Bass Player: Neil Murray

Bass guitarist Neil Murray is well known amongst the Rock music fraternity having played extensively with some of the greatest names within the genre. His CV includes stints with Whitesnake, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath, Japanese Rockers Vow Wow, Brian May (Queen), Graham Bonnett (Rainbow), Cozy Powell’s Hammer, the Michael Schenker Group and many, many more. What is less well known is Murray’s early work with Jazz Rock bands like National Health, Gilgamesh and Colosseum II. Murray’s sole album with Colosseum II was the 1976 recording, ‘Strange New Flesh’ which features Murray alongisde Colosseum founder Jon Hiseman (drums), guitarist Gary Moore and keyboard player Don Airey. The album included this beautiful arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Down To You’ which featured Scottish vocalist Mike Starrs. The tune is over 9 minutes long but features a exquisite piano and piano/guitar interlude which means that the transcription is not as long as it may otherwise have been. Colosseum II are remembered primarily as an instrumental band and were not that successful commercially as a result. Murray left after the Strange New Flesh LP and was replaced by bassist John Mole.

Justs to give a sense of the respect that Murray has earned over his career, it is interesting to note that, when UK Jazz-Rock band Bruford needed a temporary replacement for bass legend Jeff Berlin, drummer Bill Bruford turned to Murray and it is he who appears on the band’s 1978 Old Grey Whistle Test appearance and not Berlin.