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You certainly can’t accuse Herbie Mann of taking an overly serious approach to his music making, few successful jazz musicians have put out more light pop oriented jazz albums than Mann, but who is going to complain since many of his records are some of the finest 60s groovy exotic candy-coated pop jazz you can find. Having said that, “The Beat Goes On” isn’t his best effort in this area, but fans will find a couple very nice typical Mann styled classics to make this worth the price. The problem with much of this album is that they laid down the ‘good times’ vibe a little too thick with loud brassy horn arrangements and production that is too heavy-handed for Mann’s usual breezy groove to cut through the mass. On the other hand, tunes like “More Rice than Peas. Please” and “Hey Ho” have Mann’s more lightweight classic exotic sound that combines his flute with vibes and a subtle conga driven Latin beat.
Possibly the ultimate 60s Nehru jacket wearing swingin bachelor hepcat beatnik, Herbie Mann’s albums from the 60s are usually treasure troves for vinyl collectors who seek the exotica sound and/or retro acid jazz. Although “The Beat Goes On” isn’t his best, there are enough far out swingin numbers on here to keep his fans happy.