by Scott Yanow
Remarkably few of flutist Herbie Mann's recordings are available on CD, but fortunately this one did get reissued. Mann's hit version of &Comin' Home Baby& from this live set became his first big hit. Composer Ben Tucker plays second bass on that cut, and Mann's other sidemen include vibraphonist Hagood Hardy, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, drummer Rudy Collins, and Chief Bey and Ray Mantilla on percussion. In addition to &Comin' Home Baby,& Mann and his men perform memorable versions of &Summertime& and &It Ain't Necessarily So&; the latter is 20 minutes long. Recommended.