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One of the great jazz flautists of the 1960s, Herbie Mann broke new ground by exploring a wide range of cultures and sounds from around the globe and helping to pioneer the world music genre. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mann started out playing clarinet as a nine-year-old before performing regularly whilst in the army in the early 1950s, when stationed in Italy. After being discharged he played be-bop with Mat Matthews' Quintet and released his first album as a lead artist Herbie Mann Plays (1954), before travelling on a State Department tour of Africa in 1959. The trip opened his eyes and inspired him to record the Afro-Cuban album Flautista (1959) and work with Brazilian musicians on Brazil, Bossa Nova and Blue (1962), as well as experimenting with disco and soul on the hit album Memphis Underground (1969). Despite sneers from purist critics, Mann found great success with signature tunes Hijack and Superman and went on to dabble with reggae, rock and Latin rhythms and even collaborated with The Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor on the acclaimed London Underground (1974) and with Cissy and Whitney Houston on Mellow (1981). His legendary career also included working as a talent scout, founding his own label Embryo Records and recording an album of traditional Jewish music, before his death from prostate cancer in 2003 aged 73.
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