When I saw this vinyl in the shop the other day, I thought : "That's the one between El Goog Ja's 'Bridging a Gap' (1973) and 'Mark Murphy Sings' (1975), originally ripped by Ish. .... never mind that the front cover clearly comes from the Csaba Deseö "School of Potato Print Painting", I had to have it. So here we have my first blog-related purchase ...
What can we say about Mark Murphy, apart from re-printing the same old AMG bio? One of the only "out" gay people in jazz besides Andy Bey, Fred Hersch, myself and Ish, it seems. A man who is regarded as the epitome of both "hip" and "mullet" at the same time, check this hair :
Side view : Mark discovers a blog criticising his mulletOn this release, Murphy offers his unique interpretations of lesser-known tracks by well-known "contemporary" artists - Stevie Wonder, Bread, Joni Mitchell, The Band, David Crosby and others. He also contributes two tracks himself - "They", which ponders whether or not alien visitors think about love, and "Lemme Blues", where he gradually works himself up to a relative vocal fever pitch.
It's a both a year and a musical mile away from the brilliant vocalese of 1975's "Mark Murphy Sings", but is still well worth your time - Murphy is in top vocal form here. I'm more partial to his version of Wonder's "Looking for Another Pure Love"; "Chicken Road", and the low key tracks such as Crosby's "Triad".
Apart from the aliens in "They", I note a lyric reference to "water brothers" in the Crosby "Triad" song, which references Robert Heinlein's sci-fi book "Stranger in a Strange Land", and there are also many intergalactic references in some of Murphy's collaborations at the base of this post. In 1970 he released an album called "This Must be Earth" - so it seems that Mark has definitely signed up for the Space Patrol. The rather scary Liza Minnelli confirmed this when she once said : 'There's a party goin' on in Mark's head, and I want to go to it!'
Much more detail in the back cover notes (readable from the scan above, but better in the download) - and I'm now curious about his late 60s acting career in London, particularly his role as Jesus in a TV pilot. Some would argue that the mullet alone could be grounds for crucifixion, but we'll let him off because he sings so well.
bonus download:
See base of discography below for tracklisting
TRACKLIST
o1. 'Chicken Road' - (Greene)
02. 'Too Much Love' - (Griffin / Royer)
03. 'The Unfaithful Servant' - (J.R. Robertson)
04. 'Lookin' for Another Pure Love' - (Stevie Wonder)
05. 'Barangrill' - (Joni Mitchell)
06. 'Triad' - (David Crosby)
07. 'They' - (Mark Murphy)
08. 'Sleeping' - (R.Manuel / R.Roberston)
09. 'Lemme Blues' - (Mark Murphy)
10. 'Truckin' - (Griffin / Royer)
MUSICIANS
Mark Murphy - vocals
Ken Ascher - keyboards
Sam Brown - guitar
John Tropea - guitar
Mike Moore - bass
Jimmy Madison - drums
Susan Evans - percussion
PRODUCTION DETAILSMuse Records 5041
Arrangements - David Matthews
Production - Helen Keane and David Matthews
Recording - Ray Hall
Liner Notes - Peter Keepnews
Recorded December 19-21, 1973
Released 1974
MARK MURPHY on le Planet Blog
SOLO ALBUMS
1958 "Let Yourself Go" - blog gone, can anyone re-up?
1959 "Mark Murphy's Hip Parade" at El Goog Ja
1961 "Rah!" at El Goog Ja
1962 "That's How I Love The Blues" at Entsharing / alternative
1965 "Who Can I Turn To" donated by "Shivers Inside" (thanks!)
1970 "Midnight Mood" MP3 at El Goog Ja
1970 "Midnight Mood" FLAC at Call It Anything
1973 "Bridging a Gap" at El Goog Ja
1974 "Mark II" in comments here.
1975 "Mark Murphy Sings" at Ile Oxumaré
1978 "Stolen Moments" at Oufar Khan
1980 "Satisfaction Guaranteed" at El Goog Ja
1981 "Bop for Kerouac" FLAC at Call It Anything
1981 "Bop for Kerouac" MP3 at Funky Disposition
1982 "The Artistry of Mark Murphy" at Nine Sisters
1983 "Brazil Song" FLACS 1 - 2 - 3 , and covers-76kb
1983 "Brazil Song" MP3 at Rapidshare (thanks Ish)
1983 "Sings the Nat King Cole Songbook" (Vol 1) at Nine Sisters
1983 "Sings the Nat King Cole Songbook" (Vol 2) at Nine Sisters
1984 "Living Room" at Funky Disposition
1986 "Kerouac, Then and Now" at Call It Anything
1987 "Beauty and the Beast" at Ile Oxumaré
1990 "What a Way to Go" at Musica & Tecnologia
1996 “North Sea Jazz Sessions Volume 5” with Louis Van Dyke Trio
- Recorded 1970-74, good early version of "Stolen Moments"DOWNLOAD from Rapidshare (thanks Soul Gentleman)
1997 "Song for the Geese" at Musica & Tecnologia
2000 "Live At Birdland" Set 1 - Set 2, cover/details-36k
2005 "Once to Every Heart" at 02 Forum or Boogie no More
2007 "Love Is What Stays" at Entsharing or musica que cuelga
COMPILATIONS
2003 "Timeless" (1971-2003 comp) - blog gone, can anyone re-up?
2008 Gilles Peterson's Mark Murphy Mixup via Play Jazz Loud
- Great mix, recommended.
COLLABORATIONS
1969
"MPS Jazz Concert '69" at Ile Oxumaré
- two Murphy tracks, "C.C. Rider" and "Broadway"
1975
"Rhyme and Reason" - Herb Geller Octet at Happy As a Fat Rat in a Cheese Factory- Murphy vocals on most tracks - great album !
1975
"An American in Hamburg" by Herb Geller at The Growing Bin- Same as "Rhyme and Reason", with additional instrumental versions of tracks
1982
"Indiana" - Jeff Hamilton Quintet at Arkadin's Ark.- Murphy on "Split Season Blues" only - single track download available in the comments there.
1990
"Dingwalls" from "Journeys by DJ" comp by Gilles Peterson
- Murphy's beatnik-rap ode to Peterson's Sunday club
1991
"One for Junior" - Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy, MUSE 5489
1995
"Future Light" from "No Sound is Too Taboo" by United Future Organisation.
2000
"Kool Down" (King Britt's Scuba remix) by Tenth & Parker
2001
"Twelve Tribes" from "Creating Patterns" - by 4hero at Hefiorels Eclectic Music (Thanks to Ish)
2001
"Millenium Riddle Song" by Tenth & Parker
- please upload if you've got it , but not the "Late night mix". Thanks.
2002
"No Problem" - from "V" by United Future Organisation.
- beautiful track, recommended.
2003
"Little Things" with Lindberg Hemmer Foundation.
2005
"Chasing the Jazz Gone By" by Five Corners Quintet at The Music Jockey
- Vocals on "Jamming"; "Before we Say Goodbye"; "This Could Be the Start Of Something".
SOME REMIXES
1995
"Stolen Moments" - (UFO Harddisk Mix) - from "United Future Airlines" EP
1995
"Stolen Moments" - (Our Enchanted Demo Mix) by United Future Organisation
- similar to the UFO Harddisk mix
2006
"This Could Be the Start Of Something" (Povo Remix)- from Five Corners Quintet "Jamming" EP
2007
"Stolen Moments" - Nicola Conte Midnight Mood Rework
2007
"Stolen Moments" - Phil H edit - original from Murphy album "Love Is What Stays"
2007
"Love is What Stays" - Henrik Schwarz remix
A combined Collaborations and Remixes file, which includes the individual tracks profiled here, is above.
Please thank and support the above bloggers if you click through and download.
If links go dead, please let me know so I can re-direct and keep the page current.
Thanks to ISH for advice and help on this post.
- Commenting when you've downloaded keeps blogs alive, thereby increasing the amount of music available to you. Thanks to all regular commenters.
