Herbie Mann • Afro-Jazziac Bop

Review - by John Bush

Few jazz musicians did more to introduce American audiences to the Latin-jazz fusion than flutist Herbie Mann, whose pop crossovers -- a generous soul would describe them as "easy to digest" -- were heard by many more listeners than the work of artistic innovators like Machito or Antonio Carlos Jobim. Though he wasn't exactly a trailblazer, Mann recorded a lot of exemplary music, and two of his earliest and most vital dates are heard on Afro-Jazziac Bop, a 2003 compilation released by Fuel 2000. (The same items also appear on a 1999 Entertainers collection titled Brazilian Soft Shoe.) Comprising a pair of co-billed LPs recorded just before he formed his Afro-Jazz Sextet in 1959, the disc includes music originally heard on the 1959 Roulette LP Machito With Flute to Boot and the 1958 Mode LP Flute Fraternity (with Buddy Collette). For the first, Mann is featured in front of Machito's Orchestra, with the addition of Johnny Griffin on tenor and Curtis Fuller on trombone. His jaunty solos fit in well with Machito's stately swing, while the titles alternate boppish experiments ("To Birdland and Hurry") with evocative overseas postcards ("African Flute," "Calypso John"). The other session is a slim and limber West Coast date, featuring Mann and fellow reed player Collette playfully trading solos -- in fact, "Herbie's Buddy" has them interacting first on flute, then tenor, then clarinet. Taken together, the two sets heard on Afro-Jazziac Bop don't equal his Savoy work of the same time, but both of them equal or go beyond his more popular Atlantic records.

Biography by Scott Yanow

Herbie Mann played a wide variety of music throughout his career. He became quite popular in the 1960s, but in the '70s became so immersed in pop and various types of world music that he seemed lost to jazz. However, Mann never lost his ability to improvise creatively as his later recordings attest.

Herbie Mann began on clarinet when he was nine but was soon also playing flute and tenor. After serving in the Army, he was with Mat Mathews' Quintet (1953-1954) and then started working and recording as a leader. During 1954-1958 Mann stuck mostly to playing bop, sometimes collaborating with such players as Phil Woods, Buddy Collette, Sam Most, Bobby Jaspar, and Charlie Rouse. He doubled on cool-toned tenor and was one of the few jazz musicians in the '50s who recorded on bass clarinet; he also recorded a full album in 1957 (for Savoy) of unaccompanied flute.

After spending time playing and writing music for television, Mann formed his Afro-Jazz Sextet, in 1959, a group using several percussionists, vibes (either Johnny Rae, Hagood Hardy, or Dave Pike) and the leader's flute. He toured Africa (1960) and Brazil (1961), had a hit with "Comin' Home Baby," and recorded with Bill Evans. The most popular jazz flutist during the era, Mann explored bossa nova (even recording in Brazil in 1962), incorporated music from many cultures (plus current pop tunes) into his repertoire, and had among his sidemen such top young musicians as Willie Bobo, Chick Corea (1965), Attila Zoller, and Roy Ayers; at the 1972 Newport Festival his sextet included David Newman and Sonny Sharrock. By then Mann had been a producer at Embroyo (a subsidiary of Atlantic) for three years and was frequently stretching his music outside of jazz. As the '70s advanced, Mann became much more involved in rock, pop, reggae, and even disco. After leaving Atlantic at the end of the '70s, Mann had his own label for awhile and gradually came back to jazz. He recorded for Chesky, made a record with Dave Valentin, and in the '90s founded the Kokopelli label on which before breaking away in 1996, he was free to pursue his wide range of musical interests. Through the years, he recorded as a leader for Bethlehem, Prestige, Epic, Riverside, Savoy, Mode, New Jazz, Chesky, Kokopelli, and most significantly Atlantic. He passed away on July 1, 2003, following an extended battle with prostate cancer. His last record was 2004's posthumously released Beyond Brooklyn for Telarc.

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Review - by John Bush

Few jazz musicians did more to introduce American audiences to the Latin-jazz fusion than flutist Herbie Mann, whose pop crossovers -- a generous soul would describe them as "easy to digest" -- were heard by many more listeners than the work of artistic innovators like Machito or Antonio Carlos Jobim. Though he wasn't exactly a trailblazer, Mann recorded a lot of exemplary music, and two of his earliest and most vital dates are heard on Afro-Jazziac Bop, a 2003 compilation released by Fuel 2000. (The same items also appear on a 1999 Entertainers collection titled Brazilian Soft Shoe.) Comprising a pair of co-billed LPs recorded just before he formed his Afro-Jazz Sextet in 1959, the disc includes music originally heard on the 1959 Roulette LP Machito With Flute to Boot and the 1958 Mode LP Flute Fraternity (with Buddy Collette). For the first, Mann is featured in front of Machito's Orchestra, with the addition of Johnny Griffin on tenor and Curtis Fuller on trombone. His jaunty solos fit in well with Machito's stately swing, while the titles alternate boppish experiments ("To Birdland and Hurry") with evocative overseas postcards ("African Flute," "Calypso John"). The other session is a slim and limber West Coast date, featuring Mann and fellow reed player Collette playfully trading solos -- in fact, "Herbie's Buddy" has them interacting first on flute, then tenor, then clarinet. Taken together, the two sets heard on Afro-Jazziac Bop don't equal his Savoy work of the same time, but both of them equal or go beyond his more popular Atlantic records.

Biografía de Scott Yanow

Herbie Mann tocó una gran variedad de música a lo largo de su carrera. Se hizo muy popular en la década de 1960, pero en la década de los 70 se sumergió tanto en el pop como en varios tipos de músicas del mundo que parecía perdido en el jazz. Sin embargo, Mann nunca perdió su capacidad de improvisar creativamente como lo atestiguan sus últimas grabaciones.

Herbie Mann comenzó a tocar el clarinete cuando tenía nueve años, pero pronto también tocaba flauta y tenor. Después de servir en el Ejército, estuvo con Mat Mathews 'Quintet (1953-1954) y luego comenzó a trabajar y grabar como líder. Durante 1954-1958, Mann se dedicó principalmente a jugar bop, a veces colaborando con jugadores como Phil Woods, Buddy Collette, Sam Most, Bobby Jaspar y Charlie Rouse. Se dobló con un tenor de tono frío y fue uno de los pocos músicos de jazz en los años 50 que grabaron en el clarinete bajo; también grabó un álbum completo en 1957 (para Savoy) de flauta no acompañada.

Después de pasar el tiempo tocando y escribiendo música para la televisión, Mann formó su Sexteto Afro-Jazz, en 1959, un grupo que utiliza varios percusionistas, vibraciones (ya sea Johnny Rae, Hagood Hardy o Dave Pike) y la flauta del líder. Realizó una gira por África (1960) y Brasil (1961), tuvo un éxito con "Comin 'Home Baby" y grabó con Bill Evans. El flautista de jazz más popular durante la era, Mann exploró la bossa nova (incluso grabando en Brasil en 1962), incorporó música de muchas culturas (más las melodías pop actuales) en su repertorio, y tuvo entre sus dirigentes a músicos jóvenes tan importantes como Willie Bobo. Chick Corea (1965), Attila Zoller y Roy Ayers; en el Festival de Newport de 1972, su sexteto incluía a David Newman y Sonny Sharrock. Para entonces, Mann había sido productor en Embroyo (una subsidiaria de Atlantic) durante tres años y frecuentemente estaba extendiendo su música fuera del jazz. A medida que avanzaban los años 70, Mann se involucró mucho más en el rock, el pop, el reggae e incluso la discoteca. Después de dejar Atlantic a finales de los años 70, Mann tuvo su propio sello por un tiempo y gradualmente volvió al jazz. Grabó para Chesky, grabó un disco con Dave Valentin, y en los años 90 fundó el sello Kokopelli, en el cual, antes de separarse en 1996, tenía libertad para dedicarse a su amplia gama de intereses musicales. A través de los años, grabó como líder para Belén, Prestige, Epic, Riverside, Savoy, Mode, New Jazz, Chesky, Kokopelli y, lo más importante, Atlantic. Falleció el 1 de julio de 2003, luego de una prolongada batalla contra el cáncer de próstata. Su último disco fue 2004, lanzado póstumamente Beyond Brooklyn para Telarc.

Track Listings
1. Brazilian Soft Shoe
2. Afro-Jazziac
3. Ring-A-Levio
4. Afternoon Death
5. To Birdland and Hurry
6. Calypso John
7. African Flute
8. Carabunta
9. The Davis Cup
10. Answer Me
11. Herbie's Buddy
12. Perdido
13. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
14. Give A Little Whistle
15. Here's Pete
16. Theme From "Theme From"
17. Nancy With The Laughing Face
18. Morning After
19. Bacao
20. Love Chant

RELEASE DATE
May 20, 2003
DURATION
69:55





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