Herbie Mann in 10 Tracks

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

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

Here's Mann down with the beatnik scene on Comin' Home Baby at New York's Village Gate 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 early, in 1965, playing The Night Before...

Here's Mann with vocalist 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...

And here's Mann's early entry into disco with his Latin-hustle 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...