While Lu Watters was the leader of the pioneering and highly influential Yerba Buena Jazz Band starting in 1941, he retired prematurely in 1950 to pursue other interests. His trombonist during 1941-47, Turk Murphy, would have a much longer career, leading bands during much of 1947-87.
Murphy, who coined the term “traditional jazz” to describe what he played, adapted and altered the Watters sound for his own groups. Rather than utilize two trumpets as did Watters, Murphy used one trumpet and had a looser and more flexible rhythm section, often not even using a drummer. Like Watters, he played his own interpretations of the songs of Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong rather than copying the original records, he wrote some newer pieces in the tradition, and he found a way to play ragtime without sticking too closely to the written music.
Two releases, Wild Man Blues and Euphonic Sounds, both include many rags along with some vintage jazz pieces. Wild Man Blues has music from four different projects. There are two numbers in which Murphy’s band accompanies the abstract and sometimes bizarre monologues of Lord Buckley in 1958. Two pieces from 1971 are purposely childlike numbers that were recorded for an episode of Sesame Street.
Much more interesting is the bulk of this CD which is comprised of sessions from 1953-54 with clarinetist Bob Helm, Bob Short on co
