Helen Merrill

Helen Merrill’s long history in jazz began with her first album on the Mercury Emarcy label arranged and produced by Quincy Jones in 1954 up to her latest CD album released in 2000. In between were more than fifty jazz albums and countless concerts, club dates, festivals, and other jazz activities. Ms. Merrill was born in New York City and then her parents moved to the Bronx. Her parents were Croatian immigrants and to recognize that her most recent recording is titled “Jelena Ana Milcetic, AKA Helen Merrill” tracing her musical experience.
She started her career at the 845 club in the Bronx while still in high school. The name on the marquee was Helen Milcetic, her name which she later changed to Merrill. The promoter at the club was noted for his ability to spot young future stars. She soon appeared with musical legends Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, among others. Ms. Merrill entered the world of music just as the big band era was ending and the much more challenging field of working with small groups had begun. During these formative years, she worked with Earl Hines, Charles Mingus, Thad Jones, Clifford Brown, Gil Evans, Charlie Byrd, Marian McPartland, Al Haig, Jim Hall, Elvin Jones, Ron Carter, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, and literally hundreds of other musicians. Although she has made a large number of jazz albums and knows her way around recording studios in the United States, Japan and Europe, Ms. Merrill’s recording career began in a non-commercial atmosphere int the now famous Rudy Van Gelder studio in New Jersey. Helen lived for a number of years in Europe and recorded jazz albums in Italy, France and Norway. She made a number of trips to Japan for concerts and recorded for Japan Victor. She eventually moved to Tokyo in 1967. She returned to New York in 1972 where she now lives, making annual concert tours in Japan and Europe.