A Monday Night Downtown with Mann
Herbie Mann's flute and a loose band turn a Greenwich Village club night into a lively live document.
Monday Night at the Village Gate captures Herbie Mann in the same New York club where he had recorded twice before, in 1965, with a band built for the room. The Village Gate was a regular stop for Mann, and by this point he knew how to pull a crowd into the groove, letting the set breathe and stretch rather than polishing it for a studio ear.
The lineup gives the record its character. Chick Corea plays piano early in his career, and Earl May anchors the bass. Dave Pike's vibraphone adds color alongside the trombones of John Hitchcock and Mark Weinstein, while Patato Valdés on congas brings a Latin pulse that keeps the rhythm moving. Mann's flute sits at the center, bright and nimble, and the ensemble swings hard without much fuss.
This is not the place to start with Mann, and it is not his most important statement. It is a good, lively example of his club work from the mid-1960s, with a strong band and an audience that clearly enjoys itself. If you like the Village Gate recordings he made earlier, this one is worth hearing, and it works as a fun night out in a record.
Who's playing
Earl Maybass
Chick Coreapiano
John Hitchcocktrombone
Mark Weinsteintrombone
Herbie Mannflute
Bruno Carrdrums
Carlos “Patato” Valdéscongas
Dave Pikevibraphone
Where next?
More by Herbie Mann
All 36 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
