The Fluteman?

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Captain Bacardi

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After reading the liner notes to Soul Flutes Trust In Me I see a line about the solos being performed by the "Fluteman". Is this supposed to be Herbie Mann? I thought I read something about this a couple of years ago, so would someone fill me in on this? If it was Mann, was his identity hidden for contractual reasons?


Capt. Bacardi
...wondering online...
 
Cap'n-I don't like to post something like this without actual verification,but Mann is probably the mystery player. I don't own "Soul Flutes" but would be interested in the comparison of dates and personnel similarities between the two. I suspect that Atlantic had a "one off" clause for Herbie to put one album out elsewhere,but would have balked at more. What I have always wondered about this is that Herbie Mann was carrying so much weight at Atlantic at the time and seemed to be getting whatever he wanted. He was good for a new album three/four times a year and was later given free reign to put out Embryo,a boutique label,and gave him equal freedom on Vortex. As pop sounding and popular as Herbie could be,he was a crusader in bringing Chick Corea,Roy Ayers and Sonny Sharrock from sideman to solo status,as well as giving journeyman Ron Carter a group leader recording date. I wonder if the boutique label was leverage to keep him away from Creed Taylor's advances? Mac
 
Mac: I've been racking my brain trying to remember who posted the mystery flutist here a few years back. Apparently it was Herbie Mann who said he'd performed as the Unknown Flutist. (Wonder if he wore the brown paper bag over his head?) And yet, another rumor has Hubert Laws playing on that album...or both...?

-= N =-
 
It was Herbie Mann himself who told me he was the solo fluteman on SP 3009. This was at a Jazil Brazz concert I attended in April 1993. Not sure about Laws' involvement.
I've also met Herbie Hancock, who played piano on the TRUST IN ME album, after one of his shows. He mentioned Mann's uncredited role as well.
JB
 
The one "Hubert Laws" comment I'd read came from someone who'd asked Creed Taylor about it. I'm guessing that since Hubert Laws played on a lot of CTi product, it could have been confusing...or Taylor was covering his @ss and not admitting the real flutist. :wink:

-= N =-
...who only owns one Herbie Mann album, and boy is it bad! (Super Mann...Herbie does disco...no wonder they said disco sucked!)
 
Rudy said:
...who only owns one Herbie Mann album, and boy is it bad! (Super Mann...Herbie does disco...no wonder they said disco sucked!)

I remember reading an interview with Mann when Super Mann came out. He said that he was forced by his record company to make that record, and during his concerts he had a sign on the front door of any venue that he performed at notifying the audience that he absolutely refused to play any of those disco pieces.


Capt. Bacardi
 
"Superman" got a lot of airplay locally when it came out...and actually, the rest of the album was more like comtemporary jazz with a funky/disco beat throughout. Terribly dated today, but not as bad as you'd think.

-= N =-
..."Superman....I love you Superman"...thump thump thump...
 
I LOVE Herbie's stuff on Atlantic! :cool: Glad some of it is being reissued by Collectibles with all the Musician Info. on the back. :)

Used to hear SP 3003, as well as other A&M/CTi's, including SP 3009, at a certain Supermarket over the speakers. Even some of the A&M/CTi's with vocals would get played. I'd also hear Jimmy McGriff's stuff on Sue get played there. :wink:

But that location is long gone. :sad:

Dave

Gioccho Adesso: Richard Barbary "Teach Me--Willing To Learn" SOUL MACHINE A&M/CTi SP 3010

...Remembering the "Clean Up in Ahle Fohteen" during it; almost an entire shelf of Spaghetti Sauce fell off as it started... :laugh:
 
Glad to see you back, DW. For a while there was a promotion where if you bought an A&M-CTI album there was a sticker on the shrinkwrap which was good for 50 cents off any of the others.
Mann's Jasil Brass concert was great back in '93. One memorable tune from the setlist was "Lamento," a Jobim tune from WAVE.
JB

PS: FYI, Dave, the dates for the Roberta Flack/KSO weekend are May 10 and 11, '02
 
Rudy said:
...only owns one Herbie Mann album, and boy is it bad! (Super Mann...Herbie does disco...no wonder they said disco sucked!)
I have several of Herbie's Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-themed albums (a couple of which feature a young Sergio Mendes on piano) and they are first-rate Latin jazz! Similar to what Cal Tjader was doing around the same time.

Herbie's '50s straight-ahead stuff is very good too; it's often forgotten that he was also a damn fine tenor sax player in the old days, as well as the first person ever to record jazz solos on bass clarinet.

(He's more eclectic than I am, however--I don't particularly care for anything he's done since the late '60s, with the disco stuff being an obvious low point.)

- William
 
Anyone know if Herbie Mann is still recording or touring actively? His is a name I rarely see come up anymore.

-= N =-
 
Rudy said:
Anyone know if Herbie Mann is still recording or touring actively? His is a name I rarely see come up anymore.

Yeah, he's still touring. He came to Austin a few months ago, and sold out the One World Theatre. I don't recall any new albums lately, though.


Capt. Bacardi
NW: Wings vs Canucks
 
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