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.
autumn leaves
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
The song "Autumn Leaves" by Mark Murphy is a nostalgic piece that laments the passing of a past love. The singer describes the scene of autumn leaves drifted by the window of his/her house, comparing the falling leaves of rich colors to the memories of his/her past relationship. At this moment, the singer sees his/her former partner's lips and the summer kisses he/she experienced, as well as the sun-burned hands he/she used to hold.
As the season progresses, the singer notes that the days grow longer, and the cold winter is fast approaching. The singer states that he/she misses the former partner the most when the autumn leaves start to fall. In the French section, the singer further describes how he and his beloved once lived together, loved each other, and how life quietly separates lovers. The sea washes away the footprints of those who are no longer together.
Line by Line Meaning
The falling leaves drift by the window
Autumn stays ubiquitous, as the leaves twirl by the window in a gentle yet purposeful manner
The autumn leaves of red and gold
The leaves, which in summer were green, have now transformed into a gorgeous blend of orange and yellow
I see your lips, the summer kisses
I reminisce about the tender moments we had together in summer, with your lips complementing the warm weather
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
My heart aches when I recall the times we clasped hands together under the scorching sun
Since you went away the days grow long
My world seems colorless and time seemingly slows down since you departed
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
The imminent arrival of winter foreshadows the approach of loneliness
But I miss you most of all my darling
Above all else in this world, I crave for your company and affection
When autumn leaves start to fall
My longing for you intensifies when the fall leaves begin to drop
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
This is a song that mirrors our love
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
It is a song that preserves our passion; you loved me and I loved you
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
We lived as one, always together
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
You loved me, just as I loved you
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
But life has a way of separating those who share deep feelings for one another
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
It happens slowly and silently, without any disturbance
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
And like the sea that erases the footprints of parted lovers on the sand, we also will drift away from each other's heart and memory with time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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