Flute, Oud, and a Village Stage
Roy Ayers' vibraphone and a Middle Eastern ensemble make this live Herbie Mann date sound like nothing else in his catalog.
Roy Ayers, the vibraphonist, is the musician who gives this record its shape. Where Herbie Mann's flute often leads with a bright, mid-sixties soul-jazz swagger, Ayers brings a shimmering, rippling color that softens the edges and lets the melodies drift across the room. His presence is what makes the album feel less like a standard Mann trio outing and more like a meeting of worlds.
The concept draws on Mann's ongoing fascination with music from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans. Alongside the core quartet, the lineup includes Charles "Chick" Ganimian on oud, Moulay "Ali" Hafid on goblet drum, Hachig Kazarian on clarinet, and Esber Köprücü on zither, with Rufus Harley adding bagpipe. Recorded live at the Village Theatre in New York for Atlantic and released in 1967, the set moves between modal pieces and rhythmic grooves, and the textures blend more often than they clash. Ayers' vibes sit comfortably in that mix, catching the oud and zither and turning them into something that feels like a single instrument.
It is not Mann's most essential record, and it can sound loose in places, but it is a good starting point if you want to hear how far he was willing to stretch the jazz flute. For listeners who like the adventurous side of late sixties jazz, it is worth a listen, especially for Ayers' playing.
Who's playing
Reggie Workmanbass
Steve Knightbass
James Glennbass
Oliver Collinspiano
Bruno Carrdrums
Billy Abnerdrums
Roy Ayersvibraphone
Charles "Chick" Ganimianoud
Moulay "Ali" Hafidgoblet drum
Hachig Kazarianclarinet
Esber Köprücüzither
Rufus Harleybagpipe
Where next?
More by Herbie Mann
All 36 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
