Mark Murphy - Sings / 2CD set

During his early days, Mark Murphy elicited a mixed response from critics. Though all of them recognized his extraordinary skill in working through changes, his precise sense of time, and his general musicianship, all charged him with affectations of enunciation.

In 1960 Playing the Field came out. It would be Murphys third and last album for Capitol, and although it included an excellent set of big band and trio arrangements by Bill Holman, it never reached popular audiences as the label intended, so recognition still eluded Murphy. His first real acceptance arrived a year later, when he signed with Riverside to record a set of standards and bop vocals named Rah It featured some fine scores written by Ernie Wilkins, and was promptly followed by the themed album Thats How I Love the Blues!, skillfully orchestrated by Al Cohn, with top-notch backing by groups featuring jazz heroes such as Clark Terry, Wynton Kelly, Al Cohn, Bill Evans, and Blue Mitchell.

This set here is complemented by eight first-class tunes from rare Riverside singles. These recordings showcase Mark Murphy as the genuinely original performer he is, but they also displayed Murphys penchant for trawling the entirety of the 20th century popular/jazz repertory for songs, ranging from the slightly overdone to the downright forgotten.

CD 1

01. Put the Blame on Mame (Roberts-Fisher) 2:46
02. Swinging on a Star (Van Heusen-Burke) 2:32
03. My Gals Come Back (McKinley-Powell) 1:47
04. Playing the Field (Allen) 2:41
05. Heart and Soul (Carmichael-Loesser) 2:36
06. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
(Sammy Fain-Paul F. Webster) 1:49
07. Honeysuckle Rose (Waller-Razaf) 3:05
08. Isnt It About Time? (Morin) 2:05
09. Wishing (Buddy DeSylva) 3:15
10. As Long As I Live (Arlen-Koehler) 1:43
11. I Didnt Know About You
(Duke Ellington-Bob Russell) 3:18
12. But Not for Me (George & Ira Gershwin) 4:23
13. Angel Eyes (Brent-Dennis) 3:10
14. On Green Dolphin Street
(Ned Washington-Bronislau Kaper) 3:40
15. Stoppin the Clock (Landesman-Kral) 3:07
16. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(Fran Landesman-Tommy Wolf) 3:46
17. No Tears for Me (uddleston-McIntyre) 3:08
18. Out of this World (Mercer-Arlen) 4:46
19. Milestones (Miles Davis) 2:26
20. My Favorite Things
(Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II) 2:12
21. Doodlin (Horace Silver) 3:26
22. Lil Darlin (Neal Hefti-Jon Hendricks) 4:58
23. Twisted (Wardell Gray-Annie Ross) 2:25

CD 2

01. Going to Chicago Blues (Basie-Rushing) 4:11
02. Señor Blues (Horace Silver) 2:23
03. Thats How I Love the Blues
(Ralph Blane-Hugh Martin) 3:43
04. Jelly Jelly Blues (Hines-Eckstine) 3:22
05. (Im Left with the) Blues in My Heart
(Benny Carter-Irving Mills) 2:10
06. Fiesta in Blue
(Mundy-Goodman-Lambert-Hendricks) 3:09
07. Rusty Dusty Blues (Williams) 2:01
08. Blues in the Night (Mercer-Arlen) 3:37
09. The Meaning of the Blues (Troup-Worth) 2:50
10. Everybodys Crazy Bout the Doggone Blues
(Cramer-Layton) 2:22
11. Blues, Youre the Mother of Sin
(Sid Kuller-Billy Eckstine) 3:16
12. Wee Baby Blues (Johnson-Turner) 5:17
13. Love (Martin-Blane) 2:37
14. Come and Get Me (Mark Murphy) 2:51
15. Fly Me to the Moon (Howard) 2:57
16. Why Dont You Do Right? (McCoy) 2:27
17. Like Love (Galvis-Young) 2:10
18. Fly Away, My Sadness (Lees-Bernhardt) 2:03
19. I Dont Worry Bout You (Norman Mapp) 2:31
20. Nothin But a Fool (Norman Mapp) 2:43