Jim Mullen

Guitarist Jim Mullen, born November 26, 1945, in Glasgow, Scotland, launched the British jazz-fusion scene of the 1970s alongside saxophonist Dick Morrissey, his longtime partner. At eight he obtained his initial guitar after an older acquaintance introduced him to jazz, and although he later pursued journalism studies he stayed active on the local jazz scene, eventually assembling a band that featured tenor saxophonist Malcolm Duncan and keyboardist Roger Ball. In 1969 Mullen moved to London, performed with Pete Brown’s Piblokto!, and then joined Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, solidifying his place in the emerging jazz-rock milieu. Subsequent engagements included Vinegar Joe and Kokomo; during the early 1970s he also recorded with Duncan and Ball in their blue-eyed funk outfit the Average White Band. Through that association he encountered Morrissey, previously a member of the respected jazz-rock group If. The pair formed a duo in 1977 and released Up, which ranged across bop, pop, and funk, earning praise from audiences on either side of the jazz-rock divide through well-received recordings such as the 1979 album Cape Wrath. Together they led six albums that gradually shifted toward mainstream styles yet never secured the U.S. commercial traction needed for wider success. Their partnership ended after the 1988 release Happy Hour; Mullen subsequently collaborated with vocalist Claire Martin and issued his own projects, among them Rule of Thumb and Soundbites. As a sought-after session musician he accompanied American figures including Mose Allison, Jimmy Smith, and Terry Callier. In summer 2000 he rejoined Morrissey only months before the saxophonist succumbed to spinal cancer.