It's Morrissey, Man! Explained

It's Morrissey, Man!
Type:	Studio album
Artist:	Dick Morrissey
Cover:	ItsMorrisseyMan.jpg
Released:	1961
Recorded:	27 April 1961
Genre:	Jazz
Label:	Fontana
Next Title:	Have You Heard?
Next Year:	1963

It's Morrissey, Man! is an album by saxophonist Dick Morrissey. It was recorded on 27 April 1961. It was Morrissey's first album as a leader.^[1] The liner notes were written by Benny Green. In 1998, Polygram's Redial division, run by Richard Cook, reissued the album as a CD.^[2]

Reception

A contemporaneous Jazz Journal review commented: "Morrissey is well able to sustain interest over several choruses, and builds his solos excellently. Jones [on piano] is far less impressive, and his solos are almost invariably an anticlimax. Cecil and Barnes [bass and drums] work together well, and provide a driving beat."^[3] Four decades later, a Daily Telegraph writer stated that the album had "caused a great stir among musicians and jazz insiders but failed to register greatly with the wider jazz public".^[4]

Track listing

1. "St. Thomas" (Sonny Rollins) 3:54
2. "Cherry Blue" (Bill Le Sage) 3:13
3. "A Bench in the Park" (Milton Ager, Jack Yellen) 3:06
4. "Sancticity" (Coleman Hawkins) 3:27
5. "Mildew" (Johnny Griffin) 3:00
6. "Puffing Billy" (Stan Jones) 4:23
7. "Gurney Was Here (Or Blue Waltz)" (Jones) 2:48
8. "Happy Feet" (Ager, Yellen) 3:07
9. "Where Is Love?" (Lionel Bart) 3:57
10. "Dancing in the Dark" (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) 3:37
11. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) 4:50
12. "Jellyroll" (Charles Mingus) 2:59

Personnel

• Dick Morrissey - tenor saxophone
• Stan Jones - piano
• Malcolm Cecil - bass
• Colin Barnes - drums

Notes and References

1. News: Atkins . Ronald . 9 November 2000 . Dick Morrissey . . 24 July 2022.
2. News: Richard Cook . The Independent . Brian . Morton . 1 September 2007 . 24 July 2022.
3. Shera . Mike . December 1961 . Dick Morrissey: It's Morrissey, Man . . 24 July 2022.
4. News: 9 November 2000 . Dick Morrissey . . 24 July 2022.