Education
D. M. A. Jazz Studies, University of Southern California, 2002
Masters of Music, University of Southern California, 1999
Bachelor of Music, Berklee College of Music, 1986
Biography
Dr. Paul Murphy joined the CSUCI tenure-track faculty in 2013 as an Assistant Professor in Performing Arts-Music after nine years as a lecturer at Channel Islands. Paul has also taught at the University of Southern California, Pepperdine University and Fullerton College, and was an Artist/Professor in Jazz Guitar at the University of Redlands from 2003-2013. Dr. Murphy’s degrees include a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and a Masters of Music in Studio/Guitar and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California (USC).
Paul has performed with a wide variety of artists since moving to Los Angeles in 1989 including actors Whoopi Goldberg, Dennis Quaid, Jason Alexander, Merv Griffin, and Heather Locklear, television composers Chris Young, Richard Gibbs and Ken Burgomaster and in dozens of theatre pit orchestras for the productions Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, and Fame. Paul has recorded for the Television shows Hannah Montana, The Muppets Show Tonight, and Marvin, Marvin; the motion picture films The Big Kahuna, Wonder Boys, Hurricane, Garfield and Hero Wanted; and has appeared in hundreds of live performances throughout the United States and Japan.
Dr. Murphy has designed several popular courses at CI including World Music, History of Rock, The Beatles: Music, Fashion and Culture, the Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the new Certificate in Guitar for the Performing Arts program. Professor Murphy has hosted over fifty live musical performances, demonstrations and lectures on campus including Grammy award winning artist and legendary former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, and Paul McCartney & Wings guitarist Laurence Juber.
In spring 2015, Paul released a CD of all original Celtic-fusion music. The CD, entitled The Paul Murphy Celtic Project, combines traditional Irish music instrumentation of uilleann pipes, fiddle, flute, bodhran and acoustic guitar with bass, drums, electric guitar and piano. Some of the original compositions use traditional Irish musical forms such as the jig and reel, while others incorporate non-traditional elements like jazz improvisation and complex odd meters. This eclectic ensemble features some of Los Angeles’ best Celtic and studio musicians.
Representative Courses Taught
- PAMU 231 The Beatles: Music, Fashion and Culture
- PAMU 310 Contemporary Music Ensemble
- PAMU 332 World Music
- PAMU 435 The Music Museum
- PAMU 200 History of Rock
- PAMU 330 Jazz in America
- PAMU 309 Private Lessons
Scholarship
Keywords
Celtic Fusion Music