Remembering Herbie Mann and his influence on Afro-Cuban jazz

Herbie Mann

When the romance between Afro-Cuban rhythms and harmonies with straight-ahead jazz blossomed in the 1950s New York, legendary U.S. flutist Herbie Mann was still experimenting with bop as a sideman for Dutch accordionist Mat Mathews.

While Tito Puente, Machito, Eddie Palmieri and others found a new stimulus in the incorporation of jazz elements, simultanesouly jazzmen from the straight-ahead movement such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were becoming increasingly fascinated by the fiery rhythmic patterns and changes of Afro-Cuban music.

And Mann, who was born Herbert Jay Solomon, formed part of the group of jazz-trained musicians who embraced the rise of this pulsating “new sound” that swept North America.

So in 1959, after some experiments with Afro-Cuban players at Birdland, the Brooklyn-born flutist formed his Afro-Jazz combo and began gigging at Basin Street East, a pub off Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

Not long after, Mann became one of the most popular jazz/Afro-Cuban flutists during the early 1960s, playing and recording with some of the top names in the jazz (Bill Evans, Chick Corea) and Latin music scenes (Willie Bobo).

Throughout his career, Mann played a wide variety of musical styles, including bop, bossa nova, pop, crossover jazz, world music, Afro-Cuban and even disco. Since the ‘80s, however, Mann has been involved in jazz, recording mainly for Chesky and Atlantic.

The result of Mann’s pioneering jamming sessions at the popular New York club are collected on this 1998 Verve reissue, “Flautista: Herbie Mann Plays Afro-Cuban Jazz.”

Originally recorded in 1959, Mann’s reconnaissance trip into the Afro-Cuban soundscape is comprised of four originals and a non-Mann composition, the Juan Tizol jass standard “Caravan.”

In addition to the original LP’s selections, this reissue also features two previously unreleased bonus tracks, “Delilah” and “Basin Street East.”

Accompanying Mann are Johnny Rae, Knobby Totah, Carlos “Patato” Valdés, José Mangual and Santos Miranda.

“Todos locos,” the relaxed opening track of this set, is an original and it means “everybody’s crazy.” Here Mann was inspired by Bud Powell’s tune “Un poco loco.”

The following tune, “Cuban Patato Chip,” was one of Mann’s most requested pieces at the time. The album’s highlight, the track is based on an African dialect folk song that was brought to New York from Cuba. Aside from this hypnotic chant introduction and the sound of Mann’s flute hovering above the multi-layered harmony, the song has the Latin-percussion-heavy section of Mangual, “Patato” and Miranda delivering a steaming performance.

The more jazzy, slow-tempo “Come on Mule” slips away a bit from the Afro-Cuban tradition, but remains linked to it by a threat thanks to the influence of the Latin percussion.

“The Amazing River,” a soothing and organic composition, is a distinct, refreshing piece based on flute solos, heavy percussion and marimba that evokes the spiritual and sacred music similar to that of many African and Latin American tribes.

Mann’s rendition of “Caravan” remains faithful to the original but he adds his own personal twist with the conversations between flute, marimba and congas.

Essentially, Mann's work is testament that he made significant contributions to the genre and that he won the respect of his peers during his heyday.