Paul Murphy (musician)

Paul Murphy ( * 1949 in Worcester ( Massachusetts)) is an American drummer of the avant-garde jazz and new music improvisation.

Life and work

Paul Murphy grew up in Washington, D.C. on and had already seven years old drum lessons with Gene Krupa and then with Louis Bellson. At the age of 16 he was playing bebop with the Ellington bassist Billy Taylor.

After playing predominantly with local jazz and blues musicians of the Washingtonter scene, he moved in 1970 to the West Coast of the United States. There he worked in the avant-garde scene of the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly with pianist Mary Anne Driscoll and the tenor saxophonist Arthur Baron. In 1974, Jimmy Lyons heard him in Oakland and convinced him to move to New York. Murphy worked as Managing Director of Rashied Ali's Loft club Ali 's Alley.

In the summer of this year was Murphy member of the band of Jimmy Lyons, with whom he was to work together over the next eight years and also went on tour to Europe. In 1985, he participated also at Lyons Black Saint album Give it Up with Enrico Rava. During this time he spent in New York, Murphy also launched its own quintet with trumpeter Dewey Johnson, bassist Jay Oliver, the bassoon player Karen Borca and Mary Anne Driscoll. He also worked at this time with such diverse musicians as Larry Willis, Jaki Byard, Sun Ra and Eddie Gale.

The death of Jimmy Lyons in 1986 caused a temporary farewell to the jazz scene; Murphy worked a half years as a stage musicians in Las Vegas. In late 1987 he returned to the Bay Area and worked with musicians like Glen Spearman, William Parker, Raphe Malik, violinist India Cook or Kash Killion. With his trio Hurricane he took in 1986 on the album Suite of Winds with Spearman and Parker and played in a duo with Larry Willis.

1990 Murphy moved back to Washington, DC, where he worked on recordings for the label Mapleshade Records, including for Clifford Jordan and Ran Blake. Currently, Murphy works with his band Breakaway, ( Excursions ' and Exposé ) with Jere Carroll and Joel Futterman and again Larry Willis. In 1997, he starred again with Parker and Spearman (Live at Fire in the Valley).

Muphy was regularly active away from the avant-garde scene as a studio and touring drummer throughout his career, as, inter alia, for Tina Turner and the band Journey.

Disco Graphical Notes

  • Suite of Winds ( Black Saint, 1986)
  • I Smell Witches ( Orchard, 2000)
  • Enarre ( Cadence Jazz Records, 2002) with Joel Futterman, Kash Killion
  • The Trip (United Eye, 2006)

Swell

  • Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, 8th Edition, London, Penguin, 2006 ISBN 0-141-02327-9
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