可能很少人觉得1929年出生的女歌手Helen Merrill海伦˙梅芮尔的嗓音优美，说她声音沙哑的人倒来得多一些，缓慢、拖曳、近似软弱无力的唱腔，但是却有蛮多人喜爱她，与其说她感动了这些乐迷，不如说梅芮尔的演唱里有一些东西击中了听者心灵深处的要害，足以令刚毅如山的勇士，才大如海的智者在情感脆弱的时候屈膝倒地，泪流满面。 这样的形容，很容易让人联想到另一位爵士乐的名人小喇叭手兼歌手：Chet Baker查特˙贝克，他们同样都有能力以歌声构筑出一个悲凉沉郁的世界，让失意的人们能够藉由这样的音乐洗涤、升华自己的情绪，没有经历过人生沧桑，没有在逆境中挣扎过的乐手，很不容易掌握这样的情绪。梅芮尔并不会在歌声中加入过多的煽情修饰，她也没有卖弄什么演唱技巧，却能够以一种哀莫大於心死，近乎平淡冷漠的态度，传达出哀怨的情境。听过她同名专辑《Helen Merrill》里那一曲经典歌谣〈You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To〉的乐迷应该就能够感同身受。 by Scott YanowA fine singer with a warm, expressive voice, Helen Merrill's infrequent recordings tend to be quite special with plenty of surprises and chance-taking. She started singing in public in 1944 and was with the Reggie Childs Orchestra during 1946-1947. Merrill, who was married for a period to clarinetist Aaron Sachs, had opportunities to sit in with some of the top modernists of the time, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Bud Powell. She was with Earl Hines in 1952 and started recording regularly for EmArcy in 1954. Her collaboration with Clifford Brown was her first classic. She made several notable EmArcy albums during 1954-1958 (including one in 1956 that helped bring Gil Evans out of retirement); all have been reissued in a large box. After recording for Atco and Metrojazz in 1959, she moved to Italy for the next four years, touring often in Europe and Japan. Back in the U.S., Merrill teamed with pianist/arranger Dick Katz for a pair of notable and unpredictable Milestone dates (1967-1968) and then moved to Japan where she was quite popular. Helen Merrill returned to the United States in the mid-'70s and has since recorded for Inner City, Owl, EmArcy (including a reunion date with Gil Evans) Antilles, and Verve, which released her 2000 album Jelena Ana Milcetic a.k.a. Helen Merrill.