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Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy – Pianist, Composer, Educator
About Me
A native of Chicago, Greg Murphy has been a vital presence on the New York
City jazz scene since the 1980s. He is perhaps best known for his 22-year
collaboration with John Coltrane’s multidirectional drummer, Rashied Ali, a
partnership that profoundly shaped his musical identity and solidified his place
among today’s most compelling jazz pianists.
Greg’s musical journey began in 1971 when he joined the Ray-Fisk Grammar
School Band. That same year, he began classical piano studies with Lucia
Santini at Roosevelt University. Throughout the early 1980s, he played with
several local groups, including the jazz/funk ensemble Lightning Flash Thunder
Roar, the University of Illinois at Chicago Big Band, and the Northern Illinois
University Big Band.
In 1984, Greg received a prestigious jazz study grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts, which took him to New Orleans to study under the
legendary pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis. While in New Orleans, he
recorded and performed with The New Orleans Jazz Couriers, Percussion
Incorporated, and his own group, The Fusicians. His first recorded appearance
came in 1987 on Drum Talk with Percussion Incorporated. During this vibrant
period, Greg also performed with jazz luminaries such as Donald Harrison and
Wynton Marsalis.
Later in 1987, Greg relocated to New York City, where he embarked on a long
and fruitful collaboration with Rashied Ali, performing and recording with Ali’s
various groups across the U.S., Canada, and Europe until Ali’s passing in 2009.
Greg has since performed around the globe—with his own trio and in
collaboration with renowned artists—appearing throughout the U.S., France,
Ireland, Japan, China, and the Philippines. His collaborations include
performances with Ornette Coleman, Carlos Santana, and Archie Shepp,
among many others.
In 2012, he recorded “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” for the HBO
documentary Redemption, which received a 2013 Academy Award nomination
for Best Documentary Short. His 2019 release, Bright Idea (featuring Jeff “Tain”
Watts), topped the JazzWeek charts in February and March of that year.
Most recently, Greg’s 2025 album, Snap Happy, also reached #1 on the
JazzWeek charts, maintaining a position in the Top 8 for ten weeks and earning
extensive global airplay. The project showcases his continuing evolution as a
bandleader, composer, and improviser.
Over the course of his career, Greg has shared the stage or studio with an
extraordinary roster of musicians, including Arthur Taylor, George Coleman,
Grachan Moncur III, Christian McBride, Cindy Blackman, Flava Flav, Isaiah
Collier, Lakecia Benjamin, Josh Evans, Eric Wyatt, George Coleman Jr., T.K. Blue,
Ray Blue, Linley Hamilton, Piotr Wojtasik, Billy Harper, Rudy Walker, Billy
Hart, Joe Lovano, Charles McPherson, Larry Ridley, William Parker, and Charles
Gayle, among many others.
