Greg Murphy

30.05.2025 (Translated from Russian)

From time to time, sluggish squabbles flare up in the press on the topic of what is considered real jazz. Many musicians who profess free improvisation do not see the connection between their music and jazz. At the same time, there are still purists a la Hugues Ponassier, for whom jazz is not everything, starting with bop. Well, pianist and composer Greg Murphy, with his fifth album for Whaling City Sound, entitled Snap Happy, clearly demonstrates what real jazz is in its generally accepted sense. 

He recorded the album in his favorite format of a piano trio, an electro-acoustic one at that. Greg himself plays both the piano and the keyboards, and bassist Obasi Akoto, depending on the composition, works both on the double bass and the bass guitar. Drummer Steve Jones, in addition to the drum kit, also operates percussion instruments. In addition, guitarist Mark Whitfield joins the musicians on three tracks, and Sy Smith also features vocals on one. 

The program included several classic jazz standards, such as On Green Dolphin Street and I Fall In Love Too Easily, two masterpieces by the greatest bop pianist Thelonious Monk - Pannonica, dedicated to the famous jazz patron, and Monk's Mood, and a whole block of compositions by authors whose names are usually associated with fusion music - Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, George Duke, Lenny White (it is clear that the work of Shorter and Corea is broader than these stylistic frameworks). Here I would especially highlight the brilliant performance of Humpty Dumpty by Chick Corea. Finally, the program also includes two compositions by Murphy: the title Snap Happy and a collective composition by all members of the Equality trio. 

Greg Murphy is sometimes compared to McCoy Tyner in his playing style. I would venture to say that in this album Greg has freed himself from such cliches. He is very different in different tracks, but invariably creative, energetic, able to listen to his partners, give them a certain freedom of expression, but clearly managing the entire sound of the trio. In my opinion, Snap Happy is one of the strongest projects in his discography.

Snap Happy (Whaling City Sound) | June 2nd, 2025

Pianist Greg Murphy has a new album out, called Snap Happy. A potent mixture of standards, Jazz classics, original songs and a fusion flashback, there’s a lot to like here. Starting off with a fiery rendition of “On Green Dolphin Street,” Murphy’s in the zone from the jump. Obasi Akoto’s bass playing is super tasty throughout, and Steve Johns stokes the flames with some great drumming. Wayne Shorter’s “Twelve More Bars to Go” is a great tune that doesn’t get played enough. Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty” gets a reading that comes out of left field – and works. I wasn’t expecting a funk jam, but here I am, impressed with a funky take on one of my favorite Corea compositions. Even more shocking is the uptempo, Samba-fied take on Thelonious Monk’s “Pannonica.” The album closes as it starts, with a hard swingin’ take on a well-worn standard. “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” leaves the listener wanting more. Which, I suppose, is the ultimate goal of any album, right?

You Remind Me | Rating: ★★★★ |Author: Kevin Whitlock

Pianist and composer Greg Murphy's seventh album as leader, a heartfelt tribute to his late wife Nancy, is a frustrating affair. Recorded at the famous Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey, it showcases Murphy's impressive skills both on a keyboard and as a composer; his instincts for a catchy tune are unerring and five of his six originals here are terrific. The arrangements and the playing (Murphy on piano especially) are top-notch too.

So why the frustration? I think it's all down to the production and the use of vocals. The music's first rate, the sound is great, but the production (by Murphy) has a slight whiff of 1980s smooth jazz cheese – it's a terrible shame because material of this quality deserves so much better. As for the vocals, they just feel unnecessary, and inappropriate in this setting (as on a version of Dexter Wansel's 'Nights Over Egypt'); the playing is so good that additional adornment seems superfluous.

But truth is, I can't let You Remind Me go; whenever I hear the energetic Murphy tunes 'Shrimp Fried Rice' and 'Mornin'; the dancing delights of 'After Dark'; the virtuoso swagger and interplay of 'The Cure'; or the superb cover of Coltrane's 'Mr Day', I'm reminded that I'm listening to a major talent and I forget that cheesy title track.

So, You Remind Me is a curate's egg, but there is so much to enjoy and admire here that I'm willing to overlook its faults. Four stars it is then.

You Remind Me |by George W. Harris • May 9, 2024 • 

Keyboardist and pianist Greg Murphy teams up with Obasi Akoto/b, Steve Johns/dr and guests Malou Beauvoir-Frank Lacy/voc, David Stoller/harp and Zach Brock/vi for a mix of originals and  obscure jazz covers. There’s a sweet feel to “Nancy With The Laughing Face” whereas John Coltrane’s “Mr. Day” is filled with soul. Brock adds to the upbeat “After Dark”  and the vocalists bring a rich feeling to a thoughtful “You Remind Me”. Stoller’s harp adds exotic ideas to “Nights Over Egypt” and the team gets into a dark mood on Frank Foster’s “Simone”. Wide brush strokes of sound.

www.whalingcitysound.com

Pianist and composer Greg Murphy presents You Remind Me, an album about the beauty and immeasurably precious quality that is love. Dedicated to Murphy's late wife Nancy, You Remind Me is extraordinarily moving, timeless, passionate, and memorable. You Remind Me is a welcome addition to both personal and public library music collections, and also makes an excellent romantic gift. The tracks are After Dark, The Cure, Nights Over Egypt, You Remind Me, Nancy (with the Laughing Face), Shrimp Fried Rice, Mr. Day, Mornin', Takeoff, Simone, Night Flight, and A Night to Remember.

Greg Murphy – You Remind Me (Whaling City Sound)

Pianist and Chicago native, Greg Murphy, is back with a new disc for 2024 called You Remind Me. Obasi Akoto joins him on bass, Steve Johns is the drummer, and violinist Zach Brock is in on the action for three songs as well. You Remind Me is one of Murphy’s finest efforts in years, featuring both well-executed standards (“Nancy with the Laughing Face,” Frank Foster’s “Simone,” John Coltrane’s “Mr. Day”) and some excellent originals, like “After Dark,” which is one of the Zach Brock features, or “Night Flight” which gives us a taste of Murphy’s hard swinging trio. All in all, You Remind Me is a charming album that will certainly be getting a lot of love around our studios at WDCB.

Music & Memories | February 16, 2024

You Remind Me, Greg Murphy's new album, is in honor of his late wife Nancy. He included Jimmy Van Heusen's Nancy (with the laughing face) among the mainly original tracks. I also find the title applicable to the varied styles of the performances. Whether coincidence or by design, the works remind me of different musical eras and musicians. Murphy's piano work is strongly influenced by McCoy Tyner [Fly with The Wind], and there are suggestions of the late 1970s and 1980s fusion and soul influences and the anxiety of the 1990s. Zach Brock's violin on 3 pieces hark back to Jean-Luc Ponty, and the occasional electric keyboard triggers memories of Bob James and Chick Corea. The opening, After Dark, and the following The Cure are energetic, dense, intense, and loud. Murphy offers a brief melodic phrase and immediate goes to development. Bassist Obasi Akoto has a fine solo in this second work. Nights Over Egypt, Dexter Wansel's composition, captures early global music inroads (Pharoah Sanders' Journey to The One and Yosef Lateef's Eastern Sounds). Contributions of vocals by Malou Beauvoir bring forth the R&B fusion sound of The Crusaders. Frank Lacy offers the tenor in the duet of the album title work. It is full bodied piece with keyboard pseudo strings, and I recall Wynton Marsalis's Blood on the Track. (Murphy studied with Ellis Marsalis.) The very sensitive rendition of the ballad Nancy is a change of pace, and you feel the love. Suddenly, we have social strife with clashing drums, chordal electronics, and nervous piano. John Coltrane is representated by Mr. Day, and the group goes blue, with another bass solo of merit, and here the drumming of Steve Johns becomes interesting. Along with Nancy, this track is an album highlight. With the opening bar in the manner of Jamal's Poinciana, David Foster's joyful Mornin' with vocals and electronic keyboard is next. The arco bowing of bass and abstract flurries slowly taxi the lane for Take Off. It crashes. Another Foster, this time Frank, composed the following modal waltz, Simone; Akoto dances. In NIght Flight, the plane skids and bounces along the runway but finally rises; it is a noisy bucket of bolts, and the abstract jam lands remarkably intact. The concluding work is aptly A Night to Remember, a Myers, Sylvers, Beard 1980s soul hit. The chameleon Murphy displays his technical talent and extensive knowledge of modern jazz history. His memories of his wife are time-traveling, and the album achieves the effect.