This is Hip - The Life of Mark Murphy - Peter Jones
Much to Do and Not a Moment to Spare
This is Hip - The Life of Mark Murphy - Peter Jones
Peter Jones [+]
Jazz singer and journalist
Peter Jones is a jazz singer and journalist based in London.
He read English at St Peter’s College, Oxford, and after a brief sojourn at the University of New Mexico he returned to England and began working as a pop music journalist. After a decade as a film and TV publicist, during which he was the researcher for the autobiography of Spitting Image founder Roger Law, he gained an MA in Film and Television Studies from the University of Westminster. Until 2015 he taught film and media at a variety of London colleges, and published a short book on black cinema (BFI Publishing), followed by a handbook for Media and Film students (Hodder Arnold).
For several years he played bass in a jazz sextet, before deciding to concentrate on singing. At around the time of his first album (‘One Way Ticket to Palookaville’ - 2013) he developed a serious interest in the work of Mark Murphy, which has continued ever since. He began working for London Jazz News, reviewing concerts and CDs, and conducting interviews, including one with Kurt Elling in 2015. His second album (‘Utopia’) was released in 2016.
Description
In 2006, by now in his mid-seventies, Murphy appeared to be suffering from Alzheimer’s: his memory was increasingly poor, he needed help with day-to-day living, and live appearances were becoming few and far between. With the help of new manager Jean-Pierre Leduc, he was re-examined and found not to have Alzheimer’s after all. Placed on new medication, Murphy’s condition improved, and there followed more recording and international performing. His final years were spent at the Lillian Booth Actors’ home in New Jersey. He died in October 2015.