Albums We Love: Herbie Mann - Live at the Village Gate

By mfleeger on January 9, 2010

Herbie Mann’s Live At the Village Gate is a must have album for jazz fans. Recorded live at the famous New York club in 1961, this is some of Herbie Mann’s very best work. 

The group — Mann on flute; Ray Mantilla and Chief Bey, percussion; Hagood Hardy, vibraphone; Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Ben Tucker, bass; and Rudy Collins, drums — is tight and responsive. There’s none of that overly commercial or smooth-jazz feel that many people think of when they hear the name Herbie Mann or flute and jazz in the same sentence.

The album was far ahead of its time, its mere three tracks a near-perfect blend of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian influences that hold up very well a half century later.

The release made Herbie Mann a star; “Comin’ Home Baby” would soon become one of his signature songs. The epic 20-minute rendition of “It Ain’t Necessarily So” has no fluff, filler or needless noodling that you might expect during a song taking up a full LP side.

The highlight of the album, however, is Mann’s cover of “Summertime.” You might think that the world doesn’t need any more versions of this standard, but Mann lets the tune breathe in entirely new ways. You can almost hear the summer breeze wash over you as you listen. 

One note: beware of some recent CD re-issues which come from inferior sources. If you can, it’s really worth finding the original vinyl version, but make sure you get it in stereo, not mono. Live At The Village Gate won’t disappoint.

Raoul Van Hall, KMHD Operations Manager and On-Air Host