VARIOUS ARTISTS
Heavy Flute: Funky Flute Grooves from the 60s and 70s
Label M
5706

I could hardly imagine a more appropriate title for Joel Dorn’s compilation of jazzy flute tracks culled from a variety of LPs issued on the Atlantic label between 1962 and 1972. The funky Dorn refers to in the subtitle of this enjoyable collection has more to do with the original intent of the word when used to describe soulful, blues-based, largely acoustic jazz á la Horace Silver, Grant Green, Jimmy Smith, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Les McCann. All of the music on Heavy Flute predates the advent of slap bass and the widespread use of synthesizers (there is, however, plenty of Fender Rhodes piano!), though the early 70s tracks by Yusef Lateef ("Nubian Lady") and Herbie Mann ("Push Push") certainly edge toward a more contemporary feel. I think this collection accomplishes just what Dorn set out to do: it presents the listener with a set of accessible-but-not-totally-lame, funky jazz tunes with the flute out in front.

Leo Wright’s brief "The Wiggler" (with guitarist Kenny Burrell) is the closest thing to a pure jazz track on the CD, and it is probably the least familiar. I hate to split hairs, but Hubert Laws’ track is actually played on piccolo, though it has an appealing Latin lilt. The tracks by Lateef, Kirk and Charles Lloyd are all classics, and many jazz fans my age (early 40s) will know them well. For example, Lloyd’s groovy Latin jaunt, "Sombrero Sam," has been covered by Gabor Szabo, El Chicano, and Harvey Mandel to name just a few. Both Kirk tracks feature his oft-imitated, never equaled, fervid, aggressive flute playing. Both of the Lateef tracks, by contrast, highlight his cooler, more intellectual side. I have never been a big fan of Herbie Mann, and his inclusion here next to the likes of Lateef, Kirk, and Hubert Laws highlights his limitations as an improvisor. That said, "Push Push" might well be the hardest-grooving track on the CD, and features a riveting solo by the late Duane Allman to boot.

Dave Wayne

Personnel (leaders only): Herbie Mann (1, 10); David "Fathead" Newman (2); Yusef Lateef (3, 9); Hubert Laws (4); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (5, 8); Leo Wright (6); Charles Lloyd (7)

Track Listing: 1. Comin’ Home Baby; 2. The Thirteenth Floor; 3. Nubian Lady; 4. Let Her Go; 5. Ain’t No Sunshine; 6. The Wiggler; 7. Sombrero Sam; 8. One Ton; 9. Eboness; 10. Push Push