#markmurphy

Mark Murphy – A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn

A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn is the 47th recording (EP) by American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy. It was recorded when Murphy was 80 years old in 2012 and released by the Gearbox label in the United States and the UK in 2013. Mark Murphy celebrates his close friend Shirley Horn with four of her trademark songs reinterpreted in his inimitable style. It’s a warm and sparse sounding session featuring Shirley Horn’s longtime drummer Steve Williams, Betty Carter’s double bassist Curtis Lundy (brother of Carmen), the sensational young New York pianist Alex Minasian and the German trumpet star Till Brönner. This was Mark Murphy’s final recording.

Personnel: Mark Murphy – vocals Alex Minasian – piano Curtis Lundy – bass Steve Williams – drums Till Brönner – trumpet

Reception Bruce Lindsay, writing for All About Jazz, calls the recording a “superb tribute” and finds “Here’s to Life” to be “extraordinarily affecting”.