 Excursions:
Paul Murphy / Larry Willis Consider those among us capable of extraordinary awareness. These seers, prophets, and geniuses
have acquired their superior wisdom while participating in structures more evolved and current in its form and structure.
The latest Cd Excursions is exquisite and extraordinary in tone and projection. The sound quality is absolutely pristine,
very balanced and tight. The music of this dynamic Duo is always legendary, but what they have produced here surpasses anything
done before. The most important aspect on the planet is our ability to listen and communicate. When one listens and contributes
the musical possibilities become infinite. Paul F Murphy Paul is a true master improviser.
He was a child prodigy at the age of seven. He studied drums with Gene Krupa and Joseph Leavitt. His musical
training was further enhanced by attending seminars conducted by the legendary Louie Bellson. By the age of sixteen, he was
playing Bebop with Duke Ellington’s Bassist, Billy Taylor. As one of the innovators of Avant-Garde, Paul moved to the
West Coast and started playing in San Francisco and the Bay area with Steve D’Amico and Mary Anne Driscoll. In 1974
Jimmy Lyons heard Paul play and asked him to come to New York to join his group. For the next twelve years, Paul played, recorded and toured
the USA and Europe with Jimmy. During this New York period, Paul led his own fabulous Quintet with the legendary Dewey Johnson,
Jay Oliver, Mary Anne Driscoll, and Karen Borca. He has recorded and played with a spectrum of musicians ranging from Jaki
Bayard, Clifford Jordan, Eddie Gale and Sun Ra to Walter Davis Jr. and Larry Willis. Larry
Willis Larry was born in New York City on December 20, 1942. Coming
from a Christian family, his initial exposure to music came through the church, singing in the church youth choir. Larry began
his musical training at the Victoria School of Musical Arts in Harlem. He went on to study at the New York High School of
Music. He also studied privately with famed Jazz Piano teacher, John Mehegan. At age nineteen he joined the group of Alto Saxophone great, Jackie
McLean. From there Larry played with such notables as Hugh Masekela, Kai Wending, Stan Getz, Gloria Lynne, Miriam Makeba,
Blood Sweat and Tears, Cannon Ball and Nat Addley, Carmen McRae, Woody Shaw, Branford Maralis, Lee Morgan, Herb Alpert, Dizzy
Gillespie, Fort Apache Band, and Paul Murphy. He has recorded as a sideman on over Four Hundred recordings, as well as
over 21, as a leader. He has also composed many compositions ranging from small ensembles to Symphony Orchestras. Larry is
also exclusively recording for High Note records. 
Break Away:
Paul Murphy / Jere Carroll / Joel Futterman
Paul F Murphy
Avant-Garde Jazz drummer and freestyler has once again astonished
the senses with his churning rhythmic snare and cymbals work. His stick-play and fluid motion is the heart of this latest
recording. His beats have a propulsive drive, the cymbal and crossover work transcends into an explosion of rhythms, jarringly
the passive listener entirely into new expansions of the mind.
Joel
Futterman is best known for his spirited, highly imaginative
and innovative piano and Soprano Sax technique. He is a veteran pioneer in the frontier of spontaneous, improvised music and
is considered one of the foremost inventive, adventurous artists shaping the creative, progressive music scene today.
Jere Carroll Co-founder and National Coordinator for AIUSA National student
base Human Rights call for posters art program. She was the selected Poet for the grand opening of the Mary Pickford Theatre,
in the Library of Congress. She has performed her work at venues such as George Washington University, the Visions Festival
in New York City, on WPFW FM radio and on behalf of Amnesty International. She has teamed up in the past with Paul and Joel
for the CDs ‘Trio Hurricane’ (Black Saint Records, Milan Italy) and the ‘Enarre’ (Cadence Records)
project. With the completion of this latest project, they have created some of their most magnificent work to date as they
extend the current limits of performance and maneuver beyond commonly accepted boundaries.
 SUITE OF WINDS DRUMMER, PAUL MURPHY: RAPIDLY REPEATING INTERSECTIONS
OF COLOR AND SENSE RUSHED THROUGH MIND’S EYE, IT WAS A DARK AND WET SIDE ALLEY, WHERE I LEANED A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF
TWO WHEELED CALIFORNIA ART, TO STAND SILENT THROUGH ANOTHER WET AND FOG FILLED NIGHT. WHISTLES-CRACKS-SHOUTS- AND BEAUTIFUL VOICED HARMONIES WRAPPED
ABOUT A LISTENER ON THIS PECULIAR CORNER, KEYSTONE, SAN FRANCISCO’S HOUSE OF JAZZ, IT WAS HERE, THE WET AND FRIGID NIGHT
BEFORE, WHERE A CASSETTE WAS LISTENED AT BY TWO MASTERS. TWO MEN, TWO GIANTS, FORCES WHO COULD NOT ONLY INFLUENCE BUT
TRANSCEND ONE'S LIFE.
 Shadow Intersections West Time: 4 a.m., Place: New York City, Club:
Ali’s Alley.
The sets were stunning, the audience…. twisted…. around music’s’ tapestry of interlocked sounds. “Hey man! You know how to
tune a snare drum? Get me your snare.” “Why mine?” “Rashied let me see your drum.”
Time: 6:30 a.m. One snare drum completely disassembled, from heads, counter hoops, strainer, snares, lugs, washers and tension
rods. Reassembled
and tuned! In a deep
wonderful voice, with echoes of Transylvania, Drummer ‘Philly’ Joe Jones said, “Now, that’s how you
tune a snare drum.” Philly Joe headed out to his hotel while Rashied and I had one last…. Tour of the club. I had a rehearsal with Jimmy Lyons, Jay Oliver,
bass and Karen Borca, bassoon, later that afternoon. While setting up Jimmy’s drums, I couldn’t help smiling
about Philly, such a great player. There was a young man packing up an alto and Jimmy introduced me to Marco Eneides, whom I would listen to
and play with in the years to come. The six-hour rehearsal came to a close, Jay Oliver and I headed back to the lower east side on the D train. By 8 p.m. I set up the tables while
Rashied stocked the bar. At 10 o’clock Philly Joe kicked off the set and once again I began to expand my mind. Kash Killion and I played many
wonderful gigs with India Cook and Glenn Spearman. Out on the coast – Kash has developed his concept and style
over the years, through interludes with Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Eddie Gayle and Aliak Barkan. His bowing and pizzicato
are living proof of his dedication and love of music
 Paul Murphy
Red Snapper
(Cadence Jazz)
by Derek Taylor
8 March 2004
Last year was the year of Lyons—Jimmy
Lyons to be exact. Ayler Records put a lock on 2003's crowning laurel for with its five-disc compendium that covered a
cross-section of the alto saxophonist's previously unreleased recordings. The winnowing process on that production left
additional sessions still in the can so, given the publicized surplus, Red Snapper isn't as much of a surprise.
And to be fair too, it isn't Lyons' date. Back in 1982 drummer Paul Murphy brought Lyons and four other colleagues
into the studio to lay down tracks for an album under his leadership. Rounding out the band were pianist Mary Anne Driscoll,
bassoonist Karen Borca and Dewey Johnson on trumpet. The closely aligning semantics of the initial tracks carry over
into later ones as well, making it easy to ascertain instrumentation from one piece to the next. Nineteen cuts fly by in just
over the time it takes for an hourglass to empty. All but six are under four minutes in duration. The brevity is often exhilarating,
but sometimes vexing in that ideas seem sometimes left under-developed. The "Scenery" pieces, three in number, match
Driscoll's piano and Johnson's trumpet with Murphy's percussion kit. Driscoll's style at the ivories recalls
that of Alice Coltrane in her tendency toward tidal right hand cascades, while Johnson resorts to scalar loops of notes interspersed
with tapering tonal smears. "Wild Reed" and "Reeding Room" trade up Driscoll and Johnson for Borca's
bustling bassoon, but these comparatively brief pieces are the only ones to feature her double reed.
 LARRY WILLIS:
Sunshower Want a chance to hear the great Larry Willis
stretch out in adventurous new directions? My friend, Paul Murphy, Jimmy Lyon’s incredible drummer,
was the catalyst. He brought the blues-steeped improvising cellist, Kash Killion, to the studio. Larry, as
intrigued with Kash’s sound as I was, rose to the challenge. Larry’s always selfless accompaniment draws the three
great players into a tight, exciting new trio sound, a sound of remarkable freedom. Larry’s startlingly apt chords invigorate
Kash’s bluesy sound. They breathe new life into jazz classics like “Soul Eyes”, “Summer Serenade”
and “Little Melanie”—while beautifully exploring the cello’s myriad voices. Featuring Paul Murphy
or Steve Berrios on drums, and Steve Novosel on bass
 Paul Murphy-Joel Futterman Quartet
(Kali)
by Frank Rubolino
April 2001
Paul Murphy and Joel Futterman performed
in concert at George Washington University in 1999, and the result of that collaboration, which included Jimmy Williams and
Vattel Cherry, is presented on this CD. The Kali record label asserts in its mission statement that improvisation is "a
high art form and a potentially transformative and spiritual experience for both the listener and the performer". To
the cognoscenti, that is a given, and it is encouraging to see a label openly profess its direction and convictions. While
the recording quality of this exciting concert, which is slightly understated in dynamic range, may not measure up to the
highest standards of this digital age, it is nonetheless stimulating and important music.
Futterman is as aggressive
as ever on piano, and he also dabbles with a few wind instruments in extending the parameters and dimensions of the music.
He is a whirlwind of energy, a tack his recordings frequently take, yet he always manages to inject new vitality into the
challenge at hand. Murphy is a catalytic converter of raw energy into controlled and channeled motivation. He can be subtle
or demonstrative while creating a fury of excitement for the band. Murphy's drumming is a powerhouse of invention, giving
the recording much of its forward momentum.
One of the most refreshing voices on guitar today is Jimmy Williams.
He has the talent and technique to ignite forest fires, and he brings a fresh spark of electricity to this session. His improvisations
at times reflect the developmental construction of a piano player as he scurries forward with improvisatory logic. He sustains
a fiercely burning flame with his aggressive runs, yet he conveys the sense of being totally in control at all times. Cherry
unassumingly proceeds to underscore this fast-moving freight train with dense bass support as he adds shifting nuances and
solidifying force to the unit.
The concert was an artistic success. The music presented by this quartet was strong
medicine. It ends with a three-minute recitation by poet Jere Carroll relating her DC experience, which somehow seems anticlimactic
after the intensity of the quartet. The music said it all.
 Give
it up: Altoist
Jimmy Lyons spent most of his career as a member of Cecil Taylor's Units.
For his own projects, it is not too surprising that he chose not to utilize a piano. On these occasions, Jimmy Lyons often teamed up with the adventurous bassoonist Karen Borca, and for this set their quartet, with bassist Jay Oliver and drummer Paul Murphy, is joined by the lyrical trumpet of Enrico Rava. They stretch out on
four of Jimmys' emotional originals; the ensemble work is frequently exciting;
and the front line boasts three distinctive and rather different (but complementary) solo voices. Highly recommended. ~ Scott
Yanow, All Music Guide
 Trio
Hurricane
live at fire in the valley
26 july 1997
Fire
in the valley festival amherst, ma Glenn spearman tenor saxophone
Paul murphy drums
William parker bass Murphy deserves much more credit for his powerful and responsive trap work. "One of the best concerts of 1997
is now one of the best releases of 1998. The fire-breathing Trio Hurricane made one previous album 10 years ago, a tribute
to Jimmy Lyons, and hadn't played together since, but at Amherst's annual all-day free jazz fest, FIRE IN THE VALLEY,
they picked up where they left off in a set played with life-or-death intensity. The energy level is impressive, but it's
the band's rapport and the tight focus, concentration, and discipline that makes the album extraordinary. Spearman's
urgency is of Biblical proportions, and his tenor jeremaids of blisteringly fast runs, choppy short phrases, squeals, and
white-hot sounds are delivered with righteous wrath that burns like coals. But the intellectual passion balances the emotional
power of his solos. 'Blues for John and Frank' and the blistering 'N.Y.N.Y.' are towering, even terrifying
performances. Bassist Parker is the most consistently inventive player on any instrument in contemporary free jazz, and he
outdoes himself here: his bowed lamentation on 'Tones For William' is a highlight.
This is an essential document."
--ed hazell, boston phoenix
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