The Nearness of You (Helen Merrill album)

For other uses, see The Nearness of You (disambiguation).

The Nearness of You is the fifth studio album by Helen Merrill.^[1] It includes performances of standards from two sessions with completely different lineups of accompanying musicians. The later session from February 21, 1958, features very notable jazz performers such as pianist Bill Evans and bassist Oscar Pettiford.

The Nearness of You
Studio album by Helen Merrill
Released	1958
Recorded	December 18 and 19, 1957 and February 21, 1958
Studio	Universal Recording Studios, Chicago and unnamed studio, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	37:30
Label	EmArcy
Helen Merrill chronology
Merrill at Midnight (1957) The Nearness of You (1958) You've Got a Date with the Blues (1958)

Track listing

1. "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon, Al Henderson) – 2:57
2. "When the Sun Comes Out" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 4:47
3. "I Remember You" (Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger) – 2:11
4. "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) – 3:19
5. "Dearly Beloved" (Jerome Kern, Mercer) – 2:07
6. "Summertime" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 3:28
7. "All of You" (Cole Porter) – 3:33
8. "I See Your Face Before Me" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) – 2:39
9. "Let Me Love You" (Harlan Howard) – 2:48
10. "The Nearness of You" (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington) – 4:06
11. "This Time the Dream's on Me" (Arlen, Mercer) – 2:21
12. "Just Imagine" (Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Henderson) – 3:21

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

John Bush of AllMusic said that "[a]lternately breathy and atmospheric or bright and dynamic, Helen Merrill often reaches a bit too far on The Nearness of You, though her distinct style and strong personality may be refreshing to vocal fans tired of the standard versions of standards. ... Her powerful voice occasionally gets her into trouble, breaking from breathy to brash and often occupying a rather awkward middle ground."^[1] The Bill Evans biographer Peter Pettinger wrote of the session featuring the pianist, "Merrill, enticingly warm, molded the intensity of her tone like a horn, coloring her line with a tastefully controlled vibrato." He also quotes Merrill herself as saying, "Bill was a wonderful accompanist. But is that any wonder since he was so very sensitive and endlessly musical?"^[3]

Personnel

Tracks

01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 08, 11:

• Helen Merrill – vocals
• Mike Simpson – flute
• Dick Marx – piano
• Fred Rundquist – guitar
• Johnny Frigo – double bass
• Jerry Slosberg – drums
• David Carroll – arranger, conductor

Tracks

02, 07, 09, 10, 12:

• Helen Merrill – vocals
• Bobby Jaspar – flute
• Bill Evans – piano
• Barry Galbraith – guitar^[4]
• Oscar Pettiford – double bass
• Jo Jones – drums
• George Russell – arranger, conductor^[5]

References

1. "The Nearness of You". Allmusic. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 138. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. Peter Pettinger, Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Yale University Press, 1998, p. 47.
4. "Sleeve and discographies list [George] Russell [the composer and arranger] on guitar, but he [Russell] assures me [Peter Pettinger] that the guitarist [on Helen Merrill's The Nearness of You] was Barry Galbraith, whom he always used in his writing." Pettinger, p. 47.
5. "Helen Merrill had asked George Russell to do the arrangements, which remained uncredited." Pettinger, p. 47.