This is Hip

When Mark Murphy died in October 2015, some obituaries mourned the passing of the greatest jazz singer in history. Murphy was also the last of his kind, a hipster of the Kerouac generation, who fought against the straight life of prosperity and numb consumerism. With a catalogue of more than 40 albums under his own name as well as numerous collaborations, Mark Murphy was also a consummate improviser, who never sang a song the same way twice. This Is Hip is more than a biography: it also evaluates Murphy’s work as a singer and as a teacher of singers. Based on numerous interviews with those who knew him best, the book delves into a performing and recording career that spanned 60 years and earned him five Grammy nominations.

When Mark Murphy died in October 2015, some of the obituaries mourned the passing of the greatest jazz singer in history. Murphy was the last of his kind, a hipster of the Kerouac generation, who rejected the straight life of prosperity and numb consumerism. With a catalogue of more than 40 albums under his own name as well as numerous guest appearances, Mark Murphy was a consummate improviser, who never sang a song the same way twice. He could have enjoyed a successful mainstream career in the vein of Mel Torme or Jack Jones. But his ambition was greater – to be an artist, to rebel against the commercial music industry and to carry the jazz vocal flame wherever it led him. Murphy was a master of scat and vocalese, of songwriting and the spoken word. He expanded the jazz singing repertoire, adding his own lyrics to instrumentals like John Coltrane’s Naima, Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay, and Oliver Nelson’s Stolen Moments. Unrivalled as an interpreter of ballads, he was able to express longing and regret to a degree lacking in any other jazz singer. For years he roamed the world, playing thousands of gigs. Rediscovered in the Eighties by a new audience of jazz dancers, and again in the 21st century by a digital generation who remixed him and invited him to guest on their recordings, he remains a crucial though unjustly neglected figure in vocal jazz. This Is Hip is more than a biography: it also explores Murphy’s innovative approaches both to singing and to the teaching of singers. Based on numerous interviews with those who knew him best, the book delves into a performing and recording career that spanned 60 years and earned him five Grammy nominations.

Foreword It's Compromise, don't Bother Chapter 1 I See Inside the Song Chapter 2 Dues-paying Days Chapter 3 All the Bases were Loaded Chapter 4 Many Shades of Blue Chapter 5 That's what I Like about London Chapter 6 He's as Good as I am Chapter 7 Ready for Anything Chapter 8 Where Fountains Drip in a Forgotten Tempo Chapter 9 It's Hot, it's Red Lights, it's Exciting! Chapter 10 I Remember Less and Less, Except you Baby Chapter 11 A Wild Animal, or a Child Chapter 12 Age only Matters if you're a Cheese Chapter 13 The Mother of All Love Songs Chapter 14 Much to Do and Not a Moment to Spare Appendices Appendix A: A Jazz Singer is a Singer who Sings Jazz Appendix B: I don't Want to Stamp out Singers Like Cookies [+] Discography

• By (author) Peter Jones

Best Discography winner in BEST HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN RECORDED JAZZ, 2019 ARSC Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research "Skillfully interspersing the personal...with contemporary social history...This is Hip is thus not only a thoroughgoing, definitive, intensely readable portrait of one of jazz's most unjustly neglected figures, but also a perceptive and valuable study of the artistic sensibility negotiating the unpredictable tides of societal change. In short, this is a model biography. Richly detailed, balanced and consistently thoughtful, it should be enjoyed not only by its core audience, committed Murphy admirers, but also by the general reader." --Chris Parker, London Jazz News, April 3, 2018 "Author Peter Jones is obviously a dedicated Mark Murphy enthusiast, but his research possessed more of an academic approach than the usual sensationalist tactic acquired by many biographers. The inclusion of two additional appendices and an extensive discography at the end of the book highlight this." --Damian Wilkes, UK Vibe "This biography's title answers the unspoken question 'what is hip' and shows us why jazz vocalist Mark Murphy (1932-2015) qualifies. It also shows us that while he was hip, Murphy was a lot of other things too - insecure, driven, immensely talented, closeted, frustrated, loved - a long and complicated list, well delineated by author Peter Jones. [...]The book performs a valuable service, especially if it impels curious readers to discover the protean, challenging, and rewarding music of Mark Murphy." --Steve Provizer, The Arts Fuse, March 22, 2018 "Over fourteen informative chapters Jones tells Murphy's tale and recaps his numerous recordings released and unreleased. [...] Recommended without reservation." --Larry Hollis, Cadence Magazine, April 2018 "This work, due to lack of competition, will probably stand as the definitive work on Mark Murphy who undeniably, is a great talent and was a gentle soul." --Robert Rusch, Papatamus "An exemplary text... Journalist and singer Peter Jones has written the definitive biography of Mark Murphy." --Angelo Leonardi, All About Jazz "Assiduously researched and adeptly written... Jones not only sets the material in context but also writes insightfully about the music." --Peter Quinn, Jazzwise
—