Herbie Mann in 10 Tracks

Love him or hate him, flutist Herbie Mann was in the groove and on top of just about every major music trend between mid 1950s and the 1980s and paved the way for World Music in the '60s. Admittedly, not all of his albums were great, but he did have a knack for being in the right place at the right time to catch a wave.

Here are 10 Herbie Mann tracks through a wide range of music genres:

Here's Herbie Mann backing Sarah Vaughan in 1954 on Lullaby of Birdland, offering up a short flute solo...



Here's Herbie playing hip, swinging chamber jazz on Love Is a Simple Thing in 1955...



Here's Mann down with the beatnik scene playing Comin' Home Baby in 1961...



Here's Mann in Rio in early 1962 ahead of the bossa nova craze playing One Note Samba...



Here's Mann making the Latin scene in 1965 with the Oliver Nelson Orchestra, playing Manteca (co-written by Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Gil Fuller)...



Here's Mann taking on the Beatles in 1965 playing The Night Before...



Here's Mann with Tamiko Jones in a soundtrack bag playing A Man and a Woman in 1966...



Here's Mann playing the funk-soul Memphis Underground in 1969...



Here's Mann in a funky place with Duane Allman on Push Push in 1971...



Here's Mann's early entry into disco with his hit Hi-Jack in 1975...



Bonus: Here's Mann looking back at Bill Evans with Peri's Scope in 1995...



Here's Mann in a group accompanying the fabulous Chris Connor singing a smashing rendition of I've Got Beginner's Luck in 1957...



And here's Mann being interviewed by Dick Clark on American Bandstand in 1975...