James Robert Murphy: Diddle

Some people are just naturally creative, and many of these artists express themselves through one particular medium. However, there are others whose talents cannot be confined to just one art form. James Robert Murphy is such a case. His knowledge and creative drive cross many different genres. As an author, he has published books ranging from fiction and poetry to history and crime. He is also a talented visual artist. Along with those creative outlets, Murphy is a musician as well. His album, Diddle showcases his musical creativity.

Originally from central New York, Murphy has been a driving force in the arts during his professional life. He established the New York State Blues Festival and the Syracuse Irish Festival. As a result, he received two SAMMYs (Syracuse Area Music Awards), and the Keeping the Blues Alive award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. Murphy relocated to Texas in 2004 where he served as director of the El Paso Opera and director of development for the El Paso Museum of History.

Along with his administrative roles, Murphy is also a talented musician. Over the years, his playing has ranged from Americana and country to blues and jazz, which has been his primary focus for his past three albums. Although Diddle is an all-instrumental jazz album, many of those other influences come through in the performances. Some of the songs have a strong funky groove while others have more of a smooth jazz vibe. There are even hints of blues and western swing here as well. The album features Murphy on guitar, Curt Bushaw on bass, Ruben Gutierrez on keyboards, and Frank Zona on saxophone.

The album's title sets the overall tone. On one level, Diddle refers to Murphy's original conception of creating an instrumental jazz album where the musicians "are sometimes just diddling around." While the music does have an overall feeling of spontaneity, it would be a mistake to assume that diddling indicates a lack of focus or just mindless musical wandering. There is a certain jam-like quality, but the songs are all well-crafted. Murphy says, this is "a clean, consistent album with my favorite compositions to date."

The album kicks off with "Devil's Tower," a tight groove which has everybody playing in the pocket. This funky element appears elsewhere in the album, but there is more at work here. Songs such as "Stone Edge" and "Brookside Drive" offer soulful chord changes and rich melodies, while "Run Johnny" and "Mesa Verde" evoke a little bit of late-seventies jazz à la Larry Carlton.

"Hondo Pass" is a bluesy number which showcases Murphy's guitar skills both in comping and improvisation. "Be Flat" is another jazz-blues song, which also has some Western swing overtones. With plenty of tasty solos from the players, Murphy also offers some humorous, off-the-cuff comments reminiscent of a Milton Brown or Bob Wills record.

Diddle works on several levels. It is a well-crafted jazz album which showcases Murphy's versatility and talents as both a player and composer, and it includes excellent performances from all the players involved. This is definitely a serious jazz album, but Murphy also wants people to have fun listening to it.