A confusing title, but a wonderful little record! The album's as much a Herbie Mann Latin session as it is a record by Johnny Rae – which is probably why the album's titled as such – and the group
on the set features Rae
on vibes, Herbie
on flute, Jack Six
on bass, Philly Joe Jones
on drums, Bobby Corwin
on piano, and Jose Mangual, Patato Valdes, and Victor Pantoja
on an assortment of Latin and African percussion. The groove is tremendous – Latinized jazz, but with a real tension between the heavy percussion
on the bottom and the ligher flute and vibes
on the top – especially
on the album's more tribal, African-styled numbers. The "suite" features 7 tracks in all – 5 composed by Herbie ("Sorimao", "Beouin", "Sudan", "Ekunda", "Guinean"), plus a version of Sonny Rollins' "St Thomas", and the track "Jungle Fantasy" by Noro Morales.
(Jazz, Latin) (Great early pressing – red label with deep groove! Cover has very light wear in one corner, but looks great overall. Vinyl is nice and clean.)