JAZZ REVIEW : Mark Murphy, Plus Trio and a Mostly Sophisticated Song Bag

Mark Murphy has a way with words; also, as soon as he dips into his scat bag, a way without words. An unabashed jazz singer who has devoted a long career (much of it in England) to the propagation of the sophisticated material he believes in, he opened Thursday at the Catalina Bar & Grill, backed by a fittingly hip trio under the direction of pianist Tom Garvin.

Opening with Oliver Nelson’s instrumental “Stolen Moments,” to which he set his own lyrics, Murphy displayed a strong, bold sound well fitted to the tune’s engaging harmonic contours. He followed with “Moody’s Mood for Love,” another vehicle of jazz origin, by now familiar through many vocal versions.

Murphy’s choice of standard songs leans to the esoteric: on “I Can’t Get Started” he not only began with the seldom-heard verse, but proceeded to the almost equally rare second chorus of lyrics.

His tendency to over-emote surfaced in a melodramatic “As Time Goes By,” which eventually segued into “Maiden Voyage.” The latter was top-drawer Murphy until the voyage struck a reef, in the form of an almost literally endless rap--it just faded away.

As if to prove that his taste in songs isn’t entirely flawless, he took on “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens,” a silly novelty when Louis Jordan sang it 40 years ago, and upgraded not a whit by Murphy’s decision to append a series of lame chicken jokes.

Garvin, aided by Tom Warrington on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums, opened the show with a briskly stated version of “Have You Met Miss Jones.” The show closes tonight.