Herbie Mann

Infobox musical artist
Name = Herbie Mann

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Img_capt = Herbie and Will Lee (1975)
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name =
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Born = birth date|1930|4|16|
Died = death date and age|2003|07|1|1930|4|16
Origin = United States
Instrument = Flute,
Genre = jazz

Occupation =
Years_active = 1940s-2003
Label =
Associated_acts = Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto
URL =
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Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), better known as Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flautist and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played saxophones and clarinets (including bass clarinet), but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute and was perhaps jazz music's preeminent flautist during the 1960s.

Career

Herbie Mann was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a teen, he attended Lincoln H.S. in Brighton Beach and was actually failed in a music class.He talks a lot about "the groove." In the 1950s, Mann "locked into a Brazilian groove in the early '60s, then moved into a funky, soulful groove in the late '60s and early '70s. By the mid-'70s he was making hit disco records, still cooking in a rhythmic groove." He describes his approach to finding the groove as follows:"All you have to do is find the waves that are comfortable to float on top of." Mann argues that the "epitome of a groove record" is "Memphis Underground" or "Push Push", because the "rhythm section locked all in one perception." [Port Folio Weekly, 2002. http://www.jimnewsom.com/HerbieMannInterview.html]

World music

Mann was an early pioneer in the fusing of jazz and world music. He incorporated elements of African music in 1959 following a State Department sponsored tour of the continent, adding a conga player to his band, and the same year recorded "Flautista", an album of Afro-Cuban jazz. In 1961 Mann took a tour of Brazil and returned to the United States to record with Brazilian players including Antonio Carlos Jobim and guitarist Baden Powell. These albums helped popularize the bossa nova. Many of his albums throughout his career returned to Brazilian themes. He went on to record reggae in London (in 1974), Middle Eastern (1966 and 1967) (with oud and dumbek), and Eastern European styles.

In the mid-1960s Mann hired a young Chick Corea to play in some of his bands, still with a Latin tinge. His work with Corea has been released on the compilation "Complete Latin Band Sessions".In the late 1970s, early 1980s Mann played duets at New York City's Bottom Line and the Village Gate to sold out crowds with the late Sarod virtuso Vasant Rai.

Crossover pop

Following the 1969 hit album "Memphis Underground" a number of disco-style smooth jazz records in the 1970s, mainly on Atlantic records, brought some criticism from jazz purists but helped Mann remain active during a period of declining interest in jazz. The musicians on these recordings are some of the best-known session players in soul and jazz, including singer Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney Houston), guitarists Duane Allman and Larry Coryell, bassists Donald "Duck" Dunn and Chuck Rainey and drummers Al Jackson and Bernard Purdie, these last from the Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama.

In this period Mann had a number of songs cross over to the pop charts — rather rare for a jazz musician. A 1998 interview reported that "At least 25 Herbie Mann albums have made the top 200 pop charts, success denied most of his jazz peers." [http://www.jimnewsom.com/hm-articles.html]

Later career

He founded his own record labels Embryo [http://www.bsnpubs.com/atlantic/embryo.html ] , distributed by Atlantic Records, and which, apart from his own recordings, produced the 520 Series for jazz albums, such as Ron Carter's "Uptown Conversation" (1970); Miroslav Vitous' first solo album, "Infinite Search" (1969); Phil Woods and his European Rhythm Machine at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival (1971); and Dick Morrissey and Jim Mullen's "Up" (1976), which featured the Average White Band as a rhythm section; and the 730 Series, with a more rock-oriented style, including "Zero Time" (1971) by TONTO's Expanding Head Band.

He later set up "Kokopelli Records" after difficulty with established labels. Mann recorded over 100 albums, and performed regularly. His first gig was playing in the Catskills at age 15. His last, on May 3, 2003 was at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival at age 73. Herbie Mann died at age 73 on July 1 2003 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Trivia

* His song "Hijack" has been used in several pop and hip hop songs. E.g. The Beatnuts song "Watch Out Now" and most famous J.Lo's song "Jenny from the Block".
* Mann's rendition of "Summertime" recorded at the Village Gate was heavily sampled by Sublime on their well known song "Doin' Time".
* His version of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was American author, Hunter S. Thompson's campaign music in 1970 when he ran for sheriff of Pitkin County. It is also on the soundtrack to Wayne Ewing's "Breakfast With Hunter".

Partial discography

* 1957 - "Flute Fraternity"
* 1959 - "Flautista: Herbie Mann plays Afro-Cuban jazz!" Verve Records
* 1959 - "African Suite"
* 1961 - "Herbie Mann At the Village Gate" (live)
* 1961 - "Nirvana"
* 1962 - "Brazil Bossa Nova & Blues"
* 1963 - "Do the Bossa Nova" - with Castro Neves, Baden Powell and Antonio Carlos Jobim
* 1963 - "Returns to the Village Gate" - Mann plays a variety of oriental flutes, group includes bowed bass by Nabil Totah
* 1965 - "Herbie Mann & João Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim" Mann plays on some tracks including a version of "One Note Samba" with Jobim on piano, and some duets with guitarist Baden Powell.
* 1965 - "My Kinda Groove"
* 1965 - "Latin Mann" with pianist Chick Corea
* 1966 - "Impressions of the Middle East" -
* 1965 - "Standing Ovation at Newport" with Corea
* 1965 - "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" - with Corea
*1966 - "Monday Night at the Village Gate" - bigger group including Corea and lots of brass. This album is now part of the "Returns to the Village gate" CD
*1967 - "The Wailing Dervishes"
*1967 - "A Mann & A Woman (with Tamiko Jones)"
*1967 - "Glory Of Love"
*1969 - "Memphis Underground" produced by Tom Dowd, musicians include Larry Coryell - Atlantic Records
*1970 - "Stone Flute"
*1970 - "Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty" - jazz/r'n'b with Roy Ayers, Miroslav Vitousand the Muscle Shoals rhythm section
*1971 - "Memphis Two Step"
*1971 - "Push Push" - with Duane Allman
*1973 - "Turtle Bay"
*1974 - "London Underground" - recorded in London - Atlantic Records
*1974 - "Reggae" recorded in London with Mick Taylor and Albert Lee
*1975 - "Discotheque" - with vocals by Cissy Houston, contains the Top 20 hit "Hijack"
*1975 - "Waterbed" - with Houston
*1976 - "Surprises" - with Houston
*1977 - "Fire Island" with vocalist Googie Coppola
*1977 - "The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux"
*1978 - "Brazil: Once Again"
*1979 - "Sunbelt"
*"Deep Pocket"
*1987 - "Jasil Brazz"
*1989 - "Opalescence"
*1997 - "Peace Pieces"
*"Celebration"
*1997 - "America Brazil"
*"Sona Terra"
*2000 - "Eastern European Roots"

See also

*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

* [http://www.herbiemannmusic.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.jimnewsom.com/Herbie-discography.html Further Discography and Biography]