Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic on July 21, 1930 in New York City) … Read Full Bio ↴Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic on July 21, 1930 in New York City) is an internationally known jazz vocalist.
Merrill's recording career has spanned six decades and she is popular with fans of jazz in Japan and Italy (where she lived for many years) as well as in her native United States. She has recorded and performed with some of the most notable figures in the American jazz scene.
Youth and early career in the states
Merrill was born in 1930 to Croatian immigrant parents. She began singing in jazz clubs in the Bronx at the age of fourteen. By the time she was sixteen, Merrill had taken up music full time. In 1952, Merrill made her recording debut when she was asked to sing "A Cigarette For Company" with the Earl Hines Band; the song was released on their Xanadu album. Etta Jones made her debut on the same album.
At this time she was married to musician Aaron Sachs. They divorced in 1956.
As a result of the exposure she received from "A Cigarette for Company" and two subsequent singles recorded for the Roost record label, Merrill was signed by Mercury Records for their new EmArcy label.
In 1954, Merrill recorded her first (and to date most acclaimed) LP, an eponymous record featuring legendary jazz trumpet player Clifford Brown and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford, among others. It was to be one of Brown's last recordings, as he was killed in a car accident just two years later. The album was produced and arranged by Quincy Jones, who was then just twenty-one years old. The success of Helen Merrill prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract.
Merrill's follow-up to Helen Merrill was the 1956 LP, Dream of You, which was produced and arranged by bebop arranger and pianist Gil Evans. Evans' work on Dream of You was his first in many years. His arrangements on Merrill's laid the musical foundations for his work in following years with Miles Davis.
Success abroad
After recording sporadically through the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent much of her time touring Europe, where she enjoyed more commercial success than she had in the United States. She settled for a time in Italy recording an album there, and doing live concerts with jazz notables Chet Baker, Romano Mussolini, and Stan Getz. Merrill returned to the U.S. in the 1960s, but moved to Japan in 1967 after touring there. Merrill developed a following in Japan that remains strong to this day. In addition to recording while in Japan, Merrill became involved in other aspects of the music industry, producing albums for Trio Records and hosting a show on a Tokyo radio station.
Later career
Merrill returned to the US in 1972 and has continued recording and regular touring since then. Her later career has seen her experiment in different music genres. She has recorded a bossa nova album, a Christmas album and a record's worth of Rodgers and Hammerstein, among many others.
Two albums from Merrill's later career have been tributes to past musical partners. In 1987, Merrill and Gil Evans recorded fresh arrangements of their classic Dream of You; the new recordings were released under the title Collaboration and became the most critically acclaimed of Merrill's albums in the 1980s.
In 1987 she co-produced a CD "Billy Eckstine sing with Benny Carter" and sing in duet with Mr.B two ballads.
In 1995 she recorded Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown as a tribute to the late trumpeter.
One of Merrill's millennium released recordings draws from her Croatian heritage as well as her American upbringing. Jelena Ana Milcetic, a.k.a. Helen Merrill (2000), combines jazz, pop and blues songs with several traditional Croatian songs sung in Croatian.
Helen Merrill has been married three times, first to musician Aaron Sachs, second time to UPI vice president the late Donald J Brydon, and third to arranger-conductor the late Torrie Zito. She has one child, a son, Allan P Sachs, also a singer, who is professionally known as Alan Merrill.
Merrill's recording career has spanned six decades and she is popular with fans of jazz in Japan and Italy (where she lived for many years) as well as in her native United States. She has recorded and performed with some of the most notable figures in the American jazz scene.
Youth and early career in the states
Merrill was born in 1930 to Croatian immigrant parents. She began singing in jazz clubs in the Bronx at the age of fourteen. By the time she was sixteen, Merrill had taken up music full time. In 1952, Merrill made her recording debut when she was asked to sing "A Cigarette For Company" with the Earl Hines Band; the song was released on their Xanadu album. Etta Jones made her debut on the same album.
At this time she was married to musician Aaron Sachs. They divorced in 1956.
As a result of the exposure she received from "A Cigarette for Company" and two subsequent singles recorded for the Roost record label, Merrill was signed by Mercury Records for their new EmArcy label.
In 1954, Merrill recorded her first (and to date most acclaimed) LP, an eponymous record featuring legendary jazz trumpet player Clifford Brown and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford, among others. It was to be one of Brown's last recordings, as he was killed in a car accident just two years later. The album was produced and arranged by Quincy Jones, who was then just twenty-one years old. The success of Helen Merrill prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract.
Merrill's follow-up to Helen Merrill was the 1956 LP, Dream of You, which was produced and arranged by bebop arranger and pianist Gil Evans. Evans' work on Dream of You was his first in many years. His arrangements on Merrill's laid the musical foundations for his work in following years with Miles Davis.
Success abroad
After recording sporadically through the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent much of her time touring Europe, where she enjoyed more commercial success than she had in the United States. She settled for a time in Italy recording an album there, and doing live concerts with jazz notables Chet Baker, Romano Mussolini, and Stan Getz. Merrill returned to the U.S. in the 1960s, but moved to Japan in 1967 after touring there. Merrill developed a following in Japan that remains strong to this day. In addition to recording while in Japan, Merrill became involved in other aspects of the music industry, producing albums for Trio Records and hosting a show on a Tokyo radio station.
Later career
Merrill returned to the US in 1972 and has continued recording and regular touring since then. Her later career has seen her experiment in different music genres. She has recorded a bossa nova album, a Christmas album and a record's worth of Rodgers and Hammerstein, among many others.
Two albums from Merrill's later career have been tributes to past musical partners. In 1987, Merrill and Gil Evans recorded fresh arrangements of their classic Dream of You; the new recordings were released under the title Collaboration and became the most critically acclaimed of Merrill's albums in the 1980s.
In 1987 she co-produced a CD "Billy Eckstine sing with Benny Carter" and sing in duet with Mr.B two ballads.
In 1995 she recorded Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown as a tribute to the late trumpeter.
One of Merrill's millennium released recordings draws from her Croatian heritage as well as her American upbringing. Jelena Ana Milcetic, a.k.a. Helen Merrill (2000), combines jazz, pop and blues songs with several traditional Croatian songs sung in Croatian.
Helen Merrill has been married three times, first to musician Aaron Sachs, second time to UPI vice president the late Donald J Brydon, and third to arranger-conductor the late Torrie Zito. She has one child, a son, Allan P Sachs, also a singer, who is professionally known as Alan Merrill.
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The Jazz Collection
Helen Merrill Lyrics
'S Wonderful Don't mind telling you, in my humble fash That you thrill…
Am I Blue I'm just a woman, a lonely woman Waiting on the weary…
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home Free and easy, that's my style Howdy-do me, watch me smile F…
Anything Goes Times have changed And we've often rewound the clock Since…
Autumn in New York Autumn in New York Why does it seem so inviting Autumn in…
Beautiful Love Beautiful love You are a mystery Beautiful love What have y…
Black Is the Colour of My True Love's Hair Black is the color of my true love's hair His face…
Born to Be Blue Some folks were meant to live in clover, But they are…
By Myself The party's over, the game is ended, the dreams I…
Bye Bye Blackbird Blackbird, blackbird singing the blues all day Right outside…
Comes Love Once I lived the life of a millionaire Spending my money,…
Dearly Beloved Tell me that it's true, Tell me you agree, I was…
Don't Explain Hush now don't explain I know you raise Cain I'm glad you're…
Easy Come Easy Go Easy come, easy go, that's the way, If love must have…
End Of A Love Affair So I walk a little too fast, and I drive…
Everything Happens to Me I make a date for gown, You can bet your…
Falling In Love With Love Falling in love with love is falling for make-believe Fallin…
He Was Too Good To Me There goes my young intended The thing has ended Regrets are…
I Remember You I remember you-ooh You're the one who made my dreams come…
I See Your Face Before Me I see your face before me Crowding my every dream There is…
I'll Be Around This is our fork in the road Love's last episode There's…
I'm A Fool To Want You I'm a fool to want you I'm a fool to want…
I'm Just A Lucky So And So When I walk down the street Seems everyone I meet Gives me…
I've Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin I have got you deep…
I've Never Seen I've never seen you wake at dawn And brush a dream…
If I Forget You If I loved you, Time and again I would try to…
If Love Were All Please please play my music for me, I'm not sure of…
If You Go (If you should go, if you should leave him alone There'll…
Just Imagine Just imagine That he loves me dearly. Just imagine That I'm …
Let Me Love You If someone makes you cry and you're feeling blue Let me…
Lilac Wine I lost myself on a cool damp night Gave myself in…
Night and Day Like the beat, beat, beat, Of the tom-tom; When the jungle s…
People Will Say We're in Love Don't throw bouquets at me Don't please my folks too much Do…
Softly as in a morning sunrise Love came to me Gay and tender Love came to me Sweet surrend…
Solitude In my solitude You haunt me With dreadful ease Of days gone …
Summertime It's summertime and the living is easy Fish are jumping and…
The Masquerade Is Over My blue horizon is turning grey And my dreams are drifting…
The Nearness Of You It's not the pale moon that excites me That thrills…
The Things We Did Last Summer The boat rides we would take, the moonlight on the…
The Thrill Is Gone The thrill is gone The thrill is gone I can see it…
This Time the Dream's on Me Somewhere, someday We'll be close together, wait and see O…
What's New What's new How is the world treating you You haven't changed…
When I Fall In Love Maybe I'm old fashioned, feeling as I do Maybe I am…
Where Flamingo's Fly Go for a ride In the still of the night And morning…
You Don't Know What Love Is You don't know what love is 'Til you've learned the meaning…
You Won't Forget Me You won't forget me, though you may try I'm part o…
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…
You're Lucky To Me Whenever you're near all my tears disappear Dear it's plain …