John Philip Murray at Crane Lane.
Rhythm is everywhere (if we pay attention). The wind, waves, birdsong, car traffic, a crackling fire, speech. It’s the backbone of popular music. That must be why drummers are the best-known members of any band. But is that really true? “No,” says John Philip Murray (a drummer). “You know that hoary old joke: A band is four musicians and a drummer. Whereas drummers are the spinal cord of any band. They give everyone else clues and lead them through the form. A lot of orchestration occurs in a real drummer’s mind. Technical fireworks may impress but only those who truly focus on the tune will touch the hearts of their audience.”
Murray’s musical area is very specific (and challenging): jazz. A genre based on improvisation that clearly punches above its weight although its commercial market share is minute, compared to pop, rock, and hip-hop (often less than two per cent). The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is one of Ireland’s largest annual music events. It draws 100,000-plus visitors and pumps almost €50m into the economy.
Murray is not ‘just’ a freelance drummer. He also leads several bands. The John Philip Murray Quintet played five times during the Jazz Festival weekend in three different venues in Cork City and Kinsale. Another of his bands, which has been around “for ages, probably since 2000” is called Filology, a play on his middle name and the term philology, “the study of the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages”. The ensemble itself has always been very flexible. “It has morphed into various different formats such as trios, quartets, quintets featuring an ever-changing cast of excellent jazz musicians (as people have so many commitments).” In addition, he plays with the DD Trio, which consists of David Desmond (keys), Martin Vallely (bass), and himself. Among others, they do a monthly jazz session at Ár n-Áit (Irish for ‘Our Place’), a former abattoir and artist-led hub for creative expression and collaboration in the tiny picturesque alley quarter of Skibbereen. This month’s concert is on Sunday, January 18 (5-7pm).
In late August, 2025, Ár n-Áit appeared in the ‘What’s Hot’ column of the Irish Times described as a “gorgeous coffee spot… serving up Leonard Cohen on vinyl, chilled vibes and quality roasts.” Shane Breen, who created and manages the space, is really happy with the jazz session. “John Philip Murray is a legend and the trio bring in friends who join them for a few songs such as vocalists Josephine Smyth and Ciara O’Driscoll. I am surprised really at how many young people turn up who are curious about the music and really love it.” Especially in summer, Breen runs a full and eclectic programme, last year a/o featuring bands from New York, France/Peru, West Cork, and a Brazilian pop-up night with DJ Pedro Ahnuc with food cooked by the eminent Polish chef Peter. Plus, the Ciorcal Comhrá Irish class, Fridays 6-7:30pm, and trad music sessions some Saturdays, as well as another monthly resident band, the West Cork Dub Collective ft Rik Appleby, Patrick Healy, and Armando Ramírez plus guests (with an upcoming gig on Valentine’s Day).
John Philip Murray fell for music – hook, line, and sinker – aged six, when he was asked to play a drum to ’La Paloma’ (The Dove) at a school concert. Since then, “he has followed the pulse of music throughout his life” as he writes in his bio. “The teachers had put together a small percussion band,” he clarifies. “Three of us were given little drums. We played them vertically, like the bass drums in a New Orleans funeral march. I was the only one that really got the rhythm; I couldn’t understand how the others didn’t as I just felt it, loud and clear. That’s 67 years ago. The intuitive knowing is still in me. However, I truly connect to the essence of the tunes I play through singing.” He lives in Lissardagh (Cork) and grew up in Mount Merrion (Dublin). A music-focused school helped. “When I was 12, four of us had a little band that played songs of the Yardbirds, Monkeys, Beach Boys, Beatles until we progressed to blues standards, which offered a great foundation. Then, in my mid-teens, I was sitting in English class beside a friend, Killian. As was my norm, I was tapping on the desk. A rhythm by Ginger Baker, rock drummer. Suddenly Killian asked, how would Ginger Baker compare with Joe Morello? Joe Morello was the drummer of the Dave Brubeck Quartet who challenged the ensemble’s alto saxophonist Paul Desmond to compose a piece in 5/4 metre, which resulted in Take Five – the biggest-selling jazz single of all time. I thought Killian played the classical piano but when he mentioned Morello it was only a matter of time before we put a jazz band together in his front room and I was hooked for good.” A seminal learning moment occurred when, aged 23, he purchased the Charles Mingus album, ‘Let My Children Hear Music,’ and put it on his portable record player with Dave Fleming, a bassist he still plays with. “The two of us started listening to it at 4pm and by 6am the following morning we could sing all the main themes and solos. That’s how you get to know a tune.”
Murray is not just a musician but also a talented visual artist. “Painting is a parallel strand, another way of explaining the world to myself. A visual equivalent to music.” He has held over 20 solo exhibitions, participated in many group shows, and won a joint Oireachtas Award in 2008. He started to paint at around the same age as his musical talent came to the fore. And he approaches both art forms in similar ways. “My paintings often start from ideas, literature, history rather than visual imagery. With music, a tune or melody or harmonic twist is more likely to engage me than whatever the drummer is doing. I once saw Elvin Jones (an American jazz drummer who played with the stellar saxophonist John Coltrane) and his sound completely overwhelmed me… Great waves of rolling tones. Pure music! Some paintings bring tears to my eyes but it happens rarely. Maybe three times in my life. Fra Angelico (15th century) springs to mind. Whereas with music, if a month goes by that something hasn’t touched me, that’s a very bleak month. The brain isn’t involved at all. It’s just straight to the heart. When I’m playing, I consciously do not think.”
“Timeless Jazz” (John Philip Murray, Dave Fleming, Pierrick Menuau, and Tommy Halferty) play a concert at the Briery Gap (Macroom) on February 22
www.brierygap.ie
www.ar-n-ait.com