The Songbirds Archives

Helen Merrill: The Feeling Is Mutual
Gitanes Jazz (5588492), France, 1998

Reviewed by Stefano Nuzzo; Florence, Italy

This reissue of a 1965 album produced by pianist Dick Katz himself features Merrill backed by a quintet with Katz, Thad Jones (cornet) Jim Hall (guitar) Ron Carter (bass) and Pete Laroca alternating with Arnie Wise (drums).

The Feeling Is Mutual is just another example of why Merrill has always been a top name among jazz musicians. Apart from the fact that her ear is as sharp as a tack ("My ears are better than my chops," she once said), the main reason might be her approach to singing: it shows no egotism, no attitudes that make the players feel like the singer's poodles. She interplays with the instruments with a sense of equality, yet remains the Singer of the group. Her approach is highly instrumental, yet she doesn't attempt any kind of patent instrumental technique to her singing: You won't find any wordless improvisation, any trumpet-like high notes or any attempt to mimic the sound of a saxophone.

Merrill's is a strange, unmistakable voice, in many senses full of contradictions. It seems delicate, almost frail sometimes, yet capable of sudden twists revealing a great reserve of power. Technically, it's not a voice noted for its range, yet occasionally she opens up to some high notes held fearlessly and with no vibrato, almost to the breaking point. I'd say that her technique is of great caliber, especially considering that her instrument is not a big one. Over time she has learned how to use what she has at its best and to make her own assets shine over the minor technical flaws. And the fact that her voice has remained quite healthy for so long proves that she has certainly learned how to use it.

In this album, the colors of Merrill's voice and interpretations vary from the gray to the purple to the light blue, conveying an overall gloomy quality, yet enlightened by the levity of her sound - sort of like the sun filtering through a deep layer of fog. The coupling of Helen with Thad Jones' cornet is particularly effective in creating such a mood, as in The Winter of My Discontent, where the full group is displayed and a very light echo in the recording gives the listener the impression of being in a haunted house at dawn. The song is followed by Day Dream, and then Deep in a Dream where the atmosphere takes on a gentler shading, even though Merrill's airy sound reigns throughout the songs, contributing further to the dreamy mood. All the other songs share the same kind of stylistic approach, thanks also to Ron Carter - a favorite of Merrill's - and Dick Katz, whose empathic piano provides just the right dissonance, especially for his duet with her on Here's That Rainy Day, a pensive soliloquy with Merrill floating over Katz's spare notes. It Don't Mean a Thing, normally a swinger performed as a joyous hymn to rhythm, has some angular comments from Thad Jones in the intro that are just a prelude for what will be heard in the rest of the album.

The mist gives place to some sun - albeit a pale and chilly one - in Baltimore Oriole, maybe because the story is referred to a third person and doesn't involve the singer on a direct level. Here Merrill's singing is less cloudy. Don't Explain, the following song, dives back into the waters of anguish. I think that if this song hadn't been associated with Billie Holiday for such a long time, it would have become (and it has, to some degree) Merrill's property, for she really manages to become the tormented wife of the lyric.

The Feeling Is Mutual might provide a perfect introduction to Merrill's idiosyncratic style, which is certainly not for everybody. I'm certain, though, that once most listeners have managed to enter her artistic world, they will be spellbound.

You're My Thrill (Gorney, Clare)
It Don't Mean a Thing (Ellington/Mills)
Here's That Rainy Day (Van Heusen, Burke)
Baltimore Oriole (Carmichael, Webster)
Don't Explain (Herzog, Holiday)
What Is This Thing Called Love (Porter)
The Winter of My Discontent (Wilder, Berenberg)
Day Dream (Strayhorn, Ellington, Latouche)
Deep in a Dream (Van Heusen, DeLange)

For more information on Helen Merrill, visit the All Music Guide