Search - Mark Murphy :: A Swingin', Singin' Affair (Jazz Club)

A fabulous vocalist in swingish arrangements

Nikica Gilic | 01/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Apparently, this album (originally published on LP in UK as "Mark Time!") was a mid-60s attempt to package Mark Murphy as a more middle of the road performer, an American crooner

in a Count-Basie-or-Buddy-Rich-backing-Sinatra-or-Sammy Davis-Jr. style...



One thing definitely shines through;

Murphy is a magnificent jazz singer even without his trademark scatting, he has rhythm, drive, irony, wit and plenty of swing, so even the few tracks with strings thrown in don't hold him back very much... The way he toys with "Come Rain or Come Shine" or "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" (incidentally, both songs known, among others, to Ray Charles fans) is sufficient proof of his talents and the Day/Zeffert song "Stablemates", apparently introduced by this album to wider audiences is a classic (and the song is brilliant in its own hip rank).



I won't lie to you - there are three arrangers here - Tubby Hayes and John Dankworth, who both performed admirably, and Les Reed who tried to weigh things down with the strings I mentioned... And, yes, Murphy fares quite well in Lennon/McCartney " She Loves You" as well, no small part thanks to Hayes' arrangement....



Most of information given in this review is from the liner notes and info on a in-card, the evaluation and opinion is 100% mine. The liner notes author is Dick Tatham who thinks the best compliment to Murphy is to compare him with Sinatra (whom I like as well, but in his own category)..."

Mark Mr. Murphy

T. gibbs Murray | Philadelphia PA | 03/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Murphy was on the Steve Allen Show (opposite Ed Sullivan) back in the '50s when

I first saw him; he sang "Two Ladies in the Shade of the Banana Tree" from the Harold Arlen,

Truman Capote (yeah, that Truman Capote who wrote the lyrics)musical HOUSE OF FLOWERS. I was

in high school and I think not much younger than Mark Murphy, but to see a white guy--from

upstate NY I think, do that number and 'get' it, I was knocked out. Mark Murphy has been my

favorite male jazz singer for close to 50 years now. Think it was 3 or 4 years ago I saw him

perform again at NY's Iridium. It was the first time I took a small portion of his CD's w/me. I'd

never gotten his autograph tho once a long time ago I managed to arrange a lunch w/him. I was

so in awe of being in his presence, he excused himself as I began getting drunk-- at lunch!

The price of fame! Fast forward 40some years. "Let's see what CD's you've got". He signed several;

I did not let on that my Mark Murphy CD collection of just about everything I think he's recorded

I of course have on LP too. Until that stopped. Mark did the best "knock downdirty' version of

"I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" at The Half Note'in NY about 8 years ago before a packed house including

numerous Jazz singers like Jackie Cain,Roy Kral, Susannah McCorkle. All these recordings

I have, I don't know he's ever recorded it; I can't find it. This album which I'm supposed to be reviewing

for Amazon:

A SWINGIN'SINGIN' AFFAIR/MARK MURPHY was recorded in 1964. The 12 selections (from the original LP)are:

BALLYHOO, SHE LOVES YOU, MY FOOLISH HEART, ICEBERG, HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN, I LEFT

MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO (doesn't sound like Tony Bennett, huh), HARD HEARTED HANNAH, STABLEMATES,

I'LL BE AROUND (poignant interp of Alec Wilder), FROM TIME TO TIME, COME RAIN OR COME SHINE, THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

If you've read this far, I now will say that w/a career of nearly a half century and a tall collecton of Mr. Mark's ouevre

I'd be hard pressed to judge any singular compilation of his work. Fans are the worst! But I have taste and the range/diversity of

his definitive mark (couldn't think of another word) on jazz singing from this 1964

recording might be a good place to start. There's no condescension in Murphy's interpretations, you either dig it or acquire

that taste. But he's still swingin', singin', and about 3 years ago, comin' outta club where Mark had just finished a set,

an attractive couple in their late 50s I think, said to me "why don't we know of him? He's the best interpreter of song we've

ever heard." Made me feel good. Mark had just finished his set w/"Too Late Now"."