Morrissey–Mullen

Morrissey–Mullen was a British jazz-funk/fusion group of the 1970s and 1980s.

Considered one of the most popular jazz groups in London, the band was led by Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute, and Jim Mullen on guitar, who joined forces in 1975, playing together for sixteen years, during which they came to be known as "Mr Sax and Captain Axe" because of their hallmark call and response style between guitar and saxophone.

The band began in New York City, where Dick Morrissey and Jim Mullen were recording and touring with their mutual friends in the Average White Band and Herbie Mann.

Coinciding with the recording and release of the first of seven Morrissey Mullen albums (plus two EPs), Up (Atlantic, 1977), which featured Average White Band as a rhythm section, plus Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston on vocals, together with some of the New York's session musicians, the Morrissey Mullen band spent eight months in New York. A six-week residency at New York's Mikell's, attracted the attention of many of the top musicians of the day, with Boz Scaggs, David Sanborn, Steve Gadd, Steve Ferrone, Richard Tee, George Benson, Ray Barretto,Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker, among others dropping by for a jam.

On their return to the United Kingdom, Morrissey Mullen concentrated on the small-club/pub circuit, with sell-out gigs at the venues they played at, including a residency at The Half Moon, Putney for many years. In 1979, EMI commissioned them to enter the Abbey Road Studios to make "Britain's first digitally-recorded single record", a cover of the Rose Royce hit "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Their 1981 album Badness reached number one in the UK disco charts.

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