John Murphy, an ethnomusicologist and saxophonist, joined the UNT Jazz Studies faculty in 2001. He has served as chair of the Division of Jazz Studies since 2008. He is the author of Music in Brazil (Oxford University 2006) and Cavalo-marinho pernambucano(Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil University Press, 2008) and has published articles on jazz improvisation, Brazilian traditional and popular music, Cuban music in New York, and college teaching. He has held Fulbright (1990-91) and National Endowment for the Humanities (2000-2001) fellowships for research in Brazil.

Murphy teaches jazz history, jazz styles & analysis, and jazz research methods; collaborates with the ethnomusicology area; and teaches at the UNT Small Group Jazz summer workshop. He served as chair of the Division of Music History, Theory, and Ethnomusicology from 2006 to 2008; served the Society for Ethnomusicology as web editor from 1997 to 2002; and taught previously at Western Illinois University. He earned degrees from the University of North Texas (B.M., jazz studies performance, 1984; M.M., music theory, 1986; member of the One O'Clock Lab Band, 1984-85) and Columbia University (M.A. & Ph.D., ethnomusicology).