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Originally released by Verve Records in 1961, Flute, Brass, Vibes and Percussion captures Herbie Mann leading one of the most distinctive ensembles of his early career. Combining modern jazz and hard bop with Afro-Cuban rhythms, the album surrounds Mann’s flute with four trumpets, vibraphone, bass, drums and layered Latin percussion.
The nonet features veteran trumpeter Doc Cheatham alongside Leo Ball, Jerome Kail and Siggy Schatz. Johnny Rae contributes vibraphone, with Knobby Totah on bass, Rudy Collins on drums and noted percussionists Ray Barretto and Ray Mantilla supplying congas, bongos and additional rhythmic colour.
“Dearly Beloved” opens the album with Mann’s agile flute moving above bright brass figures and a driving percussion section. “You Stepped Out of a Dream” develops through more spacious exchanges between flute and vibraphone, while the extended “I’ll Remember April” moves from lyrical melodic passages into increasingly energetic improvisation.
The second side begins with Mann’s original composition “A Ritual,” a hypnotic performance built around repeated rhythmic figures, percussion and tightly arranged brass. The compact “Fife ’n Tambourine Corps” acts as a brief, playful interlude before the group stretches out on “Autumn Leaves,” transforming the familiar standard into an expansive Afro-Cuban jazz performance.
With its unusual instrumentation and balance of polished ensemble writing and percussion-heavy improvisation, Flute, Brass, Vibes and Percussion stands among Herbie Mann’s strongest early recordings. This Life Goes On Records edition restores the complete six-track stereo album to vinyl.
Track listing:
Side A
A1. Dearly Beloved – 4:39
A2. You Stepped Out of a Dream – 6:36
A3. I’ll Remember April – 8:32
Side B
B1. A Ritual – 7:30
B2. Fife ’n Tambourine Corps – 2:02
B3. Autumn Leaves – 9:51
