Morrissey Mullen -

Morrissey Mullen was the jazz-funk duo of English saxophonist Dick Morrissey and Scottish guitarist Jim Mullen, who began their partnership with the album Up on Embryo Records in 1977, followed by Cape Wrath on Harvest in 1979. Between 1981 and 1983, the pair released three albums on Beggars Banquet, followed by two further titles on Coda Records between 1985 and 1987. The pair worked with a series of vocalists, including Linda Taylor (Gonzalez), Carol Kenyon, Tessa Niles, and Noel McCalla (Moon).

Morrissey first appeared fronting a namesake post-bop quartet during the early 1960s and later steered brass-rockers If through seven studio albums between 1970 and 1975. Mullen played on the two 1970 albums by Pete Brown & Piblokto!, followed by a three-albums stint with Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express and a founding role in Kokomo.

Members: Dick Morrissey (saxophone), Jim Mullen (guitar)

Background

Morrissey Mullen formed in 1975 when saxophonist Dick Morrissey and guitarist Jim Mullen met after members of the Average White Band put them in contact for a joint recording project in New York.

Morrissey was born Richard Edwin Morrissey on May 9, 1940, in Horley, Surrey. He taught himself clarinet as a teenager and later took up saxophones and flute. Morrissey formed a namesake quartet in 1960, followed by a sequence of recordings and London club engagements. In 1969, he co-founded If and stayed with the jazz-rock band through their 1975 breakup.

Mullen was born Nov. 26, 1945, in Glasgow and received his first guitar at age eight. He played on the Scottish jazz circuit with tenor saxophonist Malcolm Duncan and keyboardist Roger Ball while he pursued newspaper work as a trainee journalist and sub-editor. Mullen moved to London in 1969 and joined Pete Brown & Piblokto! before a three-album stint with Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express. He later joined Vinegar Joe and became a founding member of Kokomo.

The Average White Band connection brought Morrissey and Mullen together after both musicians left their respective bands. AWB members gave Mullen a telephone number for Morrissey, and the pair first met at a local pub. Morrissey brought several compositions to their first two-man rehearsals. Mullen added original material. The pair then developed the material as a saxophone–guitar partnership before the proposed American sessions. Morrissey and Mullen traveled to New York in 1976 for Atlantic sessions with producers Average White Band and executive producer Herbie Mann.

Discography: