Music, Movies, Incidents, and Reminders

By Dennis Murphy | Bass player, bandleader, year-after-year winner of the Best of Monterey County “Best Local Musician” award

10. Watching JazzMasters founder Bruce Forman do his magic (voluntarily) every Monday night at the Carmel Youth Center. This world-class cat facilitates, each year, a half-dozen or so kids’ placement into any music college program that they want. Parents, are you listening?! Every Monday night, free of charge!

9. My daughter Dayle surprising me by singing “Respect” for my birthday with my band. She tore it up, too, with the help of Rachel Marotta.

8. Recording my new blues album, tentatively titled Another Day of the Blues, with Dirk Etienne at the console.

7. Playing with Bobby Phillips and/or Kenny Stahl at Pacific Coast Church on Sunday mornings. This just doesn’t happen enough.

6. Performing my new Big Band CD live at my release party with an 18-piece band and 750 people. I’ve just got a hankerin’ lately to pretend that I’m Frank Sinatra.

5. Listening to Tom Ayres play guitar, any time, anywhere, any style. Splang!

4. The Pacheco Club Annual Christmas Party—side by side with Mike Marotta works for me every time.

3. Playing to the Embassy Suites family every Friday during happy hour. It always feels like I’ve come home.

2. Jamming with the JazzMasters Workshop kids at the Boys and Girls Club every week (and watching their faces light up).

1. Having my girlfriend Diana Govan fall asleep to me singing love songs by candlelight. As it should be, I save all the good stuff for her.