Herbie Mann - Impressions Of The Middle East 1966

Very groovy stuff -- and one of Herbie's best from the 60s! In a way, this album's very similar to some of the best Verve "groovy experimental" albums from the same period -- like some of Cal Tjader's Eastern/Latin work -- and it features Herbie playing with a wide range of instrumentation that includes oud, zither, harp, and lots of eastern percussion. Keeping things real, though, are some key jazzers like Roy Ayers, Julian Priester, and Jimmy Owens -- plus rhythm by Reggie Workman, Bruno Carr, and Patato Valdez. Tracks are very groovy -- with a mixture of jazz and exotic instrumentation -- and titles include "Turkish Coffee", "Odalisque", "Uskudar", "Eli Eli", and "Dance Of The Semites".

Tracklist

1. Turkish Coffee (5:01)
2. Incense (7:19)
3. Odalisque (7:43)
4. Do Wah Diddy Diddy (2:38)
5. Uskudar (3:38)
6. The Oud and the Pussycat (5:04)
7. Yavuz (4:37)
8. Dance of the Semites (4:29)
9. Eli Eli (3:56)

Total Time: 44:25

Line-up/Musicians

Bass – Reggie Workman (tracks: A1 to A4, B1 to B4)
Clarinet – Hachig Thomas Kazarian (tracks: A4, B1 to B4)
Congas – Carlos "Potato" Valdes* (tracks: A1 to A4, B2)
Drums – Bruno Carr (tracks: A1 to A4, B1 to B4)
Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens (tracks: B1, B3, B4)
Flute – Herbie Mann (tracks: A1, A3, A4, B1 to B5)
Oud – Chick Ganimian (tracks: A1 to A4, B1 to B4)
Percussion – Geraldine Swee (tracks: A1 to A3), Hachig Thomas Kazarian (tracks: A1 to A3), Moulay "Ali" Hafid (tracks: A4, B1 to B4), Robert Marashlian (tracks: A4, B1 to B4)
Trombone – Joe Orange (tracks: A4, B2), Julian Priester (tracks: A4, B2)
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens (tracks: A4, B1 to B4)
Vibraphone – Roy Ayers (tracks: A1 to A3)
Zither – Mohamed Elakkad (tracks: A4, B1 to B4)

Enjoy!