Kerouac Then and Now

by Scott YanowOn this CD, Mark Murphy sings music that he thinks writer Jack Kerouac would have liked in addition to reading excerpts from two of the novelist's works and recreating a classic comedy routine by Lord Buckley. Among the songs Murphy performs (with the assistance of pianist Bill Mays, Steve LaSpina or John Goldsby on bass and drummer Adam Nussbaum) are a painfully slow and highly expressive version of Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count," Richie Cole's tribute to Eddie Jefferson, a vocalese rendition of "Take The 'A' Train," the classic Thelonious Monk ballad "Ask Me Now," a descriptive "Lazy Afternoon" and a ballad medley. However it is Mark Murphy's narratives that make this set most unique and memorable.