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UNITED ARTISTS UAS 5042

Herbie Mann’s African Suite Johnny Rae’s Afro-Jazz Septet

The most important thing about the music played in this

album is not whether it’s authentic or not, or whether it’s

Afro-Cuban or whatever, but the fact that it is the result

of one jazz musician’s experience and interest in the cul-

tural background of his music. It is the essence of jazz

today to be able to change—to absorb what’s new in a

man’s experience, to mold it together with everything else

he’s been through and come up with a creative production

which is not a reproduction.

Jazz, like most Western music, is derived originally from

a few other sources— 18th & 19th Century American folk

music, work songs, the structure of European classical

music, and the rhythms and music forms of West Africa.

The other influences came later. But all the influences have

been honed into the framework of jazz to produce a

totally American musical product — what is called Modern

Jazz, a dynamic, changing, colorful music of depth, saying

“something else”! Some things that no other music says.

In some ways, the music in this album is going back to

the origin of things—to the pre-history of jazz. A flute of

some kind, (whether a hollowed out tree limb or some-

thing of more advanced design) and drums of some kind

have both played roles in every civilization.

I have been much interested in recent years by the

development in modern jazz of influences from the East,

from Africa, from the Indies, from all over the world.

The jazz musician, like every other American, has been

busy globe-trotting whether through the good offices of

the Armed Services or gigging around the world, or just

listening to foreign recordings at home. In the process he

has picked up all kinds of new things, which as a creative

artist he pours through the sieve of his talent and uses

what he considers to be essential.

In a music with such energy and dynamics, there is room

for a lot of pioneers, big and little, as long as the basic

jazz framework and feeling remains. It means that the

music is open for new sounds in instruments, writing,

playing.

The flute made few inroads into jazz until Herbie Mann

came on the scene. His was one of the first recorded flutes

in modern jazz and he became its first proselytizer, so to

speak. Herbie has preached well enough in fact to make

it an often used second instrument for reed men. Oddly

enough, however, Herbie started on the reeds, clarinet

and sax, switching to the flute after hearing Esy Morales

play his famous Jungle Fantasy.

After establishing himself as a jazz flutist, he kept his

own groups, but made a number of recordings with Ma-

chito. It was with Machito, that Herbie neticed the great

response of listeners to the combination of drums and

- flute, and sensed the obvious “rightness” of the fiute in the

© 1959 UNITED

Afro-Cuban milieu. It was then, of course, that he began

; SIDE ONE

1. ST. THOMAS 8:05 Rollins

Prestige Music Co.—BMI

2. SORIMAO SES Herbie Mann

Herbie Mann Music, Inc.—ASCAP

3. JUNGLE FANTASY 7:45 Morales Duchess Music Corp.—BMI

SIDE TWO

1. BEDOUIN 4:40 Herbie Mann


2. SUDAN 3:50 Herbie Mann Herbie Mann Music, Inc.—ASC AP

3. EKUNDA 3:10 Herbie Mann


4. GUINEAN 4:20 Herbie Mann

Herbie Mann Music, Inc.—ASC AP

Personnel: JOHNNY RAE, Vibes; Jack Srx, Bass; JOSE MANGUAL, CARLOS “‘PATATO” VALDES, VICTOR PANTOJA, African Drums; HERBIE MANN, Flutes &

Bass Clarinet; PHtLLY JoE JONES, Drums; BoBBY Corwin, Piano.

Produced and directed by ToM WILSON. Recording engineer LEWIS MERRITT. Photo by LEE CRAFT. Cover design by STEPHEN Haas STupIos.

This is a High Fidelity Recording. Adjust your equipment to the R.I.A.A. curve for best results.

_Herbie Mann appears by courtesy of Verve Records.

“SEEREG STEREO makes it possible for UNITED ARTISTS to recre-

ate the full dimensional sound of the original music.

The thrilling experience of a “live’’ performance has

been permanently captured on this recording to be en-

joyed whenever you choose. For complete protection

of the record’s grooves and the best possible repro-

duction, a Stereo cartridge and stylus should be used.

to think of writing the music on this album. With the ex-

ception of St. Thomas and Jungle Fantasy, all of the

compositions are Mann originals.

To quote him—“I was not attempting to put down ex-

actly what I heard in African music, but to interpret the

sounds of what I heard through my jazz background.”

This is important because the music he produces is differ-

ent from what is ordinarily accepted as jazz: For instance,

he uses the more Eastern technique of improvisation for

the sake of improvisation rather than improvising on a

theme. For many, this is a purer form of improvisation

than that used regularly in jazz, and has already made

itself felt in the work of some of our most advanced jazz

musicians.

There are sounds, therefore, in this album to which our

ears are unaccustomed. Sounds of tree log drums and the

African cane flute; but listen to Philly Joe behind Johnny

Rae’s vibes in Sorimao—this is jazz nonetheless, different

and exciting. Incidentally, Sorimao means the Origin.

I have noticed that, of all instruments, the drums seem

to capture the imagination of audiences very much. Patato,

Joe Manguel, and Philly Joe (who appears on Side 1

only) demonstrate why.

Patato, very much loved and respected here, was the

most talked about drummer in Cuba. His reputation

reached the U. S. and Machito asked him to leave Cuba

to join his band. The brothers Manguel have only just

started working together, although Joe has been the top

bongo player with Machito for some years. Philly Joe

is one of the greatest jazz drummers of our time.

What do I know about Johnny Rae? I know he plays

nice vibes and that he started on drums, which accounts

for his percussive style on the vibes. In his young life since

he left Berklee, he has played and recorded with the

George Shearing and Johnny Smith Groups.

This record will probably cut across a lot of lines for

approval. There will be some who won’t accept it because

it is different from what they usually expect to hear. There

will be some who will fail to hear the jazz interpretive

significance of Bedouin, for instance, which starts with a

prayer at sunset on a bamboo flute, or who will miss the

haunting quality of flat desert sounds in Sudan. But there

will be enough of the others, people who will listen and

visualize a coming fact: That jazz has now reached the

status of becoming a major influence on other cultures as well as being influenced by other cultures. As we draw from them, they will draw from us because jazz can ex-

press universality. We are already getting European groups

who have never heard American jazz except on record and thus must make their own interpretations. I for one fully

expect in the near future to hear Chinese Jazz, jazz of the

Brazilian jungle, or Polynesian jazz, if indeed they aren’t

available already. ? “SYMPHONY Sip’? TORIN

UNITED ARTISTS RECORDS +729 SEVENTH AVENUE + NEW YORK 19, NEW YORK ARTISTS RECORDS, INC.

Printed in U.S.A.

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johnny rae's afro jazz ox

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