Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Turk Murphy 100 -- December 16, 2015


Happy 100th birthday to trombonist, composer, arranger and band leader Turk Murphy, who was born on 16-December-1915.  With trumpeter Lu Watters and the Yerba Buena Jazz Band, Murphy helped to drive the traditional jazz revival that started in the Bay Area before World War II.  Murphy served in the Navy during the war, then rejoined the Watters band until 1947, when he left to form his own band.  I saw them at Earthquake McGoon's on the Embarcadero and Pier 39, and at the 75th anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.  The musicians didn't bother to go to bed before showing up at Lotta's Fountain at 5am. 








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