Results for "Mark Murphy"

Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy is one of the world's greatest — and hippest — jazz vocalists performing today. His coterie of fans includes tap dancer Gregory Hines, who spontaneously jumped up on stage at Mark's Las Vegas engagement in 1995 to join him for an impromptu duet. Legendary composer Alec Wilder said of Mark, 'I was quite literally amazed. Mark's musicianship, range, intonation, diction, inventiveness and incredible rhythmic sense are all of a piece and all marvelous.' Vocal greats Betty Carter, Peggy Lee, Cleo Laine and Shirley Horn all sing Murphy's praises as one of the best in he business and the legendary Ella Fitzgerald declared 'he is my equal.' A six-time Grammy nominee, Mark Murphy has enjoyed a prolific 40-year recording career, with over 40 releases to date

Riverside Records: An Alternative Top Ten

By CHRIS MAY

From 1953, when it was set up, to 1964, when it was acquired by ABC, Riverside Records rivalled Blue Note and Prestige as one of the leading independent jazz labels based in New York City. The founders of all three labels were jazz fans who operated on slim margins and became producers partly because they enjoyed ...

The Music Never Stops: Tales of Wonder and Ms. B.C.

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

This week we focus on new releases from pianist Danny Green's band LP and the Vinyl, vocalist Linda Purl, saxophonist Brian Landrus, the duo Const, plus a Stevie Wonder tribute by various Posi-Tone artists for his 70th birthday and a special single from Cynthia Scott, with more birthday shoutouts to lyricist Betty Comden and Betty Carter ...

March Birthdays

By MARC COHN

March birthdays this week on G&M! And some big ones too! Celebrating 90th birthdays: Ornette Coleman, Blue Mitchell and Tommy Flanagan. Celebrating 80th birthdays: Al Jarreau as well as Lew Tabackin, Ralph Towner and Astrud Gilberto} (the latter 3 still with us). Also, among the living, {{m: Wolfgang Muthspiel, Jessica Williams and Ralph Alessi. And, wherever ...

20 Seattle Jazz Musicians You Should Know: Jeff Johnson

By PAUL RAUCH

The city of jny: Seattle has a jazz history that dates back to the very beginnings of the form. It was home to the first integrated club scene in America on Jackson St in the 1920's and '30s. It saw a young Ray Charles arrive as a teenager to escape the nightmare of Jim Crow in ...

Big Long Silidin' Thing - Celebrating Melba Liston

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

In the first hour, we celebrate trombonist, composer and arranger Melba Liston in honor of her birthday, and take a look at some recent trombone players making noise in the jazz world. We sample some new releases by vocalists Josephine Beavers, Lila Ammons, Virginia Schenck, flutist Andrea Brachfeld and pianist Roberta Piket, with birthday shout outs ...

Tony Adamo: Did Mark Murphy Believe in UFOS?

By NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO

The interrogative title of this fine track shares an interesting insight, as well as its supposition. Whether the late singer literally did buy into UFOs--a la Sun Ra who saw “space as the place"--or he didn't is irrelevant. What is key is the fact that Mark Murphy has had a definitive and lasting impact on jazz ...

Never Forget to Say Thank You

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

This week we feature Grammy nominees and finalists from the Hot House/Jazzmobile NYC Readers Jazz Awards, a new release from Alice Ricciardi and Pietro Lussu, plus birthday shout outs to June Christy, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mandel, Etta Jones, pianist Geoffrey Keezer and Michelle Ann May of Musique Noire, among others. Playlist Musique Noire “Pretty ...