Herbie Mann was his generation's premier flautist, doing more to popularize the instrument than anyone else. A consummate jazz musician, Mann had little interest in stylistic orthodoxy: he also explored Brazilian and Latin styles, soul, rock, and mainstream pop throughout his lengthy career. The Brooklyn-born Mann made his start in the post-bop '50s before travels to Africa and South America expanded his musical worldview. Signing to Atlantic Records in 1961, he began his most prolific and eclectic phase, releasing hit albums like At the Village Gate and Memphis Underground.