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'''Richard Edwin Morrissey''' (May 9, 1940 - November 8, 2000) was a British Jazz musician and composer. He played Tenor_sax, Soprano_sax, alto sax and Flute.
== Background ==
'''Dick Morrissey''' came to the fore of a new generation of British sax players in the early 60s inspired by Tubby_Hayes, Britain’s pre-eminent sax player. He recorded his first solo album at the age of 21, ''It’s Morrissey, Man!'' (1961, Fontana), which featured '''Stan Jones''' on piano, '''Colin Barnes''' on drums, and '''Malcolm Cecil''' on bass. He spent most of 1962 in Calcutta, India as part of the '''Ashley Kozac''' Quartet, before returning to the UK and forming the Dick Morrissey Quartet, with the legendary Phil_Seamen on drums, '''Harry South''' on piano and '''Phil Bates''' on bass, recording three more classic British Jazz LPs, ''Have You Heard?'' (1963); the live recording ''Storm Warning!'' (1965, Mercury); and ''Here and Now and Sounding Good'' (1966), with Bill Eyden on drums. The band, which also featured Jackie Dougan on drums, played regular London gigs to packed houses at the Bull's_Head,_Barnes and at Ronnie_Scott's, whose manager Pete_King, once said that Ronnie's was kept going in those days due to the crowds Dick Morrissey pulled in.
He also played briefly in Ted_Heath's Big Band, the who’s who of the British jazz scene for many years, as well as with Johnny_Dankworth and his Orchestra and the Harry South Big Band. Many US musicians touring Britain at the time, notably Brother_Jack_McDuff, Jimmy_Witherspoon (live recording), J.J._Jackson (2 LPs), and Sonny_Stitt together with West Indian guitarist Ernest_Ranglin (live) recorded with him during the Sixties and early Seventies.
== IF ==
In 1969, Dick Morrissey, by then many-time winner of the prestigious Melody Maker Jazz Poll, as well as many other British Jazz awards throughout his career, teamed up with another Melody Maker award-winner, guitarist Terry_Smith, with whom he had worked in J.J. Jackson’s Band, to form Britain’s seminal jazz-rock group, IF.
Encouraged by the success of the then recently-formed US bands Blood,_Sweat_and_Tears, and Chicago, both of which featured heavy brass sections, the time was ripe for a British answer, less influenced by the American big band sound of trumpets and trombones. Although the original band consisted of a different line up, IF’s first five records featured J.W. Hodkinson on lead vocals, John Mealing on keyboards, Jim Richardson on electric bass, Dennis Eliott on drums, Dave Quincy on alto and tenor saxes, Terry Smith on guitars, and Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute.
Essentially a live band, and true to its jazz influences, IF was the only jazz-rock group, both then and now, to feature solos by all the band members, not just by the lead instruments. They recorded five albums under the above line up plus another two albums featuring Geoff Whitehorn on guitar and vocals, Gabriel Magno on keyboards and Walt Monaghan on bass and vocals, Cliff Davies on drums and Dick Morrissey. For full line-ups see under IF.
== Morrissey-Mullen ==
When IF disbanded in 1975, Dick Morrissey went off to the United_States to tour and record with the Average_White_Band, and met up with Glasgow-born guitarist '''Jim Mullen''', who had played with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express with some of the guys from AWB, and together they formed Morrissey_-_Mullen (aka M&M;), recording their first album, ''UP'' (1976) in New York. On returning to the UK, Morrissey Mullen formed a band which rapidly became Britain’s most highly acclaimed jazz-fusion band, initially including two top session musicians from New Zealand, Frank Gibson Jr. and Bruce Lynch. M&M; recorded seven albums over the 16 years they were together, with Dick Morrissey and Jim Mullen also collaborating on each other’s solo albums. The line-up for later gigs often featured three British jazz greats Martin_Drew on drums and John_Critchinson or John Burch on piano, with whom he would also form an informal group called "Our Band".
== Other collaborations ==
In between regular M&M; gigs, Dick Morrissey would also meet up with old friends Ian_“Stu”_Stewart, Charlie_Watts, Alexis_Korner, Jack_Bruce, Colin_Hodgkinson, Don Weller, John Picard and Colin Smith, etc., to play boogie-woogie/jazz/rock with the back-to-the-roots fun band Rocket_88 that Stu put together with Bob Hall.
Apart from the early recordings with visiting US performers mentioned above, Dick Morrissey also collaborated with Charly Antolini (3 albums), Alexis_Korner (several albums), Mike Carr (several albums), Georgie_Fame (2 albums), Brian_Auger (2 albums), Dusty_Springfield, Pete York (4 albums), Paul_McCartney (2 albums), Gary_Numan (8 albums), Phil_Carmen (3 albums), Herbie_Mann, Shakatak (2 albums), Peter_Gabriel (2 albums), Jon_Anderson (2 albums), Jon_&_Vangelis (2 albums) and Vangelis (2 albums - as well as playing the hauntingly famous sax solo on the "Love Theme" track of Ridley_Scott’s 1982 film Blade_Runner) on more than one recording and/or tour.
Other musicians and performers Dick Morrissey shared the stage with include Boz_Scaggs, David_Sanborn, Steve_Gadd, Richard Tee, Michael_Brecker, Randy_Brecker and Teddy_Edwards (with whom he jammed a memorable "duel" at London's 100 Club in the early 80s).
== Death ==
Dick Morrissey died on November 8, 2000 after many years fighting various forms of Cancer. To the last, he could been seen and heard, seated in his wheelchair, playing to a packed house at his local pub.
In the obituary published in ''The_Times'', British music critic Chris_Welch wrote that Dick Morrissey was a “Fiery musician who straddled the worlds of jazz and rock, but with a style built firmly on bebop and widely regarded as the most brilliant British saxophonist to emerge in the wake of Tubby Hayes. His advocacy of jazz-rock fusion successfully brought jazz to a rock audience and rock to a jazz audience.”
Likewise, Steve Voce writing the obituary in ''The_Independent'' said: “The key to Dick Morrissey's talent, in a career that spanned four decades, was his ability to get through to an audience. He was one of the great communicators of jazz and, ... able to communicate with his listeners and quickly to establish a bond with them. ... Like Charlie_Parker before him, he was somehow able to lift audiences that knew little or nothing about his music.
Although one could from time to time imagine a feel of the American players Sonny_Rollins or Ben_Webster in Morrissey's work, he was outstanding among British players for his originality. Despite the sophistication of his ideas there was often a down-home quality to his punchy and hard swinging solos, and this was a reflection of one of his idols, the tenorist Stanley_Turrentine. He was a lightning improviser and the flood of his inventions flew through his fingers with ease, for he was a masterful player.”
== Various ==
Some of the other horn players Dick Morrissey expressed especial respect for (apart from those already mentioned above) include David_"Fathead"_Newman, Johnny_Griffin, Art_Themen, Grover_Washington Jr. and Paul_Gonsalves.
== Selected Discography ==
Although Dick Morrissey famously disliked recording studios, he nevertheless appears on over 100 recordings, some of which are now collectors’ items. Many are in fact live recordings.
*It’s Morrissey, Man! (1961)
*What The Dickens! - Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra (1963)
*Have You Heard? - Dick Morrissey (1963)
*Dick Morrissey – There and Back (live 1964/1965 – released 1997)
*Storm Warning! - Dick Morrissey (live Nov. 1965)
*Here and Now and Sounding Good - Dick Morrissey (1966?)
*Presenting the Harry South Big Band (1966)
*Sound Venture – Georgie Fame and the Harry South Big Band (1966)
*Acropolis - Ian Hamer Sextet (live 1966)
*Sonny’s Blues: Live at Ronnie Scott’s – Sonny Stitt (live 1966)
*Spoon Sings and Swings – Jimmy Witherspoon (live 1966)
*Two Faces of Fame – Georgie Fame (1967)
*Retrospect Through 21 Years Of BBC Jazz Club - Various Artists (1968)
*The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land – J.J. Jackson (1969)
*J.J. Jackson's Dilemma (1970)
*IF (1970)
*To Seek a New Home - Brother Jack McDuff (1970)
*IF 2 (1970)
*IF 3 (1971)
*IF 4 (Waterfall) (1972)
*Not Just Another Bunch of Pretty Faces - IF (1974)
*Whitehorn – Geoff Whitehorn (1974)
*Tea Break Over, Back On Our ‘eads - IF (1975)
*Don’t Get Around Much Anymore - Live at Bullerbyn (live 1975)
*UP - Morrissey Mullen (1976)
*Peter_Gabriel_I – (1977)
*The_Party_Album - Alexis Korner (live 1978)
*The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux - (1978)
*Cape Wrath - Morrissey Mullen (1979)
*Ravenna - Kim Diamond (1979)
*Peter_Gabriel_III_(aka_Melt) – Peter Gabriel (1979)
*That's What Friends Are For - Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames (1979)
*White Trails – Chris_Rainbow (1979)
*Alexis Korner and Friends (1980)
*Honky – Keith_Emerson (1981)
*Song of Seven – Jon Anderson (1980)
*The_Friends_of_Mr._Cairo – Jon & Vangelis (1981)
*Badness – Morrissey Mullen (1981)
*In Hoagland – Georgie Fame/Annie Ross (1981)
*Private Collection - Jon & Vangelis (1981)
*Land of Cockayne – Soft_Machine (1981)
*Life on the Wire – Morrissey Mullen (1982)
*Nightbirds - Shakatak (1982)
*Animation – Jon Anderson (1982)
*It’s About Time - Morrissey Mullen (1983)
*The Warriors – Gary Numan (1983)
*After Dark - Dick Morrissey (1983)
*This Must Be the Place - Morrissey Mullen (1985)
*The Fury – Gary Numan (1985)
*Invitation - Shakatak (1985)
*Souliloquy – Dick Morrissey (1986)
*Animal_magic - The Blow Monkeys (1986)
*City Walls - Phil Carmen (1987)
*Face to Face - Barclay_James_Harvest (1987)
*Happy Hour – Morrissey Mullen (1988)
*Resurrection Ritual - Dick Morrissey (1988)
*Cookin’ – Charly Antolini (live 1989)
*Shout For Joy - Neville Dickie and His Rhythm Kings (live 1989)
*Perfect Pitch/Tipping the Scales (live 1989)
*Super Jam – Villa Fantastica - Brian Auger/Pete York (live 1989)
*Love Dance - Dick Morrissey (live 1989)
*Daddy and the Steamers - Pete York (live 1990)
*Charly Antolini Meets Dick Morrissey (live 1990)
*Shaking the Tree – Peter Gabriel (1990)
*Swinging Hollywood – Pete York (1991)
*Superblues – Pete York (1994)
*Good Times & the Blues – Mike Carr (live 1993)
*Right On! - Charly Antolini (live 1993)
*The Instrumental Chris Rainbow – Chris Rainbow (1999)
== Sources ==
*''The Guardian'' Obituaries Thursday 9th November 2000
*''The Independent'' Obituaries Thursday 9th November 2000
== External Links ==
*All Music Guide http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql;=11:dudjyl68xp9b~T1
*http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost.php3
Category:1939_births
Category:2000_deaths
Morrissey, Dick
Morrissey, Dick