{"product_id":"helen-merrill-s-t-analogue-productions-180g-33rpm-mono-audiophile-edition","title":"Helen Merrill - S\/T (Analogue Productions 180g 33rpm MONO Audiophile Edition) ( VINYL )","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA jewel of a jazz performance — Helen Merrill's 1955 debut delivers!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eProduced and arranged by Quincy Jones!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIncludes noted trumpeter Clifford Brown\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRemastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePlating and 180-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTip-on gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA rare record, original copies selling for more than $1,000!\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Clifford Brown, probably the most acclaimed jazz instrumentalist in 1954, acts (here) as the perfect foil. ... He supplies the\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ehot\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto Merrill's cool. His technical prowess is on display and he plays quick runs of notes with remarkable delicacy. ... the packaging is a tip-on jacket from Stoughton Printing. Unlike the original, it is a gatefold with session photos on the inside. An insert includes a bit of history about Robert Fine as well as detailed sessions notes. The pressing is a 180-gram slab of vinyl from Quality Record Pressings — enough said. This is a great reissue that, for all intents and purposes, is the only choice for serious listening. The original is priced out of reach for all but the wealthy.\" —  Recording = 4.5\/5; Music = 5\/5 — Dennis D. Davis, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Audio Beat,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eMay 27, 2020\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eRead the entire review\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.theaudiobeat.com\/music\/helen_merrill_lp.htm\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"http:\/\/www.theaudiobeat.com\/music\/helen_merrill_lp.htm\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"I confess my ignorance of jazz singer Helen Merrill — or so it was until a couple of weeks ago, when Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds sent me a test pressing of his forthcoming reissue of her eponymous 1955 debut LP (EmArcy MG 36006\/Analogue Productions AAPJ 127). To say I was impressed is an understatement. The album was recorded in December of 1954 by the legendary Bob Fine, at Fine Sound Inc., 711 5th Avenue in New York. Merrill, then only 24, was backed by a combo that included Clifford Brown on trumpet, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and pianist Jimmy Jones, with arrangements by Quincy Jones — himself a mere 21 years old at the time. The mono sound is on the (pleasantly) dry side and very forward, with taut-sounding drums and bass and an intimate vocal sound that at times comes close to being overly sibilant but never quite carries out the threat. Merrill's intonation isn't always spot-on (as in the intro to 'Yesterdays'), but there's something about her voice — an odd combination of breathy innocence and husky-toned experience that pulls me in time after time. (In 'Don't Explain,' she intones the word\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003equiet\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein a manner that could launch any number of ships.) And Clifford Brown's trumpet is, as one might expect, perfect. Prices for the original mono LP reach into four-figure territory, so news of an affordable reissue is very good news indeed. Torch on.\" — Art Dudley,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eStereophile\u003c\/em\u003e, March 2020\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHelen Merrill attributed her childhood musical influence to her mother's singing. Truth is, she didn't wait long herself to make a mark as a teenage jazz ingénue, following-up with the notable self-titled LP you have in your hands, newly remastered, and reissued by Analogue Productions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"32 - Elusive Disc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56735394890101,"sku":"753088012716","price":6.45,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/8300\/2485\/files\/AAPJ_127__147748__04162020024751-5016.jpg?v=1770947935","url":"https:\/\/warmvibevinyls.com\/products\/helen-merrill-s-t-analogue-productions-180g-33rpm-mono-audiophile-edition","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}