Mark Murphy - Timeless: Mark Murphy (2003)

This 12-cut compilation captures Mark Murphy's performances for Savoy between 1973 and 1991. While it may not be the elusive Bop for Kerouac, what is here is every bit as good. Murphy remains a singular talent in jazz. The bop and post- bop scenes have been his inspirations all along and he sings with the authority of a saxophonist. He commands attention from the ensemble with his big throaty baritone and carries its rhythms, harmonies and tight melodic twists and turns perfectly. Some of the most outstanding performances here, though there are no weak ones, are "Along the Red Clay," with Freddie Hubbard, "Moody's Mood," and Billy Strayhorn's haunting "Blood Count."~Thom Jurek