We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
I’m not sure what record executive green lit the cover of the Herbie Mann LP “Push Push” that came out in 1971 but if you can stifle your gag reflex for a bit and listen to the record you will be pleasantly surprised.
The jazz flautist had worked in many different mediums over the years. He was an early advocate of the “bop” school of jazz in the 1950’s. He worked in world music introducing many folks to their first taste of Afro-Cuban music and bossa nova from South America. And in 1969 had a hit LP with “Memphis Underground” in which he worked in southern blues, rock & funk.
Push Push continues that on a number of it’s cuts including the incredible groove of the title track. Put on “Push Push” and see if you can keep still…I’m betting not. The groove is helped by employing Duane Allman to play his magical guitar on the record. Allman’s grit combined with the sweetness of Mann’s flute is a potent brew. Add in an All-Star band made up of Richard Tee on keys, Cornell Dupree on rhythm guitar , Chuck Rainey, Jerry Jemmott and Duck Dunn on bass and drums provided by Al Jackson Jr and Bernard Purdie and you’ve got a winner. David Spinozza also joins in on a guitar solo on “Man’s Hope” which is Mann’s arrangement of the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah”
Like Maynard Ferguson and his trumpet in the same time period, Mann also mines the lode of popular songs for his Lp delivering nice versions of “Whats Going On”, “Never Can Say Goodbye and Aretha’s “Spirit in The Dark”. Like Rare Earth yesterday, he also gives us a funky version of “What’d I Say”. plus a slightly sappy version of Bread’s “If”.
Some in the jazz world called Mann a “sell-out” for abandoning “pure” jazz for this kind of music. I say, when some of the jazz heads can deliver a song as good as Push Push, they can talk…until then…shut up and listen. Now, about that cover….
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