Results for "Mark Murphy"

Mark Murphy

The following is based on the book This is Hip: the Life of Mark Murphy by {{m: Peter Jones = 58082}} (Equinox Publishing, 2018). All rights reserved. In the opinion of many, {{m: Mark Murphy = 9692}} was the greatest jazz singer who ever lived. Quite a statement, but one that can be made to stand up pretty well in court. There have, of course, been more successful jazz singers; certainly more popular jazz singers. But not one of them has possessed the sheer range of abilities that Murphy was blessed with. He had a natural “instrument” at his disposal, a rich, masculine tone that could shape any jazz standard as beautifully as you were ever likely to hear it

Dena Derose: Keeper Of The Song

By R.J. DELUKE

Dena DeRose has established a reputation as one of the finest jazz singers today--though never exclusively that. As others have done--Shirley Horn, a predecessor, or Karrin Allyson, a contemporary, among others--DeRose, in addition to her alluring voice, is a highly accomplished pianist who accompanies herself. Often that's in a trio setting, but she easily extends it ...

20 Seattle Jazz Musicians You Should Know: John Bishop

By PAUL RAUCH

The city of 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 30's. It saw a young Ray Charles arrive as a teenager to escape the nightmare of Jim Crow in the ...

The Pat Metheny Songbook - A New Jazz Canon, Part 2

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

This is the second part of our celebration of Pat Metheny's 66th birthday through an exploration of the best renditions of his work by other musicians. Metheny's signature compositional style inspired countless colleagues, even before he had released his first album. It's no surprise that more than four decades later, the renditions of his work can ...

20 Seattle Jazz Musicians You Should Know: Marc Seales

By PAUL RAUCH

The city of 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 30's. It saw a young Ray Charles arrive as a teenager to escape the nightmare of Jim Crow in the ...

The Way You Look Tonight - Celebrating Dorothy Fields

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

The first hour celebrates the birthday of legendary lyricist Dorothy Fields in addition to new releases from Susan Tobocman, Emilie-Claire Barlow and Bocana, Callum Au and Claire Martin plus an instrumental by Mimi Fox of “Better Times Will Come," part of Janis Ian's Better Times Project. Birthday shout-outs to guitarist Mary Osborne, baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian, ...

Dena DeRose: Ode to the Road

By JACK BOWERS

To those who may have wondered what ever happened to singer / pianist Dena DeRose, the answer is nothing—and everything. DeRose has lived for the last fifteen years in Graz, Austria, where she is professor of jazz voice at the University of Music and the Performing Arts. She still tours frequently, sometimes returning “home" to the ...

Zoöphyte: Signs Of Life

By IAN PATTERSON

A zoophyte is the ancient Greek term for an invertebrate animal resembling a plant. So, an odd name for a band, perhaps. Mythical zoophytes, like the plant that grew sheep as its fruit, were commonplace in Medieval herbals--tomes describing the culinary, toxic, hallucinatory, aromatic, and magical qualities of plants. These were, in less scientific times, attempts ...

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 ...