Sensitivity is a hallmark for the vocalist. Concentrated, focused attentiveness to a genre, style, or even an intimate message. Mark Murphy was dedicated to crafting his artistry with a sensitivity that was emotionally close to the quick. He was described as a jazz hipster of the Kerouac generation. With that came a standing apart from the establishment and a devotion to expression that seemed to know no boundary. The song enjoyed creative and playful improvisation. He rebelled against the standard or norms of expectation of the commercial music industry letting his sensitivity lead him. His supreme dedication to the song as art form saw him creatively adding lyrics to Coltrane’s “Naima” and Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments.”
Being a gay male in the days of his heyday meant much emotional challenge. This affected how he presented his integrity. The 50s and ‘60s were days where gay was not the expected or outwardly accepted sexual orientation. It was Sammy Davis Jr. who discovered Murphy singing in a jazz session in the early 1950s and he was impressed, impressed so much that he had Murphy perform in his show.
All you have to do is listen, and in Murphy’s voice you hear the hallmark of sensitivity. It is right at the top of the singer’s toolbox.