Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz s… Read Full Bio ↴Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz singer based in New York. He was known for his use of vocalese and vocal improvisations with both melody and lyrics. He was the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 Down Beat magazine readers jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist of the Year and also the recipient of six Grammy award nominations for Best Vocal Jazz Performance. He wrote original lyrics to the jazz tunes "Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay".

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1932, Murphy was raised in a musical family, his parents having met as members of the local Methodist Church choir. He grew up in the nearby small town of Fulton, New York, where his grandmother and then his aunt were the church organists. Opera was also a presence in the Murphy home. He started piano lessons at the age of seven.

Murphy joined his brother's jazz dance band as the singer when a teenager, citing influences from Nat "King" Cole, June Christy, Anita O'Day, and Ella Fitzgerald. The Jazz pianist Art Tatum was also an influence.

Murphy graduated from Syracuse University in 1953, majoring in Music and Drama. University life included performing on campus and also in a club – playing piano and singing.

In 1954, Murphy moved to New York City, working part-time as an actor and singer. He appeared in productions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company and a musical version for television of Casey at the Bat. Also, he twice took second place at the Apollo Theatre amateur contests.

Murphy was eventually introduced to record producer Milt Gabler, who was an artist and repertoire director (A & R) for Decca. His resulting debut recording was Meet Mark Murphy (1956), followed closely by Let Yourself Go (1957).

In 1958 Murphy moved to Los Angeles and recorded for Capitol, but returned to New York in the early '60s and recorded the album Rah! (1961) on Riverside Records, performing "Angel Eyes", a version of Horace Silver's "Doodlin'", and "Green Dolphin Street", featuring Bill Evans, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Blue Mitchell and Wynton Kelly as accompanists. His favorite recording to date, That's How I Love the Blues, soon followed. In 1963, Murphy hit the charts across the country with his single of "Fly Me to the Moon" and was voted New Star of the Year in Down Beat Magazine's Reader's Poll.[citation needed]

In the late 1960s Murphy moved to London, England, where he worked primarily as an actor. He continued however, to cultivate his jazz audiences in Europe. He returned to the States in 1972 and began recording an average of an album a year for more than fourteen years on the Muse label. These projects - including the albums Nat King Cole Songbook Vol. I and II, Bop for Kerouac, Kerouac Then And Now, Living Room, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Beauty And the Beast and, Stolen Moments - gained numerous Grammy nominations.[citation needed] This last album contains Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" with lyrics by Murphy.

In 1984 together with Viva Brasil he recorded the album Brazil Song (Cancões do Brasil), which featured original material written by Brazilian songwriters including work by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento.

In 1987, Murphy recorded Night Mood, an album of songs by Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, followed by the Grammy-nominated September Ballads on Milestone Records. Murphy has also appeared on U.F.O.'s last two releases (for Polydor Records), in which he wrote and rapped lyrics on songs composed with the group. This collaboration opened up further new audiences in the acid-jazz and hip-hop genres, demonstrating jazz's timelessness while transcending generations and styles.

In August 1997, BMG/RCA Victor released Song For The Geese, for which he has received his sixth Grammy nomination. Also in August 1997, the 32 Records label Joel Dorn and Michael Bourne released a double CD anthology Stolen and Other Moments, which features some of his recordings for the now defunct Muse label. The CD features material from the two "Kerouac" albums and a selection of "the best of Mark Murphy".

Murphy’s release Once to Every Heart (2005), on the Verve label, features sensuous ballads, where the listener can capture him singing in top form, with superb musicians and sounding better than ever. In 2007 Love is What Stays was released on Verve. Both albums were produced by German trumpeter Till Brönner.

Murphy has also collaborated with Five Corners Quintet, a modern Finnish jazz band. He appears on their albums Chasin' the Jazz Gone By (2005) and Hot Corner (2008).

In 2010 he released the independently produced CD, Never Let Me Go, on which he is supported by pianist Misha Piatigorsky, bassist Danton Boller and drummer Chris Wabich. A limited edition EP/MP3, "Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn" on Gearbox Records was released in 2013.

Murphy continued to tour internationally into his 80s, appearing at festivals, concerts, in jazz clubs and on television programs, throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, as well as other places. John Bush at AllMusic.com described Murphy as "a major name in vocal jazz." A longtime resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, he died there on October 22, 2015.

All Blues
Mark Murphy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The sea
The sky
And you and I
Sea and sky and you and I
With all blues
All shades
All hues

Some blues
Are sad
But some blues are glad
Dark and sad or bright and glad
We're all blues
All shades

All hues
We're all blues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mark Murphy's song "All Blues" speak about the sea, the sky and "you and I" being "all blues", meaning that we all have our own shades and hues. The allusion to the sea and sky as representing the blues, suggests that just as they change shades throughout the day, we too have our own changes in mood and emotions that are reflected in our "blues". Murphy goes on to say that "some blues are sad" but "some blues are glad", emphasizing that the blues can have various connotations that aren't always negative. He captures the idea that we, as individuals, go through a spectrum of emotions and experiences throughout our lives that shape the people we are.

The repetition of the line "we're all blues, all shades, all hues" is in itself an interesting choice, as it creates a sense of community amongst the listeners. Despite what we go through or how we feel, we are all connected in some way through our shared experience of the blues. Murphy's lyrics also touch upon the idea that the blues are not solely limited to music but are a part of our everyday lives. The reference to the changing hues of the sea and sky is a reminder that the blues are not always something to be feared or avoided but are a natural and beautiful aspect of life.

Line by Line Meaning

The sea
The vast body of saltwater in front of us

The sky
The expanse of atmosphere above us

And you and I
The two people present, likely lovers or close friends

Sea and sky and you and I
The trio of elements that surround us in this moment

With all blues
Amongst all these elements, we feel the presence of blues

All shades
Every possible tone or variation of blue

All hues
Every potential blend or shade of blue

Some blues
There are different types of blues

Are sad
Some blues embody sadness or sorrow

But some blues are glad
Other blues can evoke happiness or joy

Dark and sad or bright and glad
These blues can range from deep and melancholy to vibrant and cheerful