biography
Bassist Max Murray began making music at the age of four. The son of a professional musician, music was ever-present in his childhood home near Boston, MA. First drawn to brass & woodwind instruments, the double bass found him at age 13, receiving his first lessons with Domenic Panteleo, and soon after with Boston Symphony Orchestra bassist, Lawrence Wolfe.
While in high school, Max auditioned for, and was accepted into the United States Navy Music Program. He joined the Navy after high school graduation. Following boot camp, he attended the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Virginia, and graduated with honors. He served with bands in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Newport, Rhode Island. In 1985, he won an appointment to the US Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland, where he served until retiring from the military in 2000. During his 21 years of service he performed a broad spectrum of music, including; Top 40 Pop, Rock 'n Roll, R&B, Marches, Orchestral Repertoire, Broadway, Rap, Go-Go, Country, Salsa, Big Band Swing, and Small Group Jazz.
Max is grateful to have studied with some of his musical heros, including Larry Wolfe, Paul Johnson, John Clayton, Rufus Reid, Glen Moore, Buster Williams, and Lynn Seaton. After hearing Max play, legendary bassist Milt "The Judge" Hinton commented, ".... it ain't gonna get much better than that, that's beautiful.....!"
An in demand player, Max has played with the cream of the crop of Baltimore/DC's rich music scene. Max is also honored to have shared the stage with artists of renown, including Henry Mancini, Don Menza, Mose Allison, Jimmy Witherspoon, Neil Sedaka, Louie Bellson, Dave Douglas, Antonio Hart, Gene Bertoncini, Chuchito Valdes, The Four Aces, John D'earth, Dave Samuels, Poncho Sanchez, Rogerio Boccato, Richie Cole, Donny McCaslin, Ken Peplowski, and The Who.
A studio veteran, he has recorded extensively for commercials, television and film score. He can be heard on recordings by The MARS 4-Tet; Blackman Murray Russo; Afro Bop Alliance; Suede; Rob Vuono Orchestra; Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet; Fred Hughes Trio; Pete BarenBregge/Frank Russo Group; Vince Norman/Joe McCarthy Big Band; Chuchito Valdes; and Stephen Philip Harvey, to name a few...
With the Latin Jazz group Afro Bop Alliance, he received a Latin Grammy Award for the 2008 release, "Caribbean Jazz Project - Afro Bop Alliance featuring Dave Samuels," in the "Best Latin Jazz Recording" category. The CD also received a Grammy nomination.
As a member of the trio, Blackman Murray Russo, he has released four recordings, including Alan Blackman's "Coastal Suite" project. In support of that, Max appeared on NPR's "Jazz Set with Dee Dee Bridgewater," and performed at the 2014 Chamber Music America Conference.
He's also known as "A Show Guy" and is proud to be a musical theatre artist. Max spent more than a decade playing in pit orchestras in DC area theatres, anchoring productions on electric and acoustic bass, and tuba. He has accompanied such stage luminaries as Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Joel Gray, Kelli O’Hara, Seth Rudetsky, Kerry Butler, Judy Kuhn, Christine Pedi, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maureen McGovern, Norm Lewis, Ernie Sabella, Marva Hicks, Megan Hilty, Lea Salonga, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Heather Headley and Tituss Burgess.
Postlude
My life in music has gone through several phases, stages and chapters. The early years, from roughly ages 4 - 18, I was a sponge, consuming everything within earshot. Pilgrimages to record stores. Swapping albums with friends. Playing along to recordings. This, coupled with a bit of inherited talent, earned me an opportunity to play music full time with a paycheck and benefits. It was a blessing to be immersed in music while serving my country. My insatiable hunger for music continued, and along the way I bonded with other passionate musical journeymen, honing our craft, and broadening our skills. I also was able to study in a formal setting at Peabody Conservatory for a while. After more than twenty years in uniform, I retired from the Navy, and embarked on my career in civilian music. That journey included; Backing singers performing the Great American Songbook repertoire; Playing original music small group jazz, in both plugged and unplugged formats; Wearing tuxedos in high profile/high paying corporate agency cover bands (yes, the wedding band circuit); Dance clubs playing the after midnight shift with salsa bands; Fifteen years with a church praise team - a very interesting gig for a non-christian, but I loved the music; Coffee shops; Steak houses; Bars; Jazz clubs; Private House parties; Festivals, etc... There was a time that I said "yes" to every call.
Most of that work, especially during the early years, I wore no hearing protection. Being young and knowing it all, I was certain of my strength, and that I'd be immune to hearing damage. One thing was true, my youthful bravado was a myth. By the time I realized that I had lost upper register hearing definition, and also heard a constant ringing, it was too late.
Long story short, I suffer from a debilitating case of tinnitus. The clinical definition of my condition is, "A cluster of tones between 8 KHz - 9.5 KHz, ringing incessantly, bilaterally." If you don't understand what that means, click here for a sample of 8K. Imagine that in your head, at the volume of a lawn mower, forever. Got it? I had figured out how to keep working for many years, and was reluctant to talk about it (fearing a loss of employment) but in addition to just making my job more difficult, the residual impact of tinnitus was causing serious mental health issues. Anxiety, irritability, and road rage were my three main difficulties. I sought help through the VA, and their tinnitus management program. Then I started seeing a counselor (which I cannot recommend highly enough!) And then I enrolled in a program called Lenire - which was expensive and frustrating, but after 14 weeks of treatment, it eventually helped me tolerate/ignore the ringing. My continued success managing tinnitus is directly connected to avoiding prolonged exposure to sound. I wear hearing aids that stream a background program which helps diffuse the intensity of the ringing, and they really do help with everyday life. On those occasions that I do take a gig, or go play at somebody's house, I wear a set of fancy active noise suppressing earplugs, which protect me from further damage.
Although not yet totally retired, I have not been able to work full time since the summer of 2023, and my transition into retirement has been slow and unwelcome. My heart still wants to play, but I need to be very selective about the settings that I agree to participate. If you have questions about my journey dealing with tinnitus - or questions about my playing career, or want to hire me for something you think I might accept, feel free to drop me a line.
Peace!
Most of that work, especially during the early years, I wore no hearing protection. Being young and knowing it all, I was certain of my strength, and that I'd be immune to hearing damage. One thing was true, my youthful bravado was a myth. By the time I realized that I had lost upper register hearing definition, and also heard a constant ringing, it was too late.
Long story short, I suffer from a debilitating case of tinnitus. The clinical definition of my condition is, "A cluster of tones between 8 KHz - 9.5 KHz, ringing incessantly, bilaterally." If you don't understand what that means, click here for a sample of 8K. Imagine that in your head, at the volume of a lawn mower, forever. Got it? I had figured out how to keep working for many years, and was reluctant to talk about it (fearing a loss of employment) but in addition to just making my job more difficult, the residual impact of tinnitus was causing serious mental health issues. Anxiety, irritability, and road rage were my three main difficulties. I sought help through the VA, and their tinnitus management program. Then I started seeing a counselor (which I cannot recommend highly enough!) And then I enrolled in a program called Lenire - which was expensive and frustrating, but after 14 weeks of treatment, it eventually helped me tolerate/ignore the ringing. My continued success managing tinnitus is directly connected to avoiding prolonged exposure to sound. I wear hearing aids that stream a background program which helps diffuse the intensity of the ringing, and they really do help with everyday life. On those occasions that I do take a gig, or go play at somebody's house, I wear a set of fancy active noise suppressing earplugs, which protect me from further damage.
Although not yet totally retired, I have not been able to work full time since the summer of 2023, and my transition into retirement has been slow and unwelcome. My heart still wants to play, but I need to be very selective about the settings that I agree to participate. If you have questions about my journey dealing with tinnitus - or questions about my playing career, or want to hire me for something you think I might accept, feel free to drop me a line.
Peace!