Herbie Mann

Also the Real Book is a whole other interesting topic. I recently dug out my copy of The New Real Book from the late 90s, and it's interesting how many tunes there are that I can't possibly imagine anyone ever calling on a bandstand today (not that I'm ever on bandstands). Like, just flipping to a random one, Always There by Ronnie Laws (as played by Jeff Lorber (?)) or Song for Lorraine by Spyro Gyra.

The stone flute album is awesome

The Questlove-directed documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival (six weekend concerts held in Mount Morris Park between June and August 1969) has some footage of Mann's band. Late in the film they also cut in a short, decontextualized clip of Sonny Sharrock murdering his guitar, which felt to me like kind of a cheat; they were effectively framing him as some outside thing, but he was Mann's guitar player, and if he took wild, string-snapping solos, it was because it was OK with the boss.

You're totally right about '70s wanna-be standards that did not become so, but 'Always There' rules, it's a cookout classic and has become a New Orleans standard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKnUo9bDMIo

And the original is from that period where proto-smooth jazz was beginning to happen, but the production was still very rugged '70s style.

Stone Flute 2nded

“Always There” also a massive European hit in 1991 in the version by Incognito, with Jocelyn Brown on vocals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4weGwDt13Q

“always there” is so fucking sweet, never get tired of it.

definition of a happy song

Anecdotally, he seems to have maintain more a profile among hiphop/turntable/funk folk than jazz. Live at the Whisky a Go Go is a fine dollar bin listen from the band with Sharrock.

Memphis Underground is a great record. Sharrock’s all over it

The 2-CD expansion of Whiskey A-Go-Go is also worth checking out by Sharrockheadz. Another amen for Memphis underground---and he produced Black Woman! I'd suspect his name was on there mainly to get it past the label suits, but the label was Vortex, which was fairly freewheeling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_Records
Other Mann albums he played on (wiki has still has live links on most of these, I think)
Windows Opened (Atlantic, 1968)
The Inspiration I Feel (Atlantic, 1968)
Memphis Underground (Atlantic, 1969)
Concerto Grosso in D Blues (Atlantic, 1969)
Live at the Whisky a Go Go (Atlantic, 1969)
Stone Flute (Embryo, 1970)
Memphis Two-Step (Embro, 1970)
Herbie Mann '71 (Embryo, 1971)
Hold On, I'm Comin' (Atlantic, 1973)
I've got most (for xpost under $4.00 each, yes), but my record player died before I got through all, will have to check spotify.
I also dig Push Push, with Duane Allman on the title track, and "Comin' Home Baby," his early 60s (breakthrough?) hit: 8:37 and and his coolest playing evah (from At The Village Gate. Also rec w Jobim and Baden Powell, and prolific as hell from the 50s on (a lot of links in here):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Mann_discography
Going for "World Jazz" way before any such tag 9okay more like Exotica, posters at the Village Gate, but records too, and he made a living of it, as some no doubt notes).

Sorry to say "he" referring to Sharrock and Mann, but it's mostly Mann

This is actually pretty good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG2CCFS_bZY

oh yeah i can get with that

I've been on kind of a Herbie Mann kick lately. As the weather gets nicer I put on records like Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues and picture myself at a swanky pool party.

But this one is pretty different, Mann performing with oud and dumbek players, and Rufus Harley on bagpipes on one track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mcII-mE4g

I recommend the Unreleased Whiskey Tapes. Great set including the band doing some Sharrock tunes from his current lps.

I was just jamming Stone Flute this week and loving it.

Got that one a few years ago - hippy era Herbie are some of the best $2 jazz LPs out there.