Mark Murphy - Mark Murphy Sings: Playing the Field / Rah / That's How I Love the Blues! (2014)

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.