Helen Merrill Helen Merrill

180g Vinyl LP Reissue Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the Original Master Tape!

Recorded by Bob Fine and produced and arranged by Quincy Jones when he was just 21-years-old, Helen Merrill's notable 1955 self-titled debut finds her backed by among others, trumpeter Clifford Brown and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford. The success of the straight-ahead bop affair prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract. Merrill's career continued with recordings and concerts throughout six decades, until the early 2000s. Her emotional, sensual vocal performances, particularly this engaging debut, stand as testament to her immense talent.

A rare record with original copies selling for more than $1,000, Helen Merrill arrives here newly remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio and plated and pressed to 180-gram vinyl LP by Quality Record Pressings, supervised by plating expert and general manager Gary Salstrom. No less than an old-style, tip-on Stoughton Printing gatefold jacket would suffice for such a phenomenal-sounding reissue. Rare photographs inside the gatefold originally appeared as sleeve art for the 7-inch singles recorded and released in conjunction with the original 1955 album.

"...there's something about her voice – an odd combination of breathy innocence and husky-toned experience that pulls me in time after time...And Clifford Brown's trumpet is, as one might expect, perfect." - Art Dudley, Stereophile

Musicians:
Quincy Jones, producer & arranger
Helen Merrill, vocals
Cliford Brown, trumpet
Danny Banks, flute
Jimmy Jones, piano
Barry Galbraith, guitar
Milt Hinton / Oscar Pettiford, bass
Bobby Donaldson / Osie Johnson, drums

Features:
• 180g vinyl LP from Analogue Productions
• Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape
• Plating and pressing by Quality Record Pressings supervised by Gary Salstrom
• Tip-on gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing with rare photographs