The stature of jazz musicians is often not reflected in the care with which their discographies are maintained. This is particularly true of British tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey, who died in 2000, aged 60. None of the albums he made as co-band leader - with Glaswegian guitarist Jim Mullen - of Britain's finest jazz fusion/funk outfit of the 1970s and '80s, Morrissey-Mullen, was available on CD; most had never been issued in that format. After the saxophonist's death, Mullen put together a 12-track Morrissey-Mullen compilation called Everything Must Change to document that 15-year chapter in his friend's musical life. All proceeds went to Morrissey's family. It is gratifying, therefore, to hear that two of Morrissey's earliest albums, which have drifted in and out of print over the years, have been combined on one disc under the title On the Spot - The Complete Recordings 1961-1963. The CD comprises the whole of the Dick Morrissey Quartet's 1961 debut It's Morrissey, Man! and the follow-up, released two years later, Have You Heard? In 1961 there were few British saxophonists who were seriously considered peers of their American counterparts. Tubby Hayes, born in 1935, and Ronnie Scott (1927), who were partners in the Jazz Couriers, were probably the most highly regarded, along with John Dankworth who was the same age as Scott. Morrissey and alto saxophonist Peter King, both born in 1940, were perhaps the brightest stars of a younger generation, and despite the lamentable title, It's Morrissey, Man! was a magnificent blowing set which in 1961 gave a lot of other musicians plenty of food for thought. The band for the session comprised Morrissey on tenor, Stan Jones on piano, Malcolm Cecil on bass and Colin Barnes on drums. This being a British jazz album, Morrissey included an original by Jones called Puffing Billy , alongside Cherry Blue , a composition by pianist Bill Le Sage, and the ballad Where is Love? from the Lionel Bart musical Oliver . Listening to his playing now, it is astonishing how completely formed Morrissey was as a soloist at the age of 21. The solos are technically impeccable, whether taken at a fast bebop or leisurely ballad tempo, and the flow of ideas seeming unstoppable. Have You Heard? , recorded in 1963 with British pianist-composer Harry South, is also credited to the Dick Morrissey Quartet but this time with Phil Bates on bass and Jackie Dougan on drums, and is equally strong. With the exception of Leroy Anderson's Serenata all the tunes are South originals, and although the sound quality falls short of that on the earlier tracks, Morrissey is again on spellbinding form, and the ensemble playing is perhaps a little more developed. Morrissey had a natural feel for the blues and led the band at the Bull's Head in Barnes for one of the better of Jimmy Witherspoon's numerous live recordings, and played often with Alexis Korner. He started playing rock and pop sessions in the 1960s with The Animals, and worked with an extraordinary range of artists far removed from jazz, including Paul McCartney, Vangelis, Peter Gabriel and Gary Numan. In 1969 Morrissey co-founded the jazz rock group If, and a later association with the Average White Band led to his long-lasting partnership with Mullen, another soloist with the originality, expressive gifts and sense of structure necessary to improvise long solos without becoming boring or repetitive. Now that more of Morrissey's recordings are in circulation, it would be nice to have access to the seven-album Morrissey-Mullen catalogue prior to the release of Everything Must Change , which, even if you are lucky enough to track down a copy, samples only five of them. It is also a great shame that 1983's solo After Dark , on which Mullen guests, remains unavailable. Take Three Three albums now available on CD featuring Morrissey. There and Back (1997, Jazz House): the Dick Morrissey Quartet recorded live on peak form in 1964 and 1965 at Ronnie Scott's Club, featuring Harry South on piano and, on an extended version of Morrissey's signature tune of the period, Dick's Theme , British drummer Phil Seamen. Live at Jazz Club Friday (2012, Rare Records): recorded in 1986, this live album features Morrissey and Mullen playing straight-ahead jazz, rather than their funkier Morrissey-Mullen repertoire, with drummer Tony Levin and bassist Chris Bolton. Charly Antolini Meets Dick Morrissey Live (1990, Bellaphone): one of three albums Morrissey recorded as co-leader with the Swiss drummer between 1989 and 1993. There's plenty of uptempo playing, but Morrissey particularly shines on the ballads. Brian Lemon plays piano and Len Skeat is on bass.
