Album of the Day

One of the leading exponents of jazz flute, Herbie Mann was also an early adopter of world music, but for MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND, he turned his focus to the southern U.S. Produced by Tom Dowd, the 1969 Atlantic collection was cut at Chips Moman’s American Sound Studio and its five tracks include extended versions of soul classics “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and “Chain of Fools.” Guitarists Larry Coryell and Sonny Sharrock, vibraphonist Roy Ayers and organist Bobby Emmons are among the supporting cast helping Mann work up some of the strongest grooves of his career. We’ll give Rolling Stone the last word on this set – one of the top-selling jazz albums ever: “MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND is a piece of musical alchemy, a marvelously intricate combination of the ‘Memphis sound’ and jazz lyricism.”