Herbie Mann, the versatile jazz flutist who combined a variety of musical styles and deeply influenced trends such as world music and fusion, has died. He was 73. Mann, who had battled prostate cancer since 1997, died late Tuesday, according to a friend, Sy Johnson.
Mann was known for performing different musical styles and creatively combining them. Always seeking out new rhythms and harmonies, he toured the world, spending time in Africa, Brazil and Japan. 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. He continued to work diligently on his music at a time most people consider retirement.
“I’m playing better than I’ve ever played,” Mann said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. “I’m practicing. I always thought I could get by just with my natural instincts. As far as I’m concerned, almost everything I’ve done in the past has been on the surface or just a hair below. Now I’m getting serious.”
When he 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.
Album titles 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).
Related posts:
