American jazz singer Mark Murphy has passed away at the age of 83. While he could make a convincing traditional crooner when he wants to, Murphy spent his entire career distancing from mainstream music as an innovator and fearless risk-taker. He once stated, “People say that I’m risk-taking. I’m at the edge.” Murphy’s voice was reminiscent of Charlie Parker’s fast-moving saxophone solos. They were laced with jittery yelps and falsetto sounds, as well as dissonant feuds that entangled with the chords. Will Friedwald, a critic, said that Murphy doesn’t abstract or skewer songs to be different. He does this to find its true meaning. Murphy can make you think differently about songs you’ve heard before. This made him a huge influence among jazz vocalists. His name is often mentioned alongside Betty Carter’s when it comes to the most important heirs of jazz-singing originals like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Murphy was known for his experimentation but he could also charm the uninitiated with his long baritone purrs that were as hypnotically rich as Frank Sinatra’s. His handling of the Great American Songbook was so brilliantly executed that stars such as Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Sammy Davis Jr loved it. He recorded more than 40 albums and received six Grammy nominations. He also worked with jazz stars like Clark Terry, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers over the years. Murphy was born in Syracuse and raised by music-loving parents. His father, Dwight was a trained singer, while Margaret, his jazz-loving mom, sang. Murphy, who was seven years old, began piano lessons and was captivated by the music of Nat King Cole. He then went on to study music and theatre at Syracuse University. Sammy Davis Jr saw Murphy sing at a jam session in 1953 and invited him to perform on his stage show. His first TV appearance was on Steve Allen’s The Tonight Show. Murphy’s recording career and touring career flourished starting in the 1950s. He recorded versions of Allen’s hit song This Could Be the Start of Something Big (1959), Fly Me To The Moon (1963), as well as some confident sessions for Capitol and Riverside. Rah, a 1961 album, featured Murphy’s athletic vocalese singing lyrics to the tunes of popular instrumental solos. After a short stint in Los Angeles, he restructured his career by settling in London starting in 1963. He also had a sideline career as an actor in Just Like a Woman (1967), while performing at clubs across Europe and on the radio. In 1973, he returned to the USA and settled in San Francisco. He began a creative run for the Muse label, including Mark Murphy Sings in 1975 with John Coltrane covers and Herbie Hancock covers. The singer also wrote the lyrics to Freddie Hubbard’s On the Red Clay. Murphy also contributed words to Oliver Nelson’s seductively swinging Stolen moments. His search for unique texts led him to combine classic bebop themes with hipster prose from Jack Kerouac’s On The Road to create his 1981 session, Bop For Kerouac. This unusual venture was a catalyst to reenergize Murphy’s uneven commercial career, especially in Europe, in the 1980s. In 1989, he worked as a concert jazz band director for the Berlin Jazz Festival, George Gruntz, a Swiss pianist. He also visited Graz, Austria from 1991 to teach at the University of Music and Performing Arts. In 1996, 1997 and 2000, he was voted best jazz vocalist by DownBeat magazine. In the late 90s and early 00s, he recorded a number of fine recordings for HighNote, including Some Time Ago (1999), which featured Norma Winstone’s lyrics. He also made a strong visit to the blues on Memories of You (2003), a tribute album to Joe Williams. Advertisement Murphy’s popularity with younger listeners grew with the late 80s discovery of Miles Davis’s 1961 cover by acid-jazz DJs. He continued his spoken-word role in 4hero’s Creating patterns album (2001), and inclusion on dance-oriented compilations like the Kings of Jazz (2006). These compilations were picked by Gilles Peterson, a British DJ, and Jazzanova, a German chill-out collective. While his 2005 album Once to Every Heart, which he recorded with Till Bronner, sat on the edge between lounge jazz and rock music, it still had Murphy-esque moments of irony and anguish. Love Is What Lasts was Murphy’s 75th birthday album. He let his unique chemistry of 1950s crooner sounds, and bop-scat fireworks free on a tracklist that included songs by Johnny Cash and Coldplay. Murphy still retains much of his trademark intelligence and wit as well as his bruised optimism and delicate nuance. According to Liza Minnelli, he said that Mark was having a party in his head and that he wanted to attend it. Murphy was a fascinating artist and engaging person, no matter his age. His partner, Eddie O’Sullivan, died in 1990. His sister, Sheila, is his survivor. * Mark Howe Murphy (jazz singer), was born 14 March 1932 and died 22 October 2015. www.theguardian.com
