First Listen: Tony Adamo pays tribute to Mark Murphy and UFOs

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    (May 13, 2020) In 2015, we described singer and spoken word artist Tony Adamo as “a true anachronism: a performer who is authentically ‘cool’ in a timeless, almost reckless way that almost no popular artist today can match.” It’s five years later and the irrepressible Mr. Adamo is still doing his thing – his thing ­being a vocal/hipspokenword sound that is unlike anything else out there, with a message and a cadence that come from a past time in jazz history that is as much mythical as it is pinpointable.

    (May 13, 2020) In 2015, we described singer and spoken word artist Tony Adamo as “a true anachronism: a performer who is authentically ‘cool’ in a timeless, almost reckless way that almost no popular artist today can match.” It’s five years later and the irrepressible Mr. Adamo is still doing his thing – his thing ­being a vocal/hipspokenword sound that is unlike anything else out there, with a message and a cadence that come from a past time in jazz history that is as much mythical as it is pinpointable.

    With his latest single on Ropeadope Records, Adamo pays tribute to much-honored jazz singer Mark Murphy, who recorded fearlessly for over a half century, right until his 2015 death. Murphy was known for his versatility and adventurousness. Adamo tells us, “We hung together many times at jazz clubs in San Francisco. He was a most gracious jazz cat. Always helping up and coming Jazz/Blues singers in the Bay area. Mark is one of the all-time best. Taking vocal chances like the Flying Wallendas On High.”

    Adamo’s unusual sound is an acquired taste for some, but quite a few people have acquired it, whether they dig his ultra-cool spoken words, or his always top tier band. And that continues on the new single. Take a listen below and tell us what you think.

    By Chris Rizik

    Tony Adamo
    “Did Mark Murphy Believe in UFOs?”