Helen Merrill: Complete Recordings with Clifford Brown

Many people are familiar with Clifford Brown's collaboration with Sarah Vaughan, which many consider to be a classic. Far less well-known is his record with singer Helen Merrill for Emarcy from 1954, which features a similar set up and feel. Merrill has always been on the second tier of jazz singers as far as popularity is concerned, but is a reliable performer who can turn out enchanting performances. She's the type of singer whom many would simply put in front of an orchestra and leave it at that, and it's a treat to hear her spread her wings a bit in front of a jazz combo.

Clifford Brown's recordings are in short supply, so for that matter alone this record is worth a listen. The trumpeter has always had a knack for complementing any singer, and on this occasion his melodic bite is the perfect foil for Merrill's bouncy delivery. The rest of the band provides supple, delicate background—the only other instrument in the front line is Danny Banks's flute—to create a quiet classic. Quincy Jones provides the arrangements, which add novel little twists to the heads and background, making "Don't Explain a mournful lullaby and "'S Wonderful a jubilant triumph, one of the best versions of the Gershwin tune I've heard in years.

With only seven tracks, this session is fairly brief. Fortunately Lone Hill has bulked out the CD with the next session in Helen Merrill's catalog for Emarcy, a much more traditional orchestra-oriented affair that adds a whopping eleven bonus tracks. Despite the presence of pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Barry Galbraith, and bassist Milt Hinton, this session is pretty much like every other vocal and strings efforts out there: effective, but nothing special. The program draws heavily from Broadway with everything taken at a sultry gait. Even "Anything Goes strolls along at almost a ballad's pace.

On its own this second session would be one you could take or leave. But paired with the session with Brown and you've got a vocal jazz feast well worth deserving of more renown.