Though recently departed to his eternal reward, Mark Murphy remains arguably the most influential vocalist for today’s generation of male singers. From Kurt Elling to Theo Bleckman, the shadow of Murphy’s smile is found via his ability to play with a lyric and melody that clicks with the 21st Century. This recent release by Highnote Records finds Murphy in vintage form, in concert at the legendary Keystone Korner in June, 1980. Teamed with Paul Potyen/p, Peter Barshay/b, Jack Gobetti/dr and Babatunde Lea/perc, Murphy is presenting material from his period with Muse Records, after Stolen Moments & Satisfaction Guaranteed and just before Bop for Kerouac, so he’s in prime form.
He shows his ability to time a bop lyric to perfection on nimble reads of material such as “Farmer’s Market” while riding the sizzling percussion by Gobetti and Lea to perfection on a loose turned rich samba “Waters of March” and a bop till you drop “Bijou.” Murphy stretches out words and moods like Silly Putty on an anti-Sinatra read of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” that is filled with deep reflective hues, while his “Spring Medley” and “Body and Soul” create a taffy pull with the beat, lyrics and accents. This whole set is a work of art, like listening to Gauguin work on a painting. WOW!