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The Making of Remembering Mark Murphy

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STORY

The Story

 

People often ask me who my favorite singer is, and my answer is always, without hesitation, Mark Murphy. He was “the real deal.” With Mark’s passing, I was moved to honor him musically with this recording.

 

  I joined musical forces with pianist John DiMartino on this project. He too is a huge Mark Murphy fan and we are very excited to see this endeavor take on its own life. You certainly won't need to be a Mark fan to be moved by the music I’ve chosen for this recording.

 Mark’s music went through many changes as he grew and matured. I've recorded the songs that most affected me over the years as an artist. These compositions nourished me and gave birth to my jazz soul.

 

  Mark grew up in Fulton, NY, not far from Fair Haven NY, where I’ve been living for many years. After getting to know him on and off the bandstand, I was thrilled to find out he spent many summers with his family in Fair Haven and he adored Little Sodus Bay, which inspired him to write the lyrics to “Song for the Geese.” The song has a profound place in my heart. As I worked on developing this recording, I gazed out my window on the bay and drew love and inspiration.

 

  Some cuts we chose are Mark Murphy classics. Randy Brecker joined us for Body and Soul, Red Clay and Vera Cruz, and as he did on Mark's original recordings of these tracks.

When John and I developed the material, we agreed to keep the integrity of some of these numbers while I joyfully took liberties with some of the others.

As a young jazz singer, I was blessed to be supported by a well-run indie label that helped build my career and established my presence on the national and international jazz scene. Over the ensuing decades, I’ve seen the music industry mutate. Today the challenges of the digital age can put tremendous stress on the recording artist, but it has also brought new opportunities, such as crowdfunding. Although no longer a source of significant income, even for many established popular artists, the need for releasing new recordings is still essential for staying alive in the business. It’s important to document one’s artistry, and it’s a hook for getting booked and staying in the game. It heightens awareness, it generates work, and emotionally speaking, making recordings is what keeps artists alive, this ability to share their art of spontaneous creation and love.  

 

Enjoy this video, produced byTom Emmi, producer of the popular award-winning jazz television series Studio Jams.   You'll get a wonderful insight to the story behind this project.The Kickstarter mentioned is over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musicians 

 

 

Nancy Kelly, Vocals, Executive Producer

http://www.nancykelly.com

 

John DiMartino, Piano, Arranger and Producer 

http://www.johndimartino.com/

 

Randy Brecker, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, 1,5,8

http://randybrecker.com/

 

Bobby Militello, Soprano, Alto, Flute, 1,4,5,6,7,8,9

http://02b1d2d.netsolhost.com/bobbymilitello/welcome.html

 

Paul Bollenback,  Electric Guitar 3,6,9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bollenback

 

Paul Meyers, Acoustic Guitar 1,2,

http://www.paulmeyers.info/

 

Ed Howard, Electric and Acoustic bass 

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-howard-mn0000161279/biography

 

Carmen Intorre Jr, Drums and Percussion

https://www.facebook.com/carmenintorredrums/

Peter Mack,  Co-Executive Producer. bass 10

Steve Brown guitar, conga.10

 

Recorded October 16 and 17, 2017, Trading 8's  Studio Paramus, NJ

Vocals and final mix SubCat Studios, Syracuse NY 

 

"This Could be the Start of Something Good"

Peter Mack, Bass, Steve Brown Guitar, Conga. Recorded at SubCat Studios January 2018

 

Just having a great CD is not enough, The world needs to know about it and we are very excited to be partnering with a world-class publicist, Scott Thompson. Click to learn more about Scott . Scott will spread the word all throughout the U.S., Europe and beyond

 What they're saying about

     Remembering

Mark Murphy

 Randy Brecker 

"Nancy Kelly's tribute to Mark Murphy is wonderful remembrance and dedication to one of the jazz world's greatest vocalists. Each track brings something new to the table though...a heartfelt effort that I was proud to be a part of, having known/toured with Mark, and played on a couple of his albums." 

Eric Cohen, Former WAER Music director and 2-time award winning programmer of the year says:

" The CD is a Masterpiece "

 

Frank Wilner,  WNHN FM 94.7 Concord, NH

" You have a winner here, very classy recording"

 Peter Jones, author of the 2018  Biography,

This Is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy had this to say about the CD.

"This hip and mellow album is far more than a tribute to the great Mark Murphy; it’s an outstanding contribution to vocal jazz in its own right. With her warm,

sensuous voice, Nancy Kelly has recorded sleek 

contemporary interpretations of the songs that formed such an integral part of the Mark Murphy repertoire."

Scott EliasFreelance Film Producer and President  at Random Acts Entertainment.

The charts are all cool, and your PHRASING just slays me!  It's like listening to Mark Murphy's hip kid sister, who is now a woman who shares his sensibilities, but has her OWN impeccable virtuosity and unique experiences to share."

Artist’s website: www.nancykelly.com

 Record label: SubCat records

 

 Representation/booking:Lunched Management & Booking     Jean-Pierre Leduc 514-247-0706  jpleduc@lunchedrecords.com

 Publicist: SCOTT THOMPSON PR  

scott@scottthompsonpr.com  tel 203-400-1818 

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