Bop for Miles


Bop for Miles is 2004 live album by Mark Murphy, recorded in tribute to trumpeter Miles Davis.
Recorded live in Vienna in 1990, the final track, "Miles", was recorded in 1999.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states: "As is typical of Murphy, his readings of these tunes are seminal. His attention to color and nuance in a ballad like 'Summertime' is just plain canny: he seems to coax the emotion out of the tune from underneath it, from someplace it was hidden away from view. As Murphy seamlessly changes tempos, keys, and vocal styles without blinking, the poetry gives way to burning scat and improv. A live gig by a master, this is worth seeking out."
Richard Cook and Brian Morton assign a 3 star rating in The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings and call the mix of Davis originals and Davis-associated standards "something of the feel of a sought-after live bootleg". The review singles out the opening of "On Green Dolphin Street" as "an a cappella tour de force from the singer".
Christopher Louden highly praised the album in his JazzTimes review. He called the album a "sublime treat. Recorded live in Vienna in 1990 these 10 tracks capture Murphy - not only jazz’s greatest male jazz singer of the past half - century but also its most intelligent, articulate, imaginative innovator - at his free-form finest".

Track listing

  1. "All Blues" - 6:44
  2. "Summertime" - 4:08
  3. "Autumn Leaves" - 3:35
  4. "Bye Bye Blackbird" - 6:03
  5. "On Green Dolphin Street" - 7:22
  6. "My Ship" - 3:10
  7. "Farmer's Market" - 7:30
  8. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" - 5:01
  9. "Parker's Mood" - 5:48
  10. "Milestones" - 5:25
  11. "Miles" - 2:59

Personnel

;Production