Legendary Vocalist Mark Murphy Brings Rio to Iridium JVC Week

On the heels of a wildly successful Australian tour, Mark Murphy returns to Iridium for two nights highlighting his Brazilian and Latin favorites. Known for his radical reworking of standards as well as the lyrics to such classics as “Stolen Moments" and “Red Clay," Murphy stands as the most inventive vocalist of his generation. The legendary Ella Fitzgerald once declared, “He is my equal." A six-time Grammy nominee, Murphy has enjoyed a prolific recording career with 40 releases over the past four decades. His most recent, the critically acclaimed Memories of You: Remembering Joe Williams, was released by High Note Records in 2003. Joining him will be pianist Misha Piatigorsky, bassist John Benitez, drummer Obed Calbaire, and percussionist Gilad.

Mark Murphy was born into a musical family in Syracuse, New York, and raised in nearby Fulton. His uncle introduced him to jazz through records of pianist Art Tatum. Meet March Murphy (Decca) launched his own recording career at the age of 24. In 1958, he moved to Los Angeles, joining the roster at Capital Records. Back in NYC, he created the classic Rah (Riverside) in 1961 and, two years later, hit the charts across the country with a single of “Fly Me To the Moon." This earned him the title of “New Star of the Year" in DownBeat Magazine's Reader's Poll.

When the British Invasion hit the U.S. limiting work in jazz, Murphy himself jumped the puddle and would spend the next ten years overseas. He lived in London and worked primarily as an actor, performing on radio and TV. He continued, however, to cultivate his jazz audience in Europe. He returned to the States in 1972 and recorded an average of an album a year for over 14 years for the Muse label. These projects,