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Spencer Murphy

Spencer Murphy (b. Syracuse, NY) is a bassist, producer, composer, and consultant living in New York, NY.

After graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2010, he led a weekly performance at Smalls Jazz Club for several years; regular members of his quintet included Tivon Pennicott, Stacy Dillard, John Chin, and Lawrence Leathers, and guests included Melissa Aldana, Will Delisfort, Joel Frahm, Eden Ladin, Kenneth Salters, Josh Davis, and Dayna Stephens.

Murphy has collaborated with Nick Hakim, Helado Negro, Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Bartees Strange, Morgan James, and IGBO, among others. His work with Onyx Collective has spanned 5 albums and over a hundred performances, at unlikely venues including The Whitney (Jason Moran's "Jazz on a High Floor in the Afternoon"), The Guggenheim (Agathe Snow's "Stamina"), Raymond Pettibon Studio, and pop-up spaces all over downtown NYC. As a result of his longtime association with Thomas Bartlett and Reservoir Studios, he has had the opportunity to work with Oren Bloedow, Jennifer Charles, Julia Stone, Henry Jamison, and Oh Land. In October of 2021, he premiered a work for poetry and music entitled "GRASS," featuring Bartlett, Taja Cheek, Oren Bloedow, and Craig Weinrib. The same month, he originated the bass chair in Only an Octave Apart, starring Justin Vivian Bond and Anthony Roth Costanzo, with arrangements by Nico Muhly and music supervision from Bartlett. In January of 2022, alongside Bond and Roth Costanzo, he performed selections from Only an Octave Apart with The New York Philharmonic as part of their "Authentic Selves" Series. In March of 2023, he performed with Marc Anthony Thompson, Zsela Thompson, and the Scorchio Quartet at Carnegie Hall for the annual Tibet House Benefit, curated by Philip Glass. 

Spencer has worked extensively as a producer of records, commercial music, and multimedia presentations, having licensed original works to Google, HBO, and Splice, as well as participating as a consulting producer for Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors United: Home for the Holidays” virtual charity telethon.

More info is available at spencersweb.site


Tags

Primary Instrument

Bass, electric

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Photos

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