 Though Murphy was classically trained and played a key role in minimalist composition and performance, his true musical love was jazz.While attending Juilliard, Murphy worked with the composer and arranger Hall Overton on arrangements for a Thelonious Monk big band concert in New York in 1963.In the early 1960s, Murphy also met pianist Bill Evans and became a close friend and confidant until Evans' death in 1980.