Mark Murphy, Never Let Me Go (Jazz Paisan)
In his early years, Murphy supported himself as an actor and a singer. His singing soon took precedence. His acting never stopped. The roles he inhabits are the songs he sings. His idiosyncrasies parallel those of Olivier, Brando, Guinness and Depp in character development undergirded by technique in the service of emotional range. In Murphy’s dozens of albums, that virtuosity has never been clearer than in this one. The songs are by Porter, Jobim, Evans, Broadbent and Murphy himself, among others. He brings to them deep musicianship and interpretive power. The supporting trio led by pianist Misha Piatagorsky is excellent.