Herbie Mann was quite unpredictable in the 1960s -- from one album to the next, you never knew if he would embrace hard bop, bossa nova, Latin jazz, soul-jazz, or whatever else he was in the mood for. He could be commercial one minute, esoteric and experimental the next. One of
Mann's more commercial LPs from that period,
The Beat Goes On, is a generally funky, groove-oriented soul-jazz effort with strong Latin leanings. Much of the material brings to mind Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers, and comparisons to Pucho are unavoidable on cuts that range from
Mann's "More Rice Than Peas, Please" to a version of
Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" and a Latin boogaloo interpretation of
Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" (which features
King Curtis on tenor sax). Afro-Cuban rhythms are a high priority, although
Mann gets into more of a bossa nova groove on vibist
Dave Pike's "Dream Garden." Jazz purists hated this release, but let them say what they will -- this LP is full of highly infectious grooves and makes a great party album. Regrettably,
The Beat Goes On has long been out of print -- so if you're a lover of Latin-flavored soul-jazz and come across a copy somewhere, grab it immediately. ~ Alex Henderson