Pretty great stuff – and a record that's often hidden amidst the flurry of so-so Herbie Mann albums from the mid 70s – but is well worth seeking out! The
Family Of Mann group is one organized by Herbie Mann, and featuring Steve Gadd on drums, Pat Rebillot on keyboards, Tony Levin on bass, and David Newman on reeds along with Herbie – a combo who backed up Mann on some other records from the time, but who really get to shine center stage here! The band has a strong electric
groove on their best moments – with kind of a choppy fusion
groove, but one that's tight too – almost funky, at a level that's somewhere near cop/
crime soundtrack work of the time. Rebillot's keyboards are great, as always – and titles include "Toot Stick", "Music Is A Game We Play", "The Turtle & The Frog", and the extended jammer "Sunrise Highs".
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has a cutout notch.)