Spud Murphy
Encyclopedia
Lyle Stephanovic, better known as Spud Murphy (August 19, 1908 - August 5, 2005) was an American jazz
multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and arranger.
Born Miko Stefanovic to Serbian
émigré parents in Berlin, Germany, Murphy grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah
, where he took the name of a childhood friend. Murphy studied clarinet and saxophone when young and took trumpet lessons from Red Nichols
's father. He worked with Jimmy Joy in 1927-28 and with Ross Gorman and Slim Lamar (on oboe) in 1928. He worked in the early 1930s as saxophonist-arranger for Austin Wylie
, Jan Garber
, Mal Hallett
, and Joe Haymes
, then became a staff arranger for Benny Goodman
from 1935 to 1937. At the same time he also contributed charts to the Casa Loma Orchestra
, Isham Jones
, Les Brown
and many others.
From 1937 to 1940 Murphy led a big band
, and recorded for Decca Records
and Bluebird Records
in 1938-39. In the 1940s he relocated to Los Angeles
, where he did work in the studios and with film music, in addition to authoring and teaching the 1200-page "System of Horizontal Composition" (a.k.a. "Equal Interval System"). He recorded two jazz albums in the 1950s, but his later career was focused on classical and film music.
In 2003, orchestra leader Dean Mora, a close friend of Murphy's, recorded some two dozen of his arrangements in a tribute CD, Goblin Market.
Spud Murphy died in Los Angeles, two weeks short of his 97th birthday.
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and arranger.
Born Miko Stefanovic to Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
émigré parents in Berlin, Germany, Murphy grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, where he took the name of a childhood friend. Murphy studied clarinet and saxophone when young and took trumpet lessons from Red Nichols
Red Nichols
Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols was an American jazz cornettist, composer, and jazz bandleader.Over his long career, Nichols recorded in a wide variety of musical styles, and critic Steve Leggett describes him as "an expert cornet player, a solid improviser, and apparently a workaholic, since he is...
's father. He worked with Jimmy Joy in 1927-28 and with Ross Gorman and Slim Lamar (on oboe) in 1928. He worked in the early 1930s as saxophonist-arranger for Austin Wylie
Austin Wylie
Austin Wylie was an American jazz bandleader.Wylie led a dance band in the 1920s and early 1930s which operated as a territory band based out of Cleveland, Ohio, though he also broadcast on national radio. The band was sometimes billed as the Golden Pheasant Orchestra...
, Jan Garber
Jan Garber
Jan Garber was an American jazz bandleader.-Biography:Garber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his own band by the time he was 21 . He became known as "The Idol of the Airwaves" in his heyday of the 1920s and 1930s, playing jazz in the vein of contemporaries such as Paul Whiteman and Guy...
, Mal Hallett
Mal Hallett
Mal Hallett was an American jazz violinist and bandleader.Hallett was a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music. He played in France during World War I as a member of Al Moore's orchestra, and led his own band, primarily in New England, for much of the 1930s...
, and Joe Haymes
Joe Haymes
Joseph Lawrence Haymes was an American jazz bandleader and arranger.Born in Marshfield, Missouri, Haymes relocated with his family to Springfield, Missouri, after his railroader father was killed in an accident. Joe attended Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield and was a drummer in the local...
, then became a staff arranger for Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
from 1935 to 1937. At the same time he also contributed charts to the Casa Loma Orchestra
Casa Loma Orchestra
The Casa Loma Orchestra was a popular American dance band active from 1927 to 1963. From 1929 until the rapid multiplication in the number of swing bands from 1935 on, the Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top North American dance bands...
, Isham Jones
Isham Jones
Isham Jones was a United States bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.-Career:Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, to a musical and mining family, and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where he started his first band...
, Les Brown
Les Brown
Les Brown may refer to:*Les Brown , U.S. Big Band leader, or his son, Les Brown Jr., leader since 2001*Les Brown , American author-See also:*Leslie Brown...
and many others.
From 1937 to 1940 Murphy led a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, and recorded for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
in 1938-39. In the 1940s he relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he did work in the studios and with film music, in addition to authoring and teaching the 1200-page "System of Horizontal Composition" (a.k.a. "Equal Interval System"). He recorded two jazz albums in the 1950s, but his later career was focused on classical and film music.
In 2003, orchestra leader Dean Mora, a close friend of Murphy's, recorded some two dozen of his arrangements in a tribute CD, Goblin Market.
Spud Murphy died in Los Angeles, two weeks short of his 97th birthday.
Equal Interval System (EIS)
The Equal Interval System (EIS) (also known as the 'System of Horizontal Composition based on Equal Intervals') is a modern system of music composition, developed by Murphy over a lifetime of research. Several courses based upon the EIS system are currently taught at Pasadena City CollegePasadena City College
Pasadena City College is a community college in Pasadena, California, USA, located on Colorado Boulevard. PCC is the third largest community college campus in the United States. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. In 1954, Pasadena Junior College merged with another junior...
.
Discography
- New Orbits in Sound (GNPGNP Records-Artists:*Moms & Dads*Billy Strange*Savoy Brown*Stan Kenton*Bing Crosby*Neil Norman*David Matthews*Django Reinhardt*Duke Ellington*Louis Armstrong*Bob Kames*Champion Jack Dupree*John Lee Hooker*Memphis Slim*Clifton Chenier*Jimmy Reed*Big Joe Williams...
/Crescendo, 1955–57) - Gone with the Woodwinds (Contemporary RecordsContemporary RecordsContemporary Records was a jazz record label founded by Lester Koenig in 1951 in Los Angeles. Contemporary was known for seminal recordings embodying the West Coast sound, but also released recordings based in New York...
, 1955)