2000s. She is still alive today, at 97. Although she was not among the best-known jazz stars of her day, she was highly respected, and leading musicians were glad to work with her.

Her early period is documented on a 43-track, two-CD collection: her debut recording with pianist Earl Hines, a Roost single from 1952–53, and the material from her first four albums — “Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown”, “Helen Merrill With Strings”, “Dream of You” and “Merrill At Midnight”. The recordings with small groups and large orchestras feature Clifford Brown, Barry Galbraith, Oscar Pettiford, Quincy Jones, Milt Hinton, Hank Jones and Joe Morello, with arrangements by Quincy Jones, Richard Hayman, Gil Evans and Hal Mooney. The set showcases her already sophisticated style at the very start of her album career.

Tracklist:
01-01 Earl Hines, Earl 'Fatha' Hines, Helen Merrill - A Cigarette For Company [2:34]
01-02 Helen Merrill - The More I See You [2:37]
01-03 Helen Merrill - Don't Explain [5:10]
01-04 Helen Merrill - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To [4:18]
01-05 Helen Merrill - What's New [4:58]
01-06 Helen Merrill - Falling In Love With Love [3:53]
01-07 Helen Merrill - Yesterdays [5:58]
01-08 Helen Merrill - Born To Be Blue [5:14]
01-09 Helen Merrill - 'S Wonderful [3:14]
01-10 Helen Merrill - Anything Goes [3:07]
01-11 Helen Merrill - Mountain High, Valley Low [2:59]
01-12 Helen Merrill - Beautiful Love [3:13]
01-13 Helen Merrill - Comes Love [3:00]
01-14 Helen Merrill - End Of A Love Affair [3:25]
01-15 Helen Merrill - When I Fall In Love [3:20]
01-16 Helen Merrill - The Masquerade Is Over [4:02]
01-17 Helen Merrill - Just You, Just Me [3:35]
01-18 Helen Merrill - Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year [3:50]
01-19 Helen Merrill - You Won't Forget Me [3:07]
01-20 Helen Merrill - Wait Till You See Him [3:21]
02-01 Helen Merrill - Lilac Wine [4:23]
02-02 Helen Merrill - People Will Say We're In Love [2:34]
02-03 Helen Merrill - By Myself [3:24]
02-04 Helen Merrill - Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home [4:10]
02-05 Helen Merrill - I've Never Seen [3:33]
02-06 Helen Merrill - He Was Too Good To Me [3:02]
02-07 Helen Merrill - A New Town Is A Blue Town [3:09]
02-08 Helen Merrill - You're Lucky To Me [3:26]
02-09 Helen Merrill - Where Flamingos Fly [2:44]
02-10 Helen Merrill - Dream Of You [2:53]
02-11 Helen Merrill - I'm A Fool To Want You [4:07]
02-12 Helen Merrill - I'm Just A Lucky So And So [3:08]
02-13 Helen Merrill - Troubled Waters [3:14]
02-14 Helen Merrill - Soft As Spring [3:14]
02-15 Helen Merrill - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair [2:49]
02-16 Helen Merrill - Lazy Afternoon [3:08]
02-17 Helen Merrill - The Things We Did Last Summer [3:05]
02-18 Helen Merrill - After You [3:04]
02-19 Helen Merrill - If You Go [3:11]
02-20 Helen Merrill - If I Forget You [3:20]
02-21 Helen Merrill - If Love Were All [2:59]
02-22 Helen Merrill - Easy Come Easy Go [3:43]
02-23 Helen Merrill - I'll Be Around [2:41]