Helen Merrill has done something very few others have done in the world of jazz for, just with one record, she has come to be considered one of jazz's greats. Usually a budding new star has to do quite a bit of waiting before he or she can be acclaimed. It all depends on the public's opinion of the musician's merits. Sarah Vaughan—amongst the singers —and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley—among the instrumentalists—have had to take their place in the queue awaiting the people's favourable reaction. In Helen Merrill's case however, it only needed her 1955 recording with Clifford Brown and Oscar Pettiford—with arrangements by Quincy Jones—for the critics to state that at long last jazz had a fair skinned singer. And yet we cannot exclude June Christy, Anita O'Day or Chris Connor. It was just that Helen seemed to have that certain "je ne sais quoi" which, before her splendid entry into the realm of jazz, seemed to be exclusive right and property of the coloured singers—with Billie Holliday leading the field.