I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this is my first exposure to Herbie Mann. I've always been a fan of the other Herbie of jazz. I saw your note about flute and actually had no idea he focused on that instrument. Pretty awesome. I also just saw the cover of his album Push Push. You have to be the GOAT flute player to attempt to pull that off.
@SeanInConcert Just got through for third spin. Is this considered free jazz? Most of the improvisation feels contained to the song structure, but the improvisation itself feels incredibly loose.
@Jangles Naah.. its pretty structured i think... you want free jazz, check out John Zorns Naked City. I would say the solo in hold on im comin by Sonny is pretty damn out there though!
I think this is an album the I respect, but I may not be a huge fan of. It's clear this is a collection of incredibly talented musicians coalescing around some amazing grooves. The persistent presence of a flute along with Sonny's unexpected sounds and approach to guitar give it a vibe that was unexpected and, for a short while, pretty enthralling. For me, the biggest challenge in the record is the free form improvisation. I'm typically a massive fan of loose, unstructured music but this improvisation was backed by the songs' standard structure set on repeat endlessly. I was waiting for the free spirited approach to jams to extend beyond the soloists to the rest of the band, but it never happened. So, while it was enjoyable to hear the lead go off for a while, the songs felt more like a showcase than an exploration. As always, a listen that made me think.
This is what opened the door to me for what was later fusion... mind you I was 5 hearing this so i didnt know anything except "hey, i like how this sounds".
