🎷 AotW: CTI Soul Flutes - TRUST IN ME (SP-3009)

[Captain Bacardi]

Soul Flutes
TRUST IN ME
A&M/CTi SP-3009

Released 1968

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Reel-to-Reel

Produced by Creed Taylor

Songs:

• 1. Try A Little Tenderness (Campbell/Connelly/Woods) - 3:05
  2. Trust In Me (Richard Sherman/Robert Sherman) - 3:45
  3. In The Wee Small Hours (J. Elliott/I. James) - 3:05
  4. Scarborough Fair (Paul Simon/Art Garfunkle) - 2:43
  5. Bachianas Brasileiras (Heitor Villa-Lobos) - 4:15
  6. Cigarettes & Coffee (Thomas/Butler/Walker) - 3:00
  7. Pu Po (Paul Mann) - 3:15
  8. Early Autumn (R. Burns/W. Herman/J. Mercer) - 3:55
  9. Day-O (arranged by Paul Mann & Don Sebesky) - 2:15
  10. Buckaroo (Bob Morris) - 2:30
  
  Arranged by Don Sebesky

Musicians:
Herbie Hancock - Piano, Organ & Harpsichord, Finger Piano (7)
Eric Gale - Guitar, Finger Piano (7)
Paul Griffin - Organ (1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
Ron Carter - Bass
Grady Tate - Drums
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar (4, 5)
Ray Barretto - Percussion (7)
Henry Watts - Vibes & Marimba
Soul Flutes Ensemble & Piccolo - Joel Kaye (4, 5), George Marge, Romeo Penque, Stan Webb

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios
Rudy Van Gelder, Engineer
Recorded February 21, 22; March 13, 18, 1968

Cover Photographs by Pete Turner
Album Design by Sam Antupit
Liner notes by Ira Gitler




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

SOUL FLUTES
TRUST IN ME
SP3009 (Released 1968)

This is a somewhat lackluster album. The tempos are pretty much the same, and there's not a whole lot of variety in the songs. While this is supposedly a Herbie Mann album, it pales in comparison to his Glory Of Love album. If anything, I think Henry Watts steals the scene on vibes and marimba. The only decent flute work is on "In The Wee Small Hours" and the end of Buck Owens' "Buckaroo". The flute ensemble is nice on "Early Autumn", but the arrangement is rather bland. The only tune that has any real character is "Pu Po", written by "Paul Mann" (I wonder what the story is there?). Other than that, there's not much to this album. For a group name to be "Soul Flutes", there isn't very much "soul" to this release.


Capt. Bacardi
...yawning online...

 

[Dave]

SOUL FLUTES
TRUST IN ME
SP3009 (Released 1968)

This is a somewhat lackluster album. The tempos are pretty much the same, and there's not a whole lot of variety in the songs. While this is supposedly a Herbie Mann album, it pales in comparison to his Glory Of Love album. For a group name to be "Soul Flutes", there isn't very much "soul" to this release.


Capt. Bacardi
...yawning online...

I have to AGREE!! Still even today, I find myself nodding off to this Muzak! The songs DO mostly all sound the same and if you are familiar with anything, it is VERY hard to recognize MOST of the proceedings. No wonder Herbie Mann didn't want his name mentioned--or that is, went under the pseudonym, "Fluteman". Reckon he wasn't too grateful 'bout being involved on this Dead Sounding Outing, either. Even if it fulfilled his Contractual Obligation to A&M during his break or hiatus from Atlantic.

Of course the album comes to life at the end with "Day-O" and goes from the Carribean to the prarie with "Buckaroo". (you could hear both songs, as well as virtuallly ALL of the A&M/CTi catalog, even Jimmy McGriff's stuff on Sue, long ago playing over the speakers at any Farmer Jack Supermarket on any given day!)

Soul Flutes?! Never has a group been so Mis-Named!

...And SMACK!!!...such a Gadawful Cover, too!!

Dave

 

[seashorepiano]

I'll be listening to this eventually, but it's worth pointing out that the identity of "The Fluteman" is still disputed today. Apparently Hubert Laws or Herbie Mann could have played on this; Herbie might have been anonymous because of contractual obligations to Atlantic at the time (am I right?).

 

[Dave]

More like Soul-less flutes... The album consists of slow but fairly moving pieces, but really comes to life with the last-two songs at the end!

Won't say much else, til' "someone" gets HIS copy of this...--Keep Lookin'!!!



Dave

 

[seashorepiano]

Thanks to the assistance of Dave in obtaining these albums, I had the opportunity to hear this album and a few others today. A few thoughts...

IMHO Herbie Mann is the uncredited "Fluteman" here. One of the flautists sounds a lot like him. What's interesting is that this seems to be the only A&M/CTi album where the main, credited players of the "Soul Flutes" ensemble (George Marge, Joel Kaye, Romeo Penque, Stan Webb) were all usually just sidemen elsewhere. My theory is that, here, they're sidemen to Herbie. For whatever reason, he couldn't be credited, so the sidemen became the main players. Hence, that never-before (and -since) heard name "Soul Flutes ensemble." Maybe another Creed Taylor creation, like Tamba 4 (original 3 + Taylor's addition).

The intro to "In the Wee Small Hours," for about the first five+ seconds, sounds almost identical to the intro to "No Use Crying" from Glory of Love. Listen to it!

"Trust in Me" is a nice ballad. Most of these tunes are very mellow and don't speed up until the last two tracks of the album, as has been said before. "Early Autumn" is a pretty song.

 

[seashorepiano]

More like Soul-less flutes...

But Ira Gitler said it was full of soul!

 

[Dave]

Yes, Ira Gitler gives a brief commentary of how the Flute in Jazz tended to first, mostly be used in Improvations of Classical material and Classical-like compositions done in experimentation, if not Experimentation, altogether... Really should've included some excerpts from his Liner Notes while I very recently (and very briefly) had this...

...But Ira Gitler said it was full of soul...!

Very Well, OK, then...! In that case, I agree with his final comment: Silver Birds in the Home... --Uncaged!



Dave

 

[LPJim]

Yes, Herbie Mann is the "Fluteman." He said so after his Jazil Brass group concert in April 1993 while mingling with the audience.
He was finishing a 2-album deal with A&M/CTI after he'd gone back to the Atlantic label. This way he could fulfill one contract without violating ther other.
JB

 

[Dave]

I think the version of Scarborough Fair sounds almost like the Instrumental on the GRADUATE Soundtrack...

You might think that The Soul Flutes would have contributed their version of it to the GRADUATE Film Soundtrack as the "Instrumental Version"; it soulds more "natural" and more Tame compared to, say, Wes Montgomery's... --Or Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66; their version was featured in the Robert Crumb X-Rated Animated Film, HEAVY TRAFFIC...



Dave

 

[Dave]

Unreleased Tracks for A&M/CTi SP 3009:​

Mr. Tambourine Man -- Bob Dylan, wrote; The Byrds, popularized; Who, improvised?!

Soul Machine -- --...Huh?!

Come On A My House -- Sure I saw this title as an Unreleased Track on Herbie Mann's (A&M/CTi SP 3003) Glory Of Love...

Story Of A Starry Night -- ...--Not sure of this one's origins, either... :|

--Source: Noted Jazz critic, Doug Payne at his Sound Insights Jazz Artist Website, at...

www.dougpayne.com

inkshield:​

Dave

 

[LPJim]

Interesting bonus trax; sure would like to see SP 3009 reissued with all of these.
Shouldn't there have been a vocal version of "Soul Machine" done by Richard Barbary as title track to SP 3010? This would make sense,
JB

 

[seashorepiano]

Interesting find on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HERBIE-MANN-SOU...sPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

It has the A&M imprint, manufactured by "King Record Co." in Japan. It also combines tracks from Glory of Love and Trust in Me. Having Mann's picture on the album cover as it does, I wonder if King Records knew he was the flautist on all tracks (though they still credit the "Soul Flutes")?

 

[nightcat]

SOUL FLUTES is a good but not great lp. Gitler is correct in referring to the lp as "soulful", but this is soulful in a mellow sense. This isn't party music, but if you're mellowing out with your girlfriend on a Saturday night, this lp would be perfect.

It seems evident that Mann is the flutist, the phrasing gives it away. And as someone previously mentioned, some songs on SOUL FLUTES sound very similar to songs on GLORY OF LOVE. The most intersting tune on SOUL FLUTES is the lovely bossa nova tinged "Bachianas Brasileiras #5" written by classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. In the classical world, the lead in this tune is usually sung by some loud overweight soprano. But when the soprano is replaced by Mann's moody and soulful flute, the songs natural beauty is really brought out.

All in all, SOUL FLUTES is a good album. If you like Herbie Mann's slower soulful side, you'll like this lp.

 

[JOv2]

As a connoisseur of Buck Owens' music, I immediately recognized the Bob Morris' song, Buckaroo. Perhaps they're the Twang Flutes here. The song was an instrumental C/W hit; still, I wonder who brought it to the session (and convinced the others?) -- cool choice...probably the only "Buck Owens" cover on a CTi. I hope Bob got his $45 royalty check (I don't think the Soul Flutes was a big seller -- A&M sure lost out on sales without the Herbie Mann name!) -- of course, 45 bucks went a lot further in those days!

 

[Moritat]

I like this lp. Is this available on CD yet? Herbie Mann's second lp on A&M isn't as good as Glory Of Love, but its very mellow & listenable. My favorite tune here is the beautiful Bachianas Brasileiras. Whenever you hear a classical version of this song, its a vocal. Usually a howling screeching opera singer. What a pleasure to hear a pure lovely instumental version of this gem. Life is better when the fat lady doesn't sing!

 

[JOv2]

...Herbie Mann's second lp on A&M isn't as good as Glory Of Love, but its very mellow & listenable...

The general consensus appears that this A&M/CTi was initially intended to be Mann's follow-up to Glory Of Love. Very much a let down compared to that very well done LP -- as well as to his '66/'67 Atlantic releases. The inclusion of a Buck Owens number raises an an eyebrow or two.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This album is so lethargic that it's hard for me to get into it. With a name as "Soul Flutes" I always expected something kind of funky and soulful, something with some bite to it as was done with the group Supersax in the 70's. I do like the rendition of "In The Wee Small Hours", but other than that there's not a whole lot of meat here.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[bob knack]

I don't own this but I've heard it. I agree it kind of drags. Maybe that's why Herbie didn't want his name on the project. I had the pleasure of hearing Mann live many times and he was an exciting performer. He had great sidemen like "Fathead" Newman and Sonny Sherrock (who was really only there for showmanship). I once saw a concert at the Civic Theatre in Chicago that featured the bands of Herbie Mann, Cannonball Adderley, and Les McCann and Eddie Harris. What a night! I think only McCann is still around. Maybe not.

 

[Dave]

Easily the weakest A&M/CTi album in the series... Perhaps "Fluteman" really DIDN'T want to be credited just as much as his native record label he went back to didn't want him revealed...

The last two songs "Day-O" and "Buckaroo" are the only real attractions, other wise the runt of the A&M/CTi litter...


Dave