Herbie Mann: Memphis Two-Step

American jazz flutist extraordinaire Herbert Jay Solomon, better known as Herbie Mann, released a long array of albums from the mid '50s up until his death in 2003. He was a pioneer in incorporating elements of world music, like congas, African chants, reggae, Middle Eastern and Eastern European styles and South-American dances, into his jazz bands, and would later mix jazz with soul, R&B and disco. His Memphis Two-Step album from 1971 contains a cover of The Band's "Dixie."

Memphis Two-Step was the third in Herbie Mann's series of soul/R&B-inflected albums with similar names that began with Memphis Underground and continued with Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty. It is also one of the weakest. "Soul Man" and the title cut really cook, with the personnel and recording information on the latter indicating it may be an outtake from the Memphis Underground sessions. In fact, it is the only track actually recorded in Memphis. The rest of the album doesn't work very well, with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" a particularly poor choice for a jazz session. The album cover, however, is very cool. --Jim Newsom, All-Music Guide Tracks Soul Man The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Memphis Two-Step Down on the Corner Guinnervere Acapulco Rain Kabuki Rock Herbie Mann - 1971 - Embryo SD 531 [History] [Members] [Library] [Discography] [Videography] [Filmography] [Pictures] [Audio Files] [Video Clips] [Tape Archive] [Concerts] [Related Artists] [Merchandise] [Guestbook] [Chat Room] [Search] [What's New?] [Main Page] Webmaster