Nancy Kelly - Remembering Mark Murphy

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:06
Size: 117,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:39)  1. Empty Faces (Vera Cruz)
(5:09)  2. Song for the Geese
(5:03)  3. Again
(5:57)  4. I'm Glad There Is You
(4:18)  5. On the Red Clay
(4:45)  6. Night Mood (Lembra)
(4:50)  7. Stolen Moments
(6:38)  8. Body and Soul
(3:52)  9. Sunday in New York
(4:51) 10. This Could Be the Start of Something Big

"People often ask me who my favorite singer is, and my answer is always, without hesitation, Mark Murphy. He was “the real deal.” With Mark’s passing, I was moved to honor him musically with this recording.

I joined musical forces with pianist John DiMartino on this project. He too is a huge Mark Murphy fan and we are very excited to see this endeavor take on its own life. You certainly won't need to be a Mark fan to be moved by the music I’ve chosen for this recording.

Mark’s music went through many changes as he grew and matured. I've recorded the songs that most affected me over the years as an artist. These compositions nourished me and gave birth to my jazz soul.

Mark grew up in Fulton, NY, not far from Fair Haven NY, where I’ve been living for many years. After getting to know him on and off the bandstand, I was thrilled to find out he spent many summers with his family in Fair Haven and he adored Little Sodus Bay, which inspired him to write the lyrics to “Song for the Geese.” The song has a profound place in my heart. As I worked on developing this recording, I gazed out my window on the bay and drew love and inspiration.

Some cuts we chose are Mark Murphy classics. Randy Brecker joined us for Body and Soul, Red Clay and Vera Cruz, and as he did on Mark's original recordings of these tracks.

When John and I developed the material, we agreed to keep the integrity of some of these numbers while I joyfully took liberties with some of the others." (by Nancy Kelly)

Randy Brecker: "Nancy Kelly's tribute to Mark Murphy is wonderful remembrance and dedication to one of the jazz world's greatest vocalists. Each track brings something new to the table though...a heartfelt effort that I was proud to be a part of, having known/toured with Mark, and played on a couple of his albums."

Eric Cohen, Former WAER Music director and 2-time award winning programmer of the year says: " The CD is a Masterpiece "

Frank Wilner,  WNHN FM 94.7 Concord, NH: " You have a winner here, very classy recording"

Peter Jones, author of the 2018  Biography, This Is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy had this to say about the CD.: "This hip and mellow album is far more than a tribute to the great Mark Murphy; it’s an outstanding contribution to vocal jazz in its own right. With her warm, sensuous voice, Nancy Kelly has recorded sleek contemporary interpretations of the songs that formed such an integral part of the Mark Murphy repertoire."

Scott Elias, Freelance Film Producer and President  at Random Acts Entertainment: " The charts are all cool, and your PHRASING just slays me!  It's like listening to Mark Murphy's hip kid sister, who is now a woman who shares his sensibilities, but has her OWN impeccable virtuosity and unique experiences to share."

Personnel:
Nancy Kelly, Vocals, Executive Producer
John DiMartino, Piano, Arranger and Producer
Randy Brecker, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, 1,5,8
Bobby Militello, Soprano, Alto, Flute, 1,4,5,6,7,8,9
Paul Bollenback,  Electric Guitar 3,6,9
Paul Meyers, Acoustic Guitar 1,2,
Ed Howard, Electric and Acoustic bass
Carmen Intorre Jr, Drums and Percussion
Peter Mack,  Co-Executive Producer. bass 10
Steve Brown guitar, conga.10

Remembering Mark Murphy

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Beverly Kenney - Beverly Sings, Vol. 1

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:03
Size: 67,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. Nobody Else But Me
(3:05)  2. The More I See You
(2:44)  3. Old Buttermilk Sky
(3:52)  4. I Never Has Seen Snow
(2:54)  5. A Fine Romance
(2:35)  6. Who Cares What People Say
(2:04)  7. Makin' Whoopee
(2:32)  8. The Charm of You
(3:05)  9. Isn't This a Lovely Day
(2:47) 10. Mairzy Doats

Singer Beverly Kenney remains one of jazz's great tragedies  an exquisitely nuanced stylist whose sophisticated phrasing perfectly complemented the cool jazz sensibilities of the late '50s, she committed suicide at the peak of her career and awaits rediscovery by the vast majority of the listening public. Born in Harrison, NJ, on January 29, 1932, Kenney began her career singing birthday greetings via telephone for Western Union. Ultimately she relocated to New York City, and in 1954 cut her first demo session with pianist Tony Tamburello (finally issued in 2006 under the title Snuggled on Your Shoulder). By year's end Kenney relocated to Miami, soon securing an agent and appearing at the Black Magic Room. There she was discovered by the Dorsey Brothers, spending several months on tour with their orchestra before creative differences prompted her exit. From there Kenney returned to New York, working clubs in the company of George Shearing, Don Elliott, and Kai Winding in addition to briefly touring the Midwest with the Larry Sonn Band before signing to the Roost label, which in early 1956 issued her debut LP, Beverly Kenny Sings for Johnny Smith. Come Swing with Me, a pairing with arranger Ralph Burns, followed later that same year, and in the spring of 1957 she teamed with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites for her final effort for the label. Kenney resurfaced on Decca in 1958 with Sings for Playboys  her masterpiece, Born to Be Blue, soon followed, and a year later she issued her swan song, Like Yesterday. 

Critics and fellow artists were virtually unanimous in their praise of Kenney's artistry, but the emergence of rock & roll virtually guaranteed she would remain anonymous to the public at large. Tellingly, during a May 18, 1958, appearance on NBC's The Steve Allen Show, she performed an original composition titled "I Hate Rock and Roll." Friends and colleagues generally cite Kenney as a melancholy, distant figure in the final months of her life, but her suicide at age 28 on April 13, 1960, still raises myriad questions: by most accounts, she spent her last hours writing each of her parents long, heartbreaking letters at the desk in her Greenwich Village flat before consuming a lethal overdose of alcohol and Seconal, but her motivations are unknown. A 1992 GQ magazine profile by Jonathan Schwartz suggests Kenney was despondent over the dissolution of her romance with Beat Generation guru Milton Klonsky, but a subsequent investigation by fan and journalist Bill Reed casts serious doubt on this theory. While a virtual footnote in her native U.S., Kenney boasts an ever-growing cult following in Japan, where all six of her LPs have remained in print. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beverly-kenney-mn0000866783/biography

This album gathers the songs of Beverly's 1956 album "Sings With Jimmy Jones".

Beverly Sings, Vol. 1

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