Herbie Mann, the versatile jazz flutist who combined a variety of musical styles and deeply influenced genres such as world music and fusion, has died. He was 73.
Mann always performed different styles, then combined them. He did bebop and cool jazz, and toured Africa, Brazil and Japan listening for new music.
Among his numerous works, included Family of Mann, formed in 1973, played world music before it was called that. Mann’s best-selling Memphis Underground was a founding recording of fusion.
When Mann left Atlantic Records in 1979 he started producing his own records, and later he launched his own label, Kokopelli. In all, he made more than 100 albums as leader. The album titles alone reflect Mann’s versatility: At the Village Gate (1962); African Suite (1959); Brasil, Bossa Nova & Blues (1962); Latin Mann 1965; Memphis Two Step (1971); and Eastern European Roots (2000).
Mann
