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Excursions Great jazz drummer Paul Murphy sent me one of his records
months ago.It's called Excursions and it's duets with him and piano player Larry Willis. It is really great.
I went and got some of their other records, The Powers Of Two and The Powers Of Two Vol. 2 and they're great
as well. Paul just sent me thier new album, Exposè. We heard this track many weeks ago, when the record was
in its unmastered rawness. I wanted to play Titanium again so you all can hear the finished version and also
because I want to play a lot of tracks from this one as I think it's really great. These two are a real powerhouse of
innovation, energy and depth, this is great work. Exposè is available through Murphy Records. ~Henry Rollins Harmony In My Head 9-9-08 Paul Murphy/Larry Willis Exposè George Harris Both drummer Paul Murphy and pianist Larry Willis
have impressive resumes, being lead by the likes of Nat Adderly, Woody Shaw and Sonny Fortune. Eschewing all other instruments,
these gentlmen have put together a series of (mostly) duets that comes across like crossing the Grand Canyon on a wire without
a net; only the best or most foolish wou;d dare to attempt such a thing. These veterans impressivley pull it off incredibly
well. Outside of the varied drum solo ("Labyrinth") and the thunderous drum dominated closer, "Exit 25,"
the tunes on Exposè consist of highly communicative sparring matches between a pair of improvising heavyweights.
The opening "Titanium" has Willis' hands laying down rapid fire post bop with an alarmingly free spirit that
keep coherence against Murphy's fluctuating drum work. Murphy's high hat and snare work is a cumbustible introduction
to "Liquid Dance" before Willis joins into the whirlwind with a geyser full of notes. There are aslo some wonderful
tender moments, as on the understated and eloquent ballad "Introspectus," as well as the brooding "Deeply Embraced,"
which features some ringing piano work. As the Good Book says, two are better than one, because they have a better return
for their work. Murphy's wonderful Exposè is proof positive of that.
Paul Murphy / Larry Willis April 2007 As Willis asserts in his brief notes, his and Murphy’s chosen jazz tributaries aren’t
so far removed. Their rapport is evident from the opening “A Prayer for All Ages”, a meditative modal piece with
a gospelish overtones. The largely improvised program follows a subtle, but noticeable narrative arc with early pieces hewing
more to structured designs and later ones dipping into a freer interaction. Willis’ digital dexterity is formidable
throughout, his fingers telegraphing cross patterns that express rich lyricism with slipping into languor. *An
arch colorist and master of percussive texture, Murphy responds with tumbling polyrhythms that roll and crest like waves on
an eddying tide and fill in the cracks in the pianist’s constructions… *Willis’
digital dexterity is formidable throughout, his fingers telegraphing cross patterns that express rich lyricism… ~ Derek Taylor (Bagatellen) January 9, 2008
Hidden away on small unknown labels is music that needs to be heard. A case in point is Excursions, featuring pianist Larry Willis and percussionist Paul Murphy.
On their duo record, their prowess provides a refreshing approach to create a conversation
that shows no pressure to go beyond the pristine limits that the recording provides.
Abstraction
is not as much the focus in this music as it is a concise, direct delivery of fluid musical notions that seem to be right
at the tips of the fingers of these two musicians. Over the course of their long careers, Willis and Murphy have played with
some of the most renowned jazz artists.
*The introductory track, “A
Prayer for All Ages,” is enough to fully embrace the listener and paint an ever-flowing picture of pianistic diversification
down to the trill that bridges one series of chordal progressions to another. The pieces that follow perform the same kind
of embracing, flavored with a minor key component that seems to throw a question mark—not into the clarity of the music,
but into the nature of the message...
*Willis moves with controlled
weight, constancy and persistent rhythm. Murphy’s drumming lands behind the piano sound and pulls the elegance out of
the striking of the keys involuting the strikes, taps, and swishes of the skins or cymbals with the finality of Willis’s
fingering... *The only composition not by Willis and Murphy is Gershwin’s
“My Man’s Gone Now.” The rendition from these two is foreboding and rattles the bones. There is seemingly
no moment when Willis’s fingers come off the keys until the end when he alights the treble with a peek at hope. But
the left-hand trill that perpetuates a more-than-blues quality lends heavy heartedness and sadness to Gershwin’s standard.
And in the end, the left hand is all that repeatedly speaks... *Murphy
takes off on a lengthy solo for the title composition. His motion is swift and tight, going between snare and cymbal, bolstered
by an occasional bass drum beat. The piece closes with a fast hi-hat clap that rolls over quickly into “Ostinato.”
The tom resonates, changing the vibration texture that becomes the groundwork for the piano to enter and proceed carefully,
sometimes dissonantly, and ponderously towards a swell where Willis breaks open to formulate series of varying repeated phrases
that branch out, exercising the entire keyboard, and return to strengthen the integrity of the composition…
*In
fact, the integrity of the entire recording is unquestionable.
By Lyn Horton, (All About Jazz) January 26, 2008
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PAUL MURPHY / LARRY WILLIS:
The Powers Of Two Vol. 1 Ever hear a duo create the impact of a symphony? Larry and Paul do just that. With only piano and
drums, they break through to a breathtaking new place in music, a space where jazz and classical and improv become indistinguishable.
I hear the haunting lyricism of Chopin and Bill Evans, the sweeping thunder of McCoy Tyner or Rachmaninoff, the exquisite
harmonic surprises of Debussy or Miles. Above all, I hear two jazz masters sounding like a hundred and swinging like one.
| Paul Murphy, the legendary Jimmy Lyons'
blazingly fast drummer, inspired a history-making session with Larry Willis.
Musician's love Larry's compositions. But,
until now, few knew he could compose brilliant complete pieces in the moment. The music in Volume 1 focused on the boundary
between jazz and classical. This CD, Volume 2, is all about melody and swinging and the breathtaking drama of two masters
improvising with one mind. Fred Kaplan picked The Powers Of Two as one of the "Ten Best of the Year", and Volume
2 is even better! |
December 12, 2000 Washington DC
Enarre Cadence
Jazz Records CJR 1147
Jazz Drummer, Paul Murphy, is a veteran Avant-Garde freestyle jazzer
whose experience goes back to membership in various groups led by Jimmy Lyons in the 1970s and 1980s. His highest profile,
if anything in free jazz has a high profile, came in the late 1990s when he held the drum chair in Hurricane Trio. His band
completed by tenor saxophonist Glenn Spearman and bassist William Parker. The Washington, D.C. based Murphy still plays on
either coast, and this memorable session shows that his mixture of force and finesse is easily put to good use. Most noteworthy
is his style, which can be summed up as presence without pulverization. You can sense Murphy's skills on each of the five
instant compositions here.
"Drummer Paul
Murphy is perhaps best known for his long and productive association with the late great alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons. Mr.
Murphy's uncommon musicality and consummate technique are still a revelation. Even when he's riding the beat as though
he were Max Roach urging Dexter Gordon to let go, Mr. Murphy's precision and delicate touch allow him to contain his explosions
in a way that is beyond the ken of most contemporary drummers. His sizzling and pumping combine to drive things along with
strangely two-fisted grace" -Byron Coley 1998
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Bagatellen
“Winds Run”
Murphy’s oceanic rhythms work almost
as a tincture to the blistering lines of Eneidi’s horn and the punishing thrumming of Killion’s callused fingers.
They end up the tempered glue that counterbalances the more recalcitrant leanings of his colleagues. On the opener ‘Outlines’
the three only rarely relinquish momentum. A near continuous fount of skidding figures pour from Eneidi’s alto as he
recalls the velocity of Lyons as Murphy matches his speed with rolling mallets. A gravity defying gossamer wisp dispersed
by inevitable silence.
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“Winds Run” finds
Murphy churning up more rhythmic spindrift on snare and cymbals and Eneidi once again almost blowing a gasket with the amount
of lungpower funneled through his mouthpiece. All the while Killion hunt and pecks a canny pizzicato ribbon amidst the din.
On “Ixion” the cellist saws his strings down to frayed braids as he and Eneidi riding another tidal crest set
in motion by Murphy’s fluid stickplay. Tracks like “Jacinthe” and “Rouge” contrast the burners
beautifully, diffusing comparable energy into structures that rely more prominently on space and gradation. At just shy of seventy-minutes it’s
a hefty slab of music, but the rewards for devoting one’s ears are manifold. Murphy’s constantly recalibrating
rhythms make the minutes glide by and in close league with his partners he hatches a program that generates a high degree
of replay value. As hopeful as I am that Eneidi’s circumstances have improved, his indignation supplies an undeniably
potent source of improvisatory brilliance. ~ Derek Taylor Posted by derek on July 6, 2004 6:12 PM
A MINUTE WITH MILES (Mapleshade Records) "...A suite depicting jazz music from its African origins through swing
and bop to modal jazz and beyond." "...a communiqué from a hidden treasure of creative jazz, a real find." Hi Fi News and Record Review
A*1 rating
To sit down with a small stack of your very first Mapleshades
is a revelation. Sonically, they combine AudioQuest's gut-level impact with Chesky's accurate rendering of
space. The beginning of Eddie Gale's A Minute with Miles, for example, startles you to attention
with the ragged raw edges of Gale's muted trumpet. But you also can tune in to the vivid minutiae of Paul Murphy's
actions at his drum kit, tapping, rattling, and feathering.
"Highly recommended. Excellent!"
Jazz Now
Jazz Now
"3-1/2
stars"
San Jose Mercury News
"Among
the Best Jazz Records for 1993"
New York Village Voice
Music that stands at the apex of those
traditions that really matter in jazz: power, beauty, invention, insurrection. -- byron coley Jazziz critics' pick top ten recordings 1998
Coda magazine writers choice top ten recordings 1998
Cadence magazine reviewers'
choice top ten recordings 1998
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