The Latin Porter

2000 live album by Mark Murphy

The Latin Porter

Live album by

Mark Murphy

Released| 2000
Recorded| January 19–20, 2000
Venue| Dakota Bar and Grill, St. Paul, Minnesota
Genre| Vocal jazz
Length| 1:06:43
Label| Go Jazz
Producer| Leo Sidran
Mark Murphy chronology
| Some Time Ago
(1999)  | The Latin Porter
(2000)  | Links
(2000)

|
|

The Latin Porter is a live album by Mark Murphy.

The Latin Porter is the 38th album by American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy. It was recorded in 2000 when Murphy was 68 years old and released by the Go Jazz label in Germany and the United States in 2000. The album is a collection of Cole Porter songs performed live with a jazz sextet and with guest trumpeter Tom Harrell at the Dakota Bar and Grill, January 19 and 20, 2002, St. Paul, MN.

## Background

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After completing Some Time Ago Murphy recorded The Latin Porter as a onetime release on the label Go Jazz, before his new contract with Joe Field's new label HighNote took effect.[1] This live set of Cole Porter songs recorded in January 2000 at the Dakota Bar in St Paul, Minnesota also featured trumpeter Tom Harrell. Murphy says on the recording, "Cole Porter proved that you don't have to be poor to write a good song. Everything that's old is becoming new again - even me, folks."[1][2]

Murphy had recently won the 2000 Downbeat Magazine Reader's Poll as Male Vocalist of the Year and would win again in 2001.[1]

## Recording

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The album was produced by Leo Sidran.[3] This was the Grammy and Oscar winning multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, sound engineer podcaster and musical producer's only album with Murphy.[3] Sidran hired pianist Peter Schimke, considered a Latin specialist, as musical director.[1] Schimke hired trombonist Al Bent to do the arrangements.[1] Peter Jones says, "The songs are all rendered Latin style, heavy on percussion".[1] Bent had recorded previously with Cal Tjader, Pete Escovedo, and Santana, among others.[4] Murphy improvises heavily, using scat, vocalese, and wordless improvisation. Extended time is given to instrumental solos from the band.[1]

Tom Harrell previously recorded with Murphy on Satisfaction Guaranteed and The Artistry Of Mark Murphy. Other than Harrell, the remaining musicians forming the septet had not previously recorded with Murphy.

## Reception

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [5]

AllMusic assigns the album 4.5 stars. Alex Henderson writes, "Murphy manages to keep the Porter songbook fresh and exciting...every Porter standard on this excellent CD gets a Latin makeover". He writes of Murphy's performance, "Besides, the veteran singer is so risk-taking and distinctive that even the most overdone warhorses can be interesting in his hands...he also unearths a few of Porter's lesser-known gems, including "Looking at You" and "Experimental." He concludes by saying, "The Latin Porter is, without question, one of 2000's most rewarding jazz vocal releases".[5]

Scott Yanow, in his book The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide, includes the album in his list of "other worthy recordings of the past 20 years" by Mark Murphy.[6]

Murphy biographer Peter Jones, calls the release, "another fine album".[1]

Michael Pronko writes, "The Latin Porter, released last year, deftly braids together his highly improvisational style with the sophisticated bounce of Cole Porter's compositions and lilting Latin rhythms".[7]

## Track listing

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1. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (Cole Porter) – 9:38
2. "In the Still of the Night" (Porter) – 7:30
3. "Dream Dancing" (Porter) – 7:15
4. "Get Out of Town" (Porter) – 5:42
5. "Looking at You" (Porter) – 6:09
6. "I've Got You Under My Skin" (Porter) – 4:33
7. "All of You" (Porter) – 9:41
8. "Everything I Love" (Porter) – 8:33
9. "Experimental" (Porter) – 7:41

## Personnel

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Performance

* Mark Murphy – vocals, original concept
* Tom Harrell – trumpet
* Mark Van Wageningen – bass
* Peter Schimke – piano, music director
* Daniel Gonzalez – drums
* Esther Godinez – percussion, backup vocal
* Al Bent – trombone, arranger

Production

* Steve Wiese – mixing, recording engineer, recorded at Dakota Bar and Grill January 19 and 20, 2002, St. Paul, MN
* Leo Sidran – producer, mixing
* George Marino – mastering
* Gonzalo Lasheras – production assistance
* Mike Dvorak – photography

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h Jones, Peter (2018). This is hip: the life of Mark Murphy. Popular music history. Sheffield, UK ; Bristol, CT: Equinox Publishing. p. 139\. ISBN 978-1-78179-473-9.
2. ^ Murphy, Mark. (2000). The Latin Porter. Mark Murphy. Go Jazz Records.
3. ^ a b "Leo Sidran Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
4. ^ "Al Bent Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | A..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
5. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. Mark Murphy – The Latin Porter: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
6. ^ Yanow, Scott (2008). The jazz singers: the ultimate guide. New York: Backbeat Books. pp. 161–162. ISBN 978-0-87930-825-4. OCLC 148769861.
7. ^ Pronko, Michael (May 23, 2001). "Mark Murphy". The Japan Times.

## External links

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* The Latin Porter at MusicBrainz (release group)
* The Latin Porter at Discogs (master release)
* The Latin Porter at AllMusic (master release)
* Mark Murphy in The Penguin Guide to Jazz at Internet Archive
* Mark Murphy in The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide at Internet Archive

* v
* t
* e

Mark Murphy

Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.

Studio albums|

* This Could Be the Start of Something (1958)
* Mark Murphy's Hip Parade (1959)
* Playing the Field (1960)
* Rah (1961)
* That's How I Love the Blues! (1962)
* Midnight Mood (1967)
* The Dream (1969-1993)
* Bridging a Gap (1972)
* Mark II (1973)
* Mark Murphy Sings (1975)
* Mark Murphy Sings Mostly Dorothy Fields & Cy Coleman (1977)
* Stolen Moments (1978)
* Satisfaction Guaranteed (1979)
* Bop for Kerouac (1981)
* The Artistry of Mark Murphy (1982)
* Brazil Song (Cancões Do Brasil) (1983)
* Mark Murphy Sings the Nat "King" Cole Songbook, Volume One (1983)
* Living Room (1984)
* Beauty and the Beast (1985)
* Night Mood: The Music of Ivan Lins (1986)
* September Ballads (1987)
* Kerouac, Then and Now (1989)
* What a Way to Go (1990)
* One for Junior (1991)
* I'll Close My Eyes (1991)
* Very Early (1993)
* Song for the Geese (1995)
* Dim the Lights (1996)
* Some Time Ago (1999)
* Links (2000)
* Lucky to Be Me (2001)
* Once to Every Heart (2002)
* Memories of You: Remembering Joe Williams (2003)
* Love Is What Stays (2007)
* Never Let Me Go (2010)
* A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn (2012)

Live albums|

* Wild and Free: Live at the Keystone Korner (1980)
* Bop for Miles (1990)
* Just Jazz (1993)
* The Latin Porter (2000)

Compilation albums|

* Stolen...And Other Moments (1997)
* The Best of Mark Murphy: The Capitol Years (1997)
* Jazz Standards (1998)
* Songbook (1999)
* Mark Murphy Sings Nat King Cole & More (1999)
* Crazy Rhythm: His Debut Recordings (1999)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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