In the company of eight musicians from the fabled Kenny Clarke/ Francy Boland Big Band, who recorded a number of albums for the German jazz label MPS Records between 1961 and 1972, Midnight Mood is a must-hear recording, not just for Murphy die-hards but all lovers of vocal jazz. From Clarke’s infectious, shuffling beat on album opener ‘Jump For Joy’ to the Boland/Murphy-penned ‘Hopeless’ which offers a masterclass in ballad singing and sustaining the melodic line, the 10-track album is outstandingly good on all fronts: dynamic control, time-bending phrasing, plus an immense depth of feeling. Aside from Clarke and Boland, the terrific band also includes ex-Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode, whose ‘Sconsolato’ is one of the album’s highlights, Ronnie Scott (who weaves the opening of Beethoven’s Für Elise into a brilliant solo in ‘Alone Together’) and Sahib Shihab, doubling on bari sax and flute. A Deuchar and Murphy co-write, ‘Why And How’ is a grooving modal vamp powered by Clarke’s potent backbeat. Accompanied solely by Boland, Woode and Clarke, best of all is Murphy’s immaculate legato on one of the most beautiful versions ever recorded of the Weill/Gershwin classic, ‘My Ship’.