July 29th – Mark Murphy – Don’t Let Your Eyes Go Shopping (For Your Heart)

Here’s another unjustly neglected gem.  Originally recorded by Nat Cole around 1950, Gene Austin and Harry Beasley Smith’s charming little song sank without trace until Mark Murphy revived it 35 years later – and then it sank without trace again.

Murphy recorded many extraordinary albums during more than 20 years with Joe Fields’ Muse and HighNote labels, including two dedicated to the songs of Nat King Cole.  Both LP’s featured Cole’s original trio line-up of piano, guitar and bass but Murphy only sings with one of the three on each track.  This time it’s the turn of guitarist Joe LoDuca to duet.  The albums feature some of MM’s greatest ballad singing so we may need to return to them at some point…

 

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