Mark Murphy (3)

MARK MURPHY & BENNY GREEN - DIM THE LIGHTS (2004)

1.Your Red Wagon            
2.Rules of the Road            
3.Street Of Dreams Mark Murphy STREET OF DREAMS Lyrics            
4.Trilogy: Beautiful Love/Lullaby of the Leaves/Soft as in a Morning ...            
5.Quiet Place            
6.Dim The Lights            
7.See You Later            
8.Two Lonely People            
9.It Amazes Me            
10.North Sea Night            
11.Time All Gone            
12.I Never Know When to Say When/I'm in Love Again            
13.Ravel Concerto/How Insensitive/Corcovado            
14.Man on the Other Side of the Street

Personnel includes: Mark Murphy (vocals); Benny Green (piano).

MARK MURPHY - ONCE TO EVERY HEART (2005)

1. I'm Through With Love
2. When I Fall In Love/My One & Only Love
3. Skylark/You Don't Know What Love Is
4. Our Game
5. Our Game
6. Bein' Green
7. Once To Every Heart
8. It Never Entered My Mind
9. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
10. Love Is Hear To Say

Beyond merely skilled, beyond the horizon of hip, past the narrow classification of "jazz singer," Mark Murphy has, for decades, given listeners breathtaking performances that underscore the very heart of song itself. Once to Every Heart was produced by ace flügelhorn master Till Bronner; it is a collection of torch songs and ballads showcasing the subtle side of Murphy's gift and in essence offering an aural glimpse of its totality. Murphy plays piano and did the vocal, piano, and horn arrangements with Bronner and Frank Chastenier. And the orchestra -- quietly providing a backdrop rather than swirling around the singer -- was conducted and arranged by Nan Schwartz. The material is choice. There are some originals in the set: Murphy wrote "I Know You from Somewhere," while Bronner wrote "Our Game" with Rob Hoare. Standouts include the medley of "When I Fall in Love" and "My One and Only Love," with Murphy allowing the melody to seep deeply into his phrasing and delivery in general. The reading of Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" is one of the finest, most unsentimental and burningly sensual versions of the song ever recorded. The seamless transition in the medley of "Skylark" and "You Don't Know What Love Is" is smoky, sophisticated, and truly amazing. The album's closer, "Our Love Is Here to Stay," by George Gershwin, is introduced by Bronner and is simply beguiling and mischievous. Ultimately, this is Murphy's finest recording in over a decade, and should be embraced by anyone with a remote interest in great singers, and by those who are deeply attached to ballads or torch tomes. This is essential listening. ~ Thom Jurek

Personnel: Mark Murphy (vocals, piano); Till Brönner (trumpet, flugelhorn); Frank Chastenier (piano); Christian VonKaphengst (upright bass).

MARK MURPHY - LET YOURSELF GO (1957)

1. I Got Rhythm
2. Elmer's Tune
3. 'Tan'T No Sin (To Dance Aroun In Your Bones)
4. Robbin's Nest
5. Lady In Red
6. Pick Youself Up
7. Let Yourself Go
8. Crazy Rhythm
9. Talking A Chance On Love
10. Lulluby In Rhythm
11. Little Jazz Bird
12. Ridin' High

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. This vintage album by jazz crooner Mark Murphy includes his take on standards such as "I Got Rhythm" and "Crazy Rhythm." Featuring the Ralph Burns Orchestra.