Mark Murphy & Benny Green - Dim The Lights

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:29
Size: 156,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Your Red Wagon
(4:39)  2. Rules Of The Road
(7:53)  3. Street Of Dreams
(3:26)  4. Beautiful Love
(3:48)  5. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(4:26)  6. A Quiet Place
(5:09)  7. See You Later
(6:53)  8. Two Lonely People
(5:48)  9. It Amazes Me
(3:13) 10. North Sea Night
(5:02) 11. Time All Gone
(6:19) 12. I Never Know When To Say When
(6:16) 13. Ravel Concerto / How Insensitive / Corcovado
(0:45) 14. The Man On The Other Side

"You live and you learn the rules of the road." So go Carolyn Leigh’s lyrics to Cy Coleman’s classic song. His experience gives Mark Murphy, 67, the insight to perform a romantic album his way with each song’s meaning clearly at the forefront. Make no mistake about it, this highly recommended album – a combination of slow ballads and up-tempo romps brings out the goosebumps and leaves lingering thoughts that last for days. But Murphy also injects his fresh manner of scat-singing a tune alongside those tender moments. Long known as "a hipster’s hipster," the singer was first "discovered" by Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1953 at a jam session in Syracuse, New York - Murphy’s hometown - when the veteran singer invited the 21-year-old bopster to join him on stage. Since then Mark Murphy has never been what you’d call predictable. His dozens of recordings borrow from the beat poetry of Jack Kerouac, the soulful vocalese of Eddie Jefferson, the pretty ballads of Nat King Cole, and more. A loping blues highlighting Benny Green’s strengths starts the session with an uplifting mood. It goes directly downhill from there into the stark realities of romance, requiring a box of tissue, a soft pillow, and a quiet moment. The title track, "Dim the Lights," sets the mood correctly with Murphy’s lyrics about looking back at memories of what could have been. Bill Evans’ "Two Lonely People" offers deep dramatic insight, while Hein Van De Geyn’s "North Sea Night" paints a picture of lasting desire, and Peggy Lee’s lyrics from "I’m In Love Again" remind us that we’ve seen all that before and look forward to better days. 

They’re sad songs with a lot to think about. A trilogy of "Beautiful Love," "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" is performed by multi-tracking the three tunes on top of each other, blending them proportionately with lyrics and scat singing. The trilogy adds a light touch to the album and serves to represent the mixed feelings we sometimes get from relationships. As the session nears the end, "Corcovado" bounces a little to brighten up the day with Gene Lees’ lyrics about being happy together again. Murphy and Green stir the emotions and provide an opportunity to just sit back and let yourself go. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/dim-the-lights-mark-murphy-millennium-recordings-review-by-jim-santella.php#.U_aYi2MfLP8

Personnel: Mark Murphy- vocals; Benny Green- piano.

The Royal Bopsters - The Royal Bopsters Project

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:22
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:36) 1. Music in the Air - Wildwood' as an instrumental
(5:33) 2. On the Red Clay - 'Red Clay' as an instrumental
(4:57) 3. Peace
(5:58) 4. Basheer, the Snake and the Mirror
(4:54) 5. Señor Blues
(6:22) 6. Invitation
(4:15) 7. Bird Chasin' - Chasin' The Bird as an instrumental
(6:21) 8. Music Is Forever
(4:59) 9. Bebop Lives - 'Boplicity' as an instrumental
(6:12) 10. Just Set Right Up
(4:24) 11. Nothing Like You Has Ever Been Seen Before
(3:45) 12. Let's Fly

New York’s The Royal Bopsters, formed in 2012, bring a new and refreshing approach to the art of vocal jazz. Vocalists Amy London, Holli Ross, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and energetic delivery, bringing jazz classics and bebop style to the next generation and beyond. Their debut recording, The Royal Bopsters Project (Motéma, 2015), featuring vocal jazz legend Mark Murphy and NEA Jazz Masters Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, and Bob Dorough, garnered accolades from DownBeat Magazine (4.5 stars), JazzTimes (top 2015 releases), All About Jazz (top picks) and The New York Times (weekend picks) as well as rave reviews from Europe and the UK. The Royal Bopsters soon began performing at major festivals and notable clubs across the U.S. and Europe. Their sophomore release, Party of Four, celebrates both the proud history and the bright future of vocal jazz. A hard-swinging amalgam of vocal virtuosity, electrifying group chemistry, and masterful arranging, Party of Four displays the group’s stunning facility to swing deeply and sing passionately while navigating incredibly precise four-part harmonies. The album is dedicated to Bopster Holli Wasser Ross, o who sadly passed away in the late spring of 2020.

Cited as “expert practitioners of vocalese” in The New Yorker, The Royal Bopsters’ performances are masterclasses in the art of vocal jazz and vocalese, demonstrating the dazzling possibilities of four voices coming together as one. NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan - who began her career singing with Charlie Parker, and who now, with the passing of Annie Ross this July, has become the reigning Queen Matriarch of Vocal Bop, has commented “The Bopsters are my favorite vocal group.” The love is mutual, and The Bopsters include Sheila as a guest in their live shows wherever possible. Bob Dorough, who is most famous for writing Schoolhouse Rock, also guested frequently until his sudden death in 2018. He, Annie, vocalese master Jon Hendricks, and the inimitable Mark Murphy are all much loved and sorely missed by the Bopsters. Amy London, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk are all renowned jazz educators, and collectively they instruct at the entire gamut of excellent jazz programs in the NYC area: The New School (London was a founder of the program), NYU, William Paterson, Manhattan School of Music, Montclair State, City College, Hofstra, and Jazz House Kids. The group’s vast collective knowledge of the history and technique of the art form of vocal jazz shines through on every note. http://royalbopsters.com/bios-2

Singers: Amy London, Holli Ross, Dylan Pramuk, Darmon Meader (on recording and has since been replaced by) Pete McGuinness.

Featured singers: Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough. Band: Steve Schmidt, Sean Smith, Steve Williams, Steve Croon, Cameron Brown

The Royal Bopsters Project

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Mark Murphy - Crazy Rhythm: His Debut Recordings

Size: 139,3 MB
Time: 59:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Fascinating Rhythm (2:02)
02. Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (3:51)
03. Give It Back To The Indians (3:17)
04. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (3:39)
05. Limehouse Blues (2:33)
06. Exactly Like You (4:11)
07. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) (2:38)
08. You Mustn't Kick It Around (2:32)
09. I Got Rhythm (2:23)
10. Elmer's Tune (2:42)
11. 'Tain't No Sin (To Dance Around In Your Bones) (2:13)
12. Robbins Nest (3:43)
13. Lady In Red (3:47)
14. Pick Yourself Up (2:29)
15. Let Yourself Go (2:21)
16. Crazy Rhythm (2:54)
17. Takin' A Chance On Love (4:01)
18. Lullaby In Rhythm (2:55)
19. Little Jazz Bird (2:30)
20. Ridin' High (2:25)

A fascinating collection that GRP put out in 1999, Crazy Rhythm focuses on the early recordings of Mark Murphy, who was only 24 and 25 when he provided this material for Decca in 1956 and 1957. Back then, the singer wasn't the cutting-edge risk-taker he would evolve into in the 1960s. The young Murphy heard on this CD is a likable crooner with a strong passion for Mel Torme--Murphy wasn't scatting a lot at that point, and he had yet to seriously get into vocalese and modal improvising or put lyrics to an abundance of post-bop and hard bop instrumentals. Nonetheless, one could hear a lot of potential in Murphy, whose versions of "Fascinating Rhythm," "Exactly Like You" and other standards on this 20-song CD are enjoyable and nicely executed, if rather conventional. Those getting into Murphy for the first time would be better off starting out with some of his more adventurous recordings of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, but seasoned Murphy fans will find Crazy Rhythm to be quite interesting. ~by Alex Henderson

Crazy Rhythm

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Mark Murphy - This Must Be Earth

Size: 99,7 MB
Time: 37:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1969/2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. This Must Be Earth (3:57)
02. Cinnamon And Clove (3:38)
03. Scarborough Fair (3:44)
04. Make Me Rainbows (3:04)
05. Misty Roses (3:05)
06. Dock Of The Bay (3:30)
07. What A Wonderful World (3:10)
08. Both Sides Now (3:46)
09. A Girl I Used To Know (3:44)
10. Salt Sea (3:03)
11. Let The Rest Of The World Go By (2:50)

Mark Murphy often seemed to be the only true jazz singer of his generation. A young, hip post-bop vocalist, Murphy spent most of his career sticking to the standards -- and often presented radically reworked versions of those standards while many submitted to the lure of the lounge singer -- during the artistically fallow period of the 1970s and '80s. Marketed as a teen idol by Capitol during the mid-'50s, Murphy deserted the stolid world of commercial pop for a series of exciting dates on independent labels that featured the singer investigating his wide interests: Jack Kerouac, Brazilian music, songbook recordings, vocalese, and hard bop, among others.

He grew up near Syracuse, New York, born into an intensely musical family (both parents sang). Mark began playing piano as a child, and studied both voice and theater while at college. He toured through Canada with a jazz trio for a time and spent a while back home before he moved to New York in early 1954. A few television appearances gained him a contract with Decca Records, and he debuted with 1956's Meet Mark Murphy. He released one more LP for Decca before signing to Capitol in 1959. Though label executives often forced material (and an excessively clean-cut image) on the young singer, he managed to distinguish himself with good sets of standards, musical accompaniment furnished by West Coast jazz regulars, and a distinctive vocal style that often twisted lines and indulged in brief scatting to display his jazz credentials.

He eventually released four LPs for Capitol, but never reached popular audiences the way the label intended. In 1961, Murphy recorded his first album for Riverside, a set of standards and bop vocals named Rah! that gave a first glimpse at his ambition. Though the twentysomething Murphy seemed a little young for a saloon-song chestnut like "Angel Eyes," he performed quite well on side two, styled after a Lambert, Hendricks & Ross LP with vocal covers of bop standards including "Milestones" and Annie Ross' "Twisted." It and its follow-up, the themed LP That's How I Love the Blues, included a top-notch backing group including jazz heroes such as Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Al Cohn, Bill Evans, and Blue Mitchell. The records also displayed Murphy's penchant for trawling the entirety of the 20th century popular/jazz repertory for songs ranging from the slightly overdone to the downright forgotten.

By the mid-'60s, Murphy had begun to recognize his sizable European fan base. Along with scores of American expatriates, he spent many years in Europe and didn't even issue his LPs in America during the rest of the '60s. Instead, he recorded LPs for British labels including Fontana and Immediate (the latter run by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham). Murphy also collaborated with the Clarke-Boland Big Band for 1967's Midnight Mood. His frequent nightclub performances and intimate stage presence also earned rave reviews from jazz and vocal critics. By the time of his return to America in the early '70s, Murphy had become a major name in vocal jazz.

With a contract from Muse in hand, Murphy began recording what would become close to two dozen albums for the label, ranging from earthy '70s dates with the Brecker brothers to Jack Kerouac tributes complete with spoken word readings to a two-volume Nat King Cole Songbook series. During that period, Murphy was one of the only straight jazz vocalists (other than old-guard names like Sinatra and Tormé) to actually make a living out of his craft. He toured relentlessly as well, and remained as hip a name to drop in 1999 as he was in 1959. After the '90s, Murphy released a handful of albums including Some Time Ago in 2000, Memories of You in 2003, and Love Is What Stays in 2007. He died in October 2015 at the age of 83.

This Must Be Earth

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Nicola Conte - The Modern Sounds Of Nicola Conte

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 43:49

Size: 100.3 MB

Styles: Jazz/Pop/Rock, Electronic

Year: 2009

Art: Front

[4:39] 1. When I Wish Upon A Star

[3:28] 2. All Or Nothing At All

[5:15] 3. Charade

[6:15] 4. Flamenco Sketches

[3:30] 5. Groovy Samba

[4:17] 6. Lotus Sun

[4:02] 7. New Blues

[2:25] 8. Solo

[5:25] 9. Take Five

[4:29] 10. The Shaman

Performer [With] – Akiko, Alice Riccardi, Daniele Scannapieco, Fabrizio Bosso, Flavio Boltro, Gaetano Partipilo, Gianluca Petrella, José James, Kim Sanders, Lisa Bassenge, Lorenzo Tucci, Mark Murphy, Pietro Ciancaglini, Pietro Lussu, Rosario Giuliani, Teppo Mäkinen, Till Brönner, Timo Lassy.

This set has been a long time coming. Italian composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and label impresario Nicola Conte has been issuing tracks on compilations, on 7", 10", and 12" vinyl for over a decade as mixes, side projects, and reworks. (The latter means that he actually uses his own band to reconceptualize and rearrange an original artist’s recording, more often than not with said artist’s participation.) Most of these cuts came and went, and have been out of print for some time. This killer double-disc set collects virtually all of them in a single spot -- 26 tracks' worth on his Schema imprint. The range of artists is staggering, from Mark Murphy, Til Brönner, Jose James, and Marco Di Marco to Fertile Ground, the Five Corners Quintet, Maki Mannami, and Roberto Roena.

Highlights on disc one include Mark Murphy’s “Stolen Moments (Midnight Mood Rework)”; his own Latin-ized cover of Henry Mancini’s and Johnny Mercer’s “Charade,” with Lisa Bassenge on vocals, and the killer reconstruction of [re:jazz]’s “Quiet Nights” subtitled “Out of the Cool Version,” after the Gil Evans session on Impulse! that inspired it. But tracks like the Jack Lawrence and Arthur Altman standard “All or Nothing at All,” by Conte's group with Jose James on vocals, are stellar examples of his ability to chart for large ensembles and make them rhythmically compelling and harmonically adventuresome, yet contain utterly smooth textures. Disc two contains the gorgeous reworking of Til Brönner’s version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s and Vinicius de Moraes’ “Só Danço Samba,” that retains Brönner’s vocal and trumpet solo, but conceives everything else -- Conte’s guitar work on this track is stellar. The 12” of the Sunaga T Experience’s “A Healing Blue (Shape of Jazz to Come Version)” features Sheila Landis adding lyrics to the composition and fronting the Italian quintet. Also check the Afro-Cuban rework of Dave Brubeck’s classic “Take Five!” by Roberto Roena.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you know anything about Conte’s side project work, or his singles there are plenty of them here -- if you dig the man’s music, you’ll flip for The Modern Sounds of Nicola Conte: Versions in Jazz-Dub. It is a seamless, utterly engaging collection of 21st century clubjazz rooted in the traditions of bossa, West Coast, progressive big band, continental, and post-bop jazz, as well as 21st century electronic music that has something on it for everyone. Thom Jurek

The Modern Sounds Of Nicola Conte   

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Mark Murphy - My Favorite Things

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:48
Size: 86.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Twisted
[5:02] 2. Li'l Darlin'
[3:30] 3. Doodlin'
[2:17] 4. My Favorite Things
[2:30] 5. Milestones
[4:50] 6. Out Of This World
[3:11] 7. No Tears For Me
[3:49] 8. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[3:10] 9. Stoppin' The Clock
[3:44] 10. On Green Dolphin Street
[3:13] 11. Angel Eyes

Mark Murphy often seemed to be the only true jazz singer of his generation. A young, hip post-bop vocalist, Murphy spent most of his career sticking to the standards -- and often presented radically reworked versions of those standards while many submitted to the lure of the lounge singer -- during the artistically fallow period of the 1970s and '80s. Marketed as a teen idol by Capitol during the mid-'50s, Murphy deserted the stolid world of commercial pop for a series of exciting dates on independent labels that featured the singer investigating his wide interests: Jack Kerouac, Brazilian music, songbook recordings, vocalese, and hard bop, among others.

He grew up near Syracuse, New York, born into an intensely musical family (both parents sang). Mark began playing piano as a child, and studied both voice and theater while at college. He toured through Canada with a jazz trio for a time and spent a while back home before he moved to New York in early 1954. A few television appearances gained him a contract with Decca Records, and he debuted with 1956's Meet Mark Murphy. He released one more LP for Decca before signing to Capitol in 1959. Though label executives often forced material (and an excessively clean-cut image) on the young singer, he managed to distinguish himself with good sets of standards, musical accompaniment furnished by West Coast jazz regulars, and a distinctive vocal style that often twisted lines and indulged in brief scatting to display his jazz credentials. John Bush

My Favorite Things

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Various - Capitol Sings Hollywood

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:43
Size: 134.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Betty Hutton - Stuff Like That There
[2:56] 2. Bob Manning - That Old Feeling
[2:41] 3. Bobby Darin - There's A Rainbow 'round My Shoulder
[1:53] 4. Dakota Staton - On Green Dolphin Street
[2:17] 5. Dean Martin - Louise
[3:01] 6. Ethel Ennis - My Foolish Heart
[3:04] 7. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[3:13] 8. Julie London - It Could Happen To You
[2:39] 9. June Christy - They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:29] 10. June Hutton - My Baby Just Cares For Me
[3:12] 11. Keely Smith - When Your Lover Has Gone
[2:48] 12. Lena Horne - Singin' In The Rain
[2:46] 13. Mark Murphy - Put The Blame On Mame
[3:11] 14. Mel Tormé - Again
[4:02] 15. Nancy Wilson - But Beautiful
[2:54] 16. Nat King Cole - Smile
[3:07] 17. Peggy Lee - Stormy Weather
[4:17] 18. Sue Raney - I Remember You
[2:06] 19. Trudy Richards - You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me
[2:00] 20. Vic Damone - Stella By Starlight

Capitol Records has one of the most distinctive buildings in Los Angeles and if a movie shows the city begin destroyed by aliens or tornadoes it usually involves the destruction of the round building that bears the company's name. Capitol was founded by songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, the first major label on the West Coast competing with New York City's Columbia, Decca and RCA-Victor. Starting with artists like Paul Whiteman and Martha Tilton, by the end of the decade the label was recording Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Les Brown, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. While the works of Crosby and Sinatra are exempt from the Capitol Sings series, you will always find familiar singers singing familiar songs, as with the title track sung by Lena Horne, as often as you hear unfamiliar songs sung by forgotten singers, such as Ethel Ennis singing "My Foolish Heart."

"Captiol Sings Hollywood" is Volume 20 in the series and one brings together twenty tracks representing a particular venue (e.g., Broadway) instead of a specific songwriter (e.g., Irving Berlin). Just be aware that if a song originated in a Broadway show that was made into a Hollywood musical then it is exempt from being included in this collection. That would explain why you may well be unfamiliar with most of these twenty songs. "Singin' in the Rain" and "Stormy Weather" are recognizable classics, and the same should be said for Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," sung here by Nat King Cole in one of the best tracks on the album. and June Christy's swing version of "They Can't Take That Away From Me." But after that you may recognize singers like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Mel Torme more than "Louise," "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder," and "Again." Still you will find a few new little gems on this album, what with Sarah Vaughn's "I Remember You" and Nancy Murphy's saucy "Put the Blame on Mame." That last is from the movie "Gilda" (I mention this because I was drawing blanks on the vast majority of these tracks as to what movies they were culled from and this one immediately jumped to my mind, as did the fact that Anita Ellis sang it for Rita Haywroth).

Despite the unfamiliar songs this is still an enjoyable album, even if it is a lesser one by the standard of the Capitol Sings series. But if you like one of these albums you will certainly enjoy the rest of them. Final Note: On this album Peggy Lee sings Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather," but on the "Over the Rainbow: Capitol Sings Harold Arlen" the song is sung by Keely Smith. So even when a song by a particular composer or lyricist shows up on more than one album, you will find different cover versions on each album. Again, this simply reflects how deep the Capitol vault is when it comes to these songs. ~Lawrence Bernabo

Capitol Sings Hollywood

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Mark Murphy - Shadows

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:36
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:53)  1. Dawn
( 8:37)  2. If I Should Lose You
( 7:08)  3. Empty Room
( 6:17)  4. Next Page
( 7:33)  5. Lilac Wine
( 8:23)  6. Hodnik
( 5:12)  7. Shadows
(10:29)  8. Humanity Ltd

For decades, the question What exactly is a jazz singer has had two easy answers: Betty Carter and Mark Murphy. ~ New York Post

'Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians. Consider the company he has kept on records. In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway. In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers. In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, and the Azymuth Trio. Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. ~ Leonard Feather (jazz journalist)

I can't help relishing his sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spells jazz. ~ Dan Morgenstern (jazz journalist)

'Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians. Consider the company he has kept on records. In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway. In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers. In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, and the Azymuth Trio. Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. ~ Leonard Feather (jazz journalist)

I can't help relishing his sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spells jazz. ~ Dan Morgenstern (jazz journalist) https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Mark-Murphy/dp/B00MVALK1U

Personnel:  Mark Murphy, vocal;  Karlheinz Miklin, saxes, flute;  Fritz Pauer, piano;  Ewald Oberleitner, double bass;  Dusan Novakov, drums

Shadows

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Mark Murphy - Live In Athens, Greece

Size: 169,8 MB

Time: 73:14

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 2016

Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals

Art: Front

01. My Funny Valentine (9:43)

02. All Blues (8:16)

03. On Green Dolphin Street (6:32)

04. Summertime (4:41)

05. Autumn Leaves (2:53)

06. When I Fall In Love (8:22)

07. Bye Bye Blackbird (7:08)

08. Miles (2:57)

09. Milestones (8:02)

10. Red Clay (7:57)

11. Inutil Paisagem (6:40)

Why do we need another Mark Murphy album? After all, well over 40 were released in his own lifetime, not counting all the compilations, collaborations, guest appearances and remixes. This live set was recorded at the Gazarte Club, Athens, in 2008, not long after Murphy’s 76th birthday. It features Spiros Exaras (guitar), Thomas Rueckert (piano), George Georgiadis (double bass) and Alex Drakos (drums).

The tune selection veers toward the hackneyed (the ‘bog standards’, as one London gig booker recently designated them): Summertime, Autumn Leaves, Bye Bye Blackbird. Surely, one might think, we don’t need yet more versions of these.

And yet, and yet…. Mark Murphy shows any doubting Thomases what he has been showing anyone prepared to listen over the decades: not only can the sheer power of a standard survive its (over)familiarity, but with the right performer, unsuspected beauties may still be revealed.

Acknowledging the genii loci of Homer and Socrates, Murphy slips straight into My Funny Valentine. It’s a spine-chilling performance. Almost everything you need to know about Mark Murphy can be found in this opening track: the vocal swoops, falsetto lines, scatting, swinging and riffing, plus some good jokes: ‘Is your figure less than Greek? Excuse me, that’s the lyric…’ and ‘Don’t change your hairdo for me’, and ‘Your looks are laughable’, sung with an affectionate chuckle. It’s all very hip and fun – Murphy’s pleasure in performing never seemed to dim.

The band are excellent. Going into double-time on a ballad may seem just another cliché, but on this tune it perfectly fits with the mood established by the singer, and Exaras and Rueckert pull out some dazzling runs. Murphy ends with a held falsetto note that extends into the intro of the next number, All Blues. Here he improvises both wordlessly and on the lyric. Afterwards it’s straight into the verse of On Green Dolphin Street, sung rubato and unaccompanied right through the first head, followed by another unaccompanied chorus in which he goes into time, scatting again and fracturing the tune and its lyric, before the band finally come in behind him.

There are no duff tracks. I particularly love the storming performance of On the Red Clay, and the inclusion of Murphy’s never-forgotten formative influences – Nat King Cole (When I Fall In Love), Miles Davis (both his own composition, the ballad Miles, and his famous version of Milestones, with his own lyric) and Jobim (a medley of Inútil Paisagem and Dindi).

Harbinger Records are currently trying to organise distribution in Europe. In the meantime this wonderful album can be obtained from the US or through the usual digital channels.

Considering the vast recorded output of Mark Murphy, and the thousands of gigs he performed around the world over a 60-year career, Live in Athens must surely be the tip of the iceberg. What other treasures still lie in the vaults? ~by Peter Jones

Live In Athens,Greece                

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London-Meader-Pramuk-Ross - Royal Bopsters Project

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141.4 MB
Styles: Vocalese, Group harmony vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:35] 1. Music In The Air
[5:30] 2. On The Red Clay
[4:55] 3. Peace (Feat. Sheila Jordan)
[5:54] 4. Basheer, The Snake & The Mirror
[4:52] 5. Senor Blues (Feat. Mark Murphy)
[6:19] 6. Invitation
[4:13] 7. Bird Chasin'
[6:16] 8. Music Is Forever (Feat. Annie Ross)
[4:57] 9. Bebop Lives
[6:09] 10. Just Step Right Up
[4:21] 11. Nothing Like You Has Ever Seen Before (Feat. Bob Dorough)
[3:41] 12. Let's Fly

Amy London, Darmon Meader, Dylan Pramuk and Holli Ross: vocals; Steve Schmidt: piano; Sean Smith, Cameron Brown: bass; Steve Williams: drums; Steven Kroon: percussion; Roni Ben Hur: guitar; Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough; Jon Hendricks; Sheila Jordan; Annie Ross: vocals.

Central to this recording is vocalist Mark Murphy, who can only be considered in the same thought as Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure in the field of vocalese. He is featured on 4 of the 12 selections on the disc, with the other "Royal Bopsters" showing up on one each. Murphy's contributions are the highlights of the release. He reprises his 1970 recording of Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" as "On the Red Clay." Murphy is in excellent voice. He also re-addresses his take on Horace Silver's "Senor Blues," which he sings with punch and vigor. Amy London provided be lyrics to Charlie Parker's "Chasin' the Bird" retitled "Bird Chasin'" which includes a spirited reading of passages from Jack Kerouac's On The Road, bringing the entire Beat theme to a full boil. The pinnacle of the recital occurs on a re-tooling of Murphy's interpretation of Miles Davis' "Boplicity" (presented here as "Bebop Lives") in cooperation with Holli Ross. It is exquisite.

This is not to short change the other royals. Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame member Bob Doroough presents his "Nothing Like You has Every Been Seen Before" and remains vital in his early 90s as does Jon Hendricks on "Music in the Air." Shelia Jordan percolates on Horace Silver's "Peace," while the inestimable Annie Ross kills on "Music is Forever." This project unites a new voice in Jazz Quartet singing, whose ideas are fresh and plans are set. The project is well framed by excellent liner notes provided by New York City Music writer James Gavin, whose own Deep in a Dream remains the definitive cultural commentary on the life of trumpeter Chet Baker. If all musical projects could be this well programmed... ~C. Michael Bailey

Royal Bopsters Project

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Madeline Eastman - Mad About Madeline!

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:17
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:43)  1. Cheek To Cheek
(3:16)  2. Wish You Were Here
(3:11)  3. You're The Dangerous Type
(5:44)  4. Freedom Jazz Dance
(5:00)  5. Turn Out The Stars
(3:22)  6. Get Out Of Town
(4:37)  7. Flor De Lis (Upside Down)
(4:13)  8. All Of You
(4:55)  9. Don't Explain
(5:40) 10. Four
(4:32) 11. Never Never Land

Madeline Eastman's second recording would be recommended if only for the "backup" group (altoist Phil Woods, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Tony Dumas, and Vince Lateano plus a guest vocal by Mark Murphy on Bob Dorough's "You're the Dangerous Type"), but even if the musicians were anonymous this set would be worth checking out. Madeline Eastman is a creative singer with an appealing voice. Most of the tunes are vocal standards, but they also include such offbeat choices as "Freedom Jazz Dance," "Four," and "Never Never Land." Other highlights include fresh renditions of "Cheek to Cheek," "Turn out the Stars," and "All of You." ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/mad-about-madeline!-mw0000116383

Personnel: Madeline Eastman, Mark Murphy (vocals); Phil Woods (saxophone); Cedar Walton (piano); Tony Dumas (bass); Vince Lateano (drums); Michael Spiro (percussion).

Mad About Madeline!

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Mark Murphy & Metropole Orchestra - The Dream

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 64:28
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. The Dream
(5:20)  2. Since I Fell For You
(4:27)  3. So Many Stars
(3:39)  4. Laura
(4:19)  5. This Is New
(4:54)  6. Sometimes When You're Lonely
(5:58)  7. Gone (Dedicated to Sarah Vaughan)
(3:57)  8. Estate
(5:41)  9. Down Here On The Ground
(1:22) 10. Hopeless (A Blue Girl In a Red Sunrise)
(4:01) 11. Stairway To Paradise
(4:29) 12. I See Your Face Before Me
(3:16) 13. All In Love Is Fair
(3:52) 14. We Can Try Love Again
(4:41) 15. When The World Was Young

Mark Murphy is one of the world's greatest and hippest jazz vocalists performing today. On this album you will find very special and rare recordings, made in Holland with the METROPOL ORCHESTRA in several sessions from the late 60s till early 90s. GREAT arrangements and a great selection of songs! His coterie of fans includes tap dancer Gregory Hines, who spontaneously jumped up on stage at Mark's Las Vegas engagement in 1995 to join him for an impromptu duet. Legendary composer Alec Wilder said of Mark, 'I was quite literally amazed. Mark's musicianship, range, intonation, diction, inventiveness and incredible rhythmic sense are all of a piece and all marvelous.' Vocal greats Betty Carter, Peggy Lee, Cleo Laine and Shirley Horn all sing Murphy's praises as one of the best in he business and the legendary Ella Fitzgerald declared 'he is my equal.' A six-time Grammy nominee, Mark Murphy has enjoyed a prolific 40-year recording career, with over 40 releases to date. His original lyrics to 'Stolen Moments,' 'Red Clay' and more are known the world over. His innovative projects range from the work of Nat 'King' Cole to Jack Kerouac to Ivan Lins to Eddie Jefferson. Stereo Review dubs Mark 'one of the major artists of our age.' Mark Murphy is a jazz singer. 'For decades the question 'What exactly is a jazz singer' 'has had two easy answers, Betty Carter. And Mark Murphy.' writes the New York Post. 'He is arguably the best male jazz singer in the business,' declares Rex Reed. 'Mark Murphy is to jazz singing what Bobby Fisher is to chess.' Jazz journalist Dan Morgenstern writes, 'I can't help relishing his sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spells jazz.'

Murphy is 'a hipster's hipster,' writes the New York Post. Jazziz magazine concurs, 'he is one of the true remaining jazz hipsters of our time.' 'Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians,' states Leonard Feather. 'Consider the company he has kept on records. In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway. In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers. In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole and the Azymuth Trio. Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.' It was Sammy Davis, Jr. who first discovered the young Mark Murphy in 1953 at a jam session in Murphy's hometown of Syracuse, New York. Impressed with Murphy's talent, Davis invited him to his show that night, where he asked Mark to join him on stage. Davis -- to whom Murphy devoted his Muse release, 'What a Way to Go' -- was supportive of Mark throughout the years and was responsible for getting Murphy on the 'Tonight Show' with Steve Allen. It was Allen's composition, 'This Could Be the Start of Something Big,' that Mark recorded a hit rendition of in 1959. More...http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/markmurphy

The Dream

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Mark Murphy - Some Time Ago

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 54:00
Size: 86,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. There's No More Blue Time
(8:49)  2. Peacocks
(5:21)  3. Bohemia After Dark
(5:11)  4. With Every Breath I Take
(6:14)  5. You're My Alter Ego
(6:29)  6. Life's Mosaic
(5:22)  7. Some Time Ago
(5:38)  8. That Old Black Magic
(5:35)  9. Why Was I Born/I'm A Fool To Want You

A preface to this review is order. I’m something of a curmudgeonly customer when it comes to jazz vocals. I can readily dig on classic (and admittedly popular) singers such as Holiday, Fitzgerald, Vaughn, Simone and so on. But when it comes to male vocalists, not only are the numbers comparatively smaller, but the pool of contenders seems to my ears spread far thinner. A few notables, such as Bill Henderson and Johnny Hartman, come to mind but even these illustrious crooners had their share of off days. The human voice may be the most complex of all musical instruments, but it’s been saddled with the greatest number of clichés, particularly when it comes to jazz singing.

With his latest recording (according to the liners his 32nd!) Murphy hasn’t made a complete believer out of me, but he makes a convincing argument nonetheless. There’s a smoky after hours ambiance to both his delivery and that of his backing combo that dispenses with triviality early on and concentrates simply on playing from the collective heart. Racy, bop-inflected numbers like Oscar Pettiford’s “Bohemia After Dark” are interspersed with darker, more ruminative offerings such as the velvety reading of “With Every Breath You Take. There’s even a rollicking rendition of the old Jazz Messengers classic “Mosaic” that ignites along a trail of melodic gunpowder sown by Ballou’s ballistic brass.

Across all of the tunes Murphy receives sensitive and supple accompaniment from his sidemen. Mezquida sometimes sounds reticent to blow in tandem with Murphy’s lyrics opting more frequently for background shading between the leader’s choruses. Musiker, who handles the musical arrangements, fronts the rhythm section with a firm, but flexible hands. LaSpina and Smith alternate bass chores, but both players match well with Harper’s sensitive brushes and mallets.

Though he favors a brand of scat singing that wobbles and falters a bit into indulgent repetition, Murphy can’t be faulted for an absence of sincerity. He wears his emotions on his proverbial sleeves, doling them out in honest increments to all that will take the time to listen. The naked emotiveness comes to a melancholy head on the closing medley, where Murphy laments a solitary existence spent in the absence of love. Murphy is a seasoned veteran and as such he’s long since surpassed the need to prove himself. The security of both of his position and his artistry is conveyed handsomely through this recording and make it recommendable even to those (such as myself) who might be a tough sell. ~ Derek Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/some-time-ago-mark-murphy-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Players: Mark Murphy- vocals; Dave Ballou- trumpet; Allan Mezquida- alto saxophone; Lee Musiker- piano/arranger; Steve LaSpina- bass; Sean Smith- bass; Winard Harper- drums.

Some Time Ago

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Mark Murphy - I'll Close My Eyes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:13
Size: 85,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:39)  1. I'll Close My Eyes
(3:21)  2. If
(4:07)  3. Happin'
(5:07)  4. Miss You Mr. Mercer
(3:10)  5. Small World
(3:43)  6. There Is No Reason Why
(4:07)  7. Time On My Hands
(5:09)  8. Ugly Woman
(2:46)  9. Not Like This

Every album by Mark Murphy is a gem and I'll Close My Eyes is no exception. Starting with the title track, Murphy displays his uncanny sensitivity to the relationship between words and music by delivering a very emotional reading of the song's verse, a text that is overlooked by most performers. Added to the performance's appeal is a tasty obbligato by Brazilian trumpeter Claudio Roditi.  The song "If" is all too often a staple of karaoke bars and Holiday Inn lounge singers, but in Murphy's hands it becomes a heartfelt dissertation on the conditional nature of love. And when it comes to sheer swinging, nobody can top Murphy. 

This is especially evident in the seldom performed "Happyin'" where Murphy scats up a storm and is matched by an exquisite guitar solo by John Basile. The Murphy/Roditi collaboration is also heard to great effect in the Latin swinger "Small World" (not to be confused with "It's a Small World") and in the ballad "There Is No Reason Why." The Kid Creole-ish "Ugly Woman" shows the humorous side of Murphy's artistry as he relates the tale of the ultimate male horror story rejection by a homely member of the opposite sex. The album ends with "Not Like This," a slow ballad about the end of a relationship, that quickly builds to an emotional crescendo before tapering off into the sonic ether.

While the song's text may be correct in its assessment of romantic love, it would be so nice if every album could end "just like this." I'll Close My Eyes is a classic and should be a part of every serious jazz lover's CD collection. ~ William Grim  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/ill-close-my-eyes-mark-murphy-muse-records-review-by-william-grim.php#.U_PCrGMfLP8

Personnel: Mark Murphy, vocals, Sammy Figueroa, percussion; Peter Grant, drums; John Basile, guitar; Cliff Carter, keyboards; David Finck, bass; Pat Rebillot, Piano; Claudio Roditi, trumpet

I'll Close My Eyes

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Mark Murphy - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:48
Size: 118.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. This Could Be The Start Of Something
[3:55] 2. Day In Day Out
[3:08] 3. The Lady Is A Tramp
[2:27] 4. Mighty Like A Rose
[2:39] 5. Falling In Love With Love
[2:58] 6. Just In Time
[2:28] 7. It's Not For Me To Say
[2:57] 8. Send For Me
[2:48] 9. All The Way
[2:39] 10. Kansas City
[2:40] 11. Personality
[3:00] 12. Venus
[2:59] 13. I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:23] 14. Lonesome Town
[2:26] 15. Firefly
[2:44] 16. Catch A Falling Star
[2:17] 17. Come To Me
[3:33] 18. Witchcraft

Mark Murphy often seemed to be the only true jazz singer of his generation. A young, hip post-bop vocalist, Murphy spent most of his career sticking to the standards -- and often presented radically reworked versions of those standards while many submitted to the lure of the lounge singer -- during the artistically fallow period of the 1970s and '80s. Marketed as a teen idol by Capitol during the mid-'50s, Murphy deserted the stolid world of commercial pop for a series of exciting dates on independent labels that featured the singer investigating his wide interests: Jack Kerouac, Brazilian music, songbook recordings, vocalese, and hard bop, among others.

He grew up near Syracuse, NY, born into an intensely musical family (both parents sang). Mark began playing piano as a child, and studied both voice and theater while at college. He toured through Canada with a jazz trio for a time and spent awhile back home before he moved to New York in early 1954. A few television appearances gained him a contract for Decca Records, and he debuted with 1956's Meet Mark Murphy. He released one more LP for Decca before signing to Capitol in 1959. Though label executives often forced material (and an excessively clean-cut image) on the young singer, he managed to distinguish himself with good sets of standards, musical accompaniment furnished by West Coast jazz regulars, and a distinctive vocal style that often twisted lines and indulged in brief scatting to display his jazz credentials.

He eventually released four LPs for Capitol, but never reached popular audiences the way the label intended. In 1961, Murphy recorded his first album for Riverside, a set of standards and bop vocals named Rah! that gave a first glimpse at his ambition. Though the twentysomething Murphy seemed a little young for a saloon-song chestnut like "Angel Eyes," he performed quite well on side two, styled after a Lambert, Hendricks & Ross LP with vocal covers of bop standards including "Milestones" and Annie Ross' "Twisted." It and its follow-up, the themed LP That's How I Love the Blues, included a top-notch backing group including jazz heroes such as Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Al Cohn, Bill Evans, and Blue Mitchell. The records also displayed Murphy's penchant for trawling the entirety of the 20th century popular/jazz repertory for songs ranging from the slightly overdone to the downright forgotten.

By the mid-'60s, Murphy had begun to recognize his sizable European fan base. Along with scores of American expatriates, he spent many years in Europe and didn't even issue his LPs in America during the rest of the '60s. Instead, he recorded LPs for British labels including Fontana and Immediate (the latter run by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham). Murphy also collaborated with the Clarke-Boland Big Band for 1967's Midnight Mood. His frequent nightclub performances and intimate stage presence also earned rave reviews from jazz and vocal critics. By the time of his return to America in the early '70s, Murphy had become a major name in vocal jazz.

With a contract from Muse in hand, Murphy began recording what would become close to two dozen albums for the label, ranging from earthy '70s dates with the Brecker brothers to Jack Kerouac tributes complete with spoken word readings to a two-volume Nat King Cole Songbook series. During that period, Murphy was one of the only straight jazz vocalists (other than old-guard names like Sinatra and Tormé) to actually make a living out of his craft. He toured relentlessly as well, and remained as hip a name to drop in 1999 as he was in 1959. Since the '90s, Murphy has released a handful of albums including Some Time Ago in 2000, Memories of You in 2003, and Love Is What Stays in 2007. ~bio by John Bush

Mark Murphy

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