Bobbi Humphrey -

Bobbi Humphrey is an American jazz-funk flutist who released six albums between 1972 and 1975 on Blue Note.

Background

Bobbi was born Barbara Ann Humphrey on April 25, 1950, in Marlin, Texas, and raised in Dallas. She studied classical and jazz flute at Lincoln High School, then continued her studies at Texas Southern University, Houston.

During her subsequent enrollment at Southern Methodist University, Dizzy Gillespie saw her perform in a school talent contest and encouraged her to go pro in New York City. On his advice, she moved there in June 1971 and got her big break almost immediately on an amateur night at the Apollo Theater.

Within weeks of landing in NYC, Humphrey signed to Blue Note. She gigged regularly throughout the city. Notably, she joined Herbie Mann on stage at Central Park and played an impromptu break with the Tonight Show Band on NBC.

Trumpeter Lee Morgan enlisted her for a session on September 17–18 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The session produced what would ultimately be his final album (released as The Last Session in May 1972). Two weeks later, Morgan returned the favor on the Sept. 30–Oct. 1 Van Gelder sessions that yielded Humphrey’s first album, Flute In.

Flute-In

Bobbi Humphrey released her debut album, Flute-In, in April 1972 on Blue Note.

The arrangements — all by Wade Marcus — place Humphrey’s flute at the center of an ensemble that includes trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, pianist/electric pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist George Duvivier, electric bassist Gordon Edwards, vibraphonist/marimbist George Devens, and a rhythm section of Idris Muhammad and Jimmy Johnson on drums with Ray Armando on congas.

Flute-In consists entirely from covers: five songs associated with soul, pop, and R&B — Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Carole King’s “It’s Too Late,” Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem,” and Eddie Harris’ “Set Us Free” among them — alongside Lee Morgan’s “Sidewinder” and D. Griffin’s “Sad Bag.” The approach keeps jazz sensibility intact while drawing directly on the rhythmic language of early-seventies soul and funk.

A1. “Ain’t No Sunshine” (2:30) – Withers
A2. “It’s Too Late” (3:05) – King/Stern
A3. “Sidewinder” (6:13) – Morgan
A4. “Sad Bag” (5:05) – Griffin
A5. “Spanish Harlem” (3:45) – Leiber/Spector

B1. “Don’t Knock My Funk” (4:36) – Marcus Bey
B2. “Journey To Morocco” (8:19) – Marcus Bey
B3. “Set Us Free” (5:48) – Harris

Humphrey recorded Flute-In on September 30 and October 1, 1971, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with producer George Butler and engineer Rudy Van Gelder.

Dig This!

Bobbi Humphrey released her second album, Dig This!, in December 1972 on Blue Note.

The arrangements are divided between Wade Marcus, Alphonse Mouzon, and Horace Ott, each taking a share of the eight tracks. The ensemble centers on Humphrey’s flute against a rhythm section anchored by Mouzon on drums, with Ron Carter and Wilbur Bascomb Jr. on bass (acoustic and electric respectively), guitarists David Spinozza and William Fontaine, and keyboardists Harry Whitaker and Paul Griffin sharing Fender Rhodes and clavinet duties. A small string section — violin, viola, cello — adds orchestral weight on selected tracks, with harpist Gene Bianco and oboist George Marge adding further texture. The program draws on contemporary soul and pop sources, including two Mouzon originals alongside covers of Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and a Grusin film theme.

Humphrey’s reading of Withers’ “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” stretches the melody against a funky bass-and-guitar undertow while strings hover above the mix without overwhelming it. Her version of Whitfield and Strong’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes” winds her solo lines around a rhythm section driven by Mouzon’s snare, clavinets, and Rhodes. “I Love Every Little Thing About You” sustains a lighter, more buoyant character, with Bascomb’s Fender bass prominent and Humphrey staying understated on the melody. Mouzon’s “El Mundo de Maravillas” opens on cello in a spacious ballad mode before moving into a harder rhythmic section and back again, giving Humphrey room to demonstrate the more classical side of her technique. Kenny Barron’s “Nubian Lady” closes the album with chunky guitar, shuffling drums, and Humphrey adding air and space above the rhythm.

A1. “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” (4:33) – Withers
A2. “Is This All?” (3:42) – Johnson
A3. “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (6:18) – Whitfield/Strong
A4. “Virtue” (4:25) – Mouzon

B1. “I Love Every Little Thing About You” (4:18) – Wonder
B2. “Love Theme From ‘Fuzz'” (3:45) – Grusin
B3. “El Mundo De Maravillas” (7:30) – Mouzon
B4. “Nubian Lady” (4:45) – Barron

Humphrey recorded Dig This! on July 20 and 21, 1972, at A&R Recording Studio, with producer George Butler and recording engineer Don Hahn.

Blacks and Blues

Bobbi Humphrey released her third album, Blacks and Blues, in January 1974 on Blue Note.

The production shifts to Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis, who worked concurrently with Donald Byrd on his Blue Note recordings. Larry Mizell composed all six tracks and conducted the band with trumpeter Fonce Mizell double-tasked on clavinet. Her rhythm section features drummer Harvey Mason and bassists Chuck Rainey and Ron Brown. Blacks and Blues also features conguero King Errisson, guitarists David T. Walker and John Rowin, and keyboardists Jerry Peters (Fender Rhodes) and Fred Perren (ARP synthesizer). Humphrey sings on the two ballads.

“Chicago, Damn” opens on a gust of wind before the rhythm section — bass, electric piano, Latin percussion, wah-wah guitar — locks in at a hard syncopated pace; Perren’s synthesizer takes on a near-trumpet quality between verses. “Harlem River Drive” draws on male choral voices chanting the title against a bass-forward rhythm with active guitar and piano interaction, with Humphrey’s flute cutting through the upper register. “Just a Love Child” is a funk-inflected ballad on which Humphrey sings in a high, light voice, the backing choir entering at the track’s quarter-point. The title track puts flute and a synthesizer line in close dialogue against Peters’ piano and a rhythm section moving loosely around the chord changes. “Jasper Country Man” is comparatively spare, foregrounding the interplay between Mason, Rainey, and Peters with less prominent flute. “Baby’s Gone” closes the album as its slowest and most atmospheric piece, Humphrey’s voice and flute trading the lead across eight and a half minutes of building intensity before the track pulls back to a reflective close.

A1. “Chicago, Damn” (6:44) – Mizell
A2. “Harlem River Drive” (7:24) – Mizell
A3. “Just A Love Child” (8:21) – Mizell

B1. “Blacks And Blues” (4:30) – Mizell
B2. “Jasper Country Man” (5:16) – Mizell
B3. “Baby’s Gone” (8:47) – Mizell

Humphrey recorded Blacks and Blues on June 7 and 8, 1973, at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, with producers Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis and recording engineer John Mills. Chuck Davis and John Arias handled remix duties. George Butler served as executive producer. Mastering was done at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood.

Live at Montreux

In 1974, Bobbi Humphrey released Live at Montreux, a document of her July 1973 set at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

In 1974, Blue Note issued Live at Montreux, a document of Bobbi Humphrey’s performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 5, 1973.

The quartet features Humphrey’s flute, guitarist Barney Perry, Kevin Toney on Fender Rhodes and piano, Henry Franklin on acoustic bass, and Keith Killgo on drums. The four-track program draws from her first two studio albums: Alphonse Mouzon’s “Virtue” and D. Griffin’s “Sad Bag” from Dig This! and Flute-In respectively, alongside Stanley Turrentine’s “Sugar” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Extended running times — each track between eight and eleven minutes — give Humphrey and the band room to open the arrangements well past their studio versions, with Humphrey’s soloing the primary focus throughout.

A1. “Virtue” (9:06) – Mouzon
A2. “Sugar” (9:35) – Turrentine

B1. “Sad Bag” (11:19) – Griffin
B2. “Ain’t No Sunshine” (8:18) – Withers

Live at Montreux was produced by George Butler.

Satin Doll

Bobbi Humphrey released her fourth album, Satin Doll, in November 1974 on Blue Note.

The production team of Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis returns from Blacks and Blues, with Mizell composing five of the eight tracks, arranging the full set, and conducting. Fonce Mizell contributes Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and trumpet; Jerry Peters plays piano; guitarists John Rowin and Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin handle rhythm and wah work; Harvey Mason anchors the drums; and Chuck Rainey and Wayne Tweed share bass duties. The ensemble also includes Don Preston and Phil Davis on Moog synthesizer, Larry Mizell on ARP synthesizer, and King Errison on congas. Humphrey sings lead on several tracks alongside her flute playing throughout.

“New York Times” holds a mid-tempo, lightly percolating feel with Mizell’s ARP synthesizer high in the mix and Humphrey’s flute weaving through the layers. The title track — a Strayhorn/Ellington standard given a seventies-era arrangement by Fonce Mizell and Freddie Perren — is among the album’s most spare readings. “San Francisco Lights” opens with shimmering textural effects and sustains an unhurried waltz-tempo character throughout, Humphrey’s flute circling a melody that stays reserved and even. “Ladies Day” moves at a more syncopated, spacious pace. “Fun House” is the most rhythmically compact piece on the set, built around Ragin’s wah guitar and a close bass-and-drums relationship. “My Little Girl,” on which Humphrey sings, maintains a gentle, mid-tempo lyricism. “Rain Again” is the album’s sole purely instrumental ballad and its most inward-facing piece. The closing Stevie Wonder cover, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” is brief and direct, taken at a roadhouse-flavored swing.

A1. “New York Times” (6:51) – Mizell
A2. “Satin Doll” (4:07) – Strayhorn/Ellington/Mercer
A3. “San Francisco Lights” (5:23) – Davis
A4. “Ladies Day” (6:17) – Mizell

B1. “Fun House” (4:42) – Wilson/Ragin/McFaddin
B2. “My Little Girl” (6:40) – Mizell
B3. “Rain Again” (6:54) – Mizell
B4. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (2:43) – Wonder

Humphrey recorded Satin Doll between July and September 1974 at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, with producers Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis and recording engineers Dave Hassinger and Val Christian Garay. Remix was handled by Hassinger. Mastering was by Arnie Acosta at Mastering Lab, Hollywood. George Butler served as executive producer.

Fancy Dancer

Bobbi Humphrey released her fifth studio album, Fancy Dancer, in October 1975 on Blue Note.

The Mizell brothers return as producers, with Larry and Fonce sharing arrangements alongside Chuck Davis and Skip Scarborough on two tracks each. The ensemble is among the largest Humphrey had recorded with: drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Chuck Rainey, guitarist Craig McMullen and John Rowin, Mayuto Correa on congas, Roger Glenn on marimba and vibraphone, Dorothy Ashby on harp, trombonist Julian Priester, trumpeter Oscar Brashear, tenor saxophonist Tyree Glenn Jr., and a battery of keyboard players including Skip Scarborough, Jerry Peters, and Larry Mizell across piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and ARP and Solina synthesizers. A large vocal ensemble — including Humphrey, Larry and Fonce Mizell, and several additional singers — appears throughout. Humphrey also sings lead on selected tracks.

“Uno Esta” opens the album with layered keyboards bubbling beneath Correa’s congas and chunky guitar from McMullen and Rowin, Humphrey taking the first of three solo passages before a chorus entry shifts the rhythmic density upward without losing the mix’s polish. “The Trip” — a Chuck Davis composition — starts at a cut-time funk pace with wah-wah guitar and interlocking synthesizer lines, a Rhodes entering mid-track alongside more prominent drums, with Humphrey playing fills that push against and through the instrumental layers. The title track builds Latin percussion under Roger Glenn’s vibraphone break, which sets up Humphrey’s flute solo before salsa-inflected piano and hand drumming accelerate the close. “Mestizo Eyes” foregrounds Rainey’s electric bass and wah guitar against synth strings, with Dorothy Ashby’s harp threading through the center; a male vocal chorus chants the title softly beneath Humphrey’s solo. “Sweeter Than Sugar” ends the album at a cooler temperature, its arrangement less dense than the preceding tracks. “Please Set Me At Ease” closes with a warmer, more spacious feel.

A1. “Uno Esta” (6:40) – Mizell
A2. “The Trip” (5:36) – Davis/Jones
A3. “You Make Me Feel So Good” (6:12) – Mizell/Mizell

B1. “Fancy Dancer” (5:42) – Peters
B2. “Mestizo Eyes” (4:49) – Mizell/Mizell/Jordan
B3. “Sweeter Than Sugar” (4:20) – Davis/Scarborough
B4. “Please Set Me At Ease” (6:05) – Mizell/Mizell/Ruby Mizell

Humphrey recorded Fancy Dancer during August and September 1975 at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, with producers Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis for Sky High Productions, Inc. Steve Maslow engineered; Chuck Davis and Maslow handled the mix. Mastering was at Artisan Sound Recorders. George Butler served as executive producer.

Tailor Made

Bobbi Humphrey released her sixth studio album, Tailor Made, in July 1977 on Epic.

Produced by Skip Scarborough — who also plays synthesizer and contributes backing vocals — the album marks both a label change from Blue Note to Epic and Humphrey’s first credit as executive producer alongside Denis Niles. The ensemble is leaner than the Mizell-era recordings: keyboards are handled by Ernest Straughter and Mark Soskin, Roger Glenn returns on vibraphone, marimba, and steel drums, Ray Obiedo plays guitar, Charles Meeks and Robert Russell share bass, and Bill Meeker handles drums. Bill Summers and Sheila Escovedo split percussion duties. A small female backing vocal trio — Mikki Morris, Penny Wanao, and Versita Wanao — features throughout, alongside Sigidi and Scarborough providing male backing vocals. Humphrey sings lead on the majority of the tracks as well as playing flute. Horn arrangements on three tracks are by David Crawford; Mark Soskin handles string arrangements.

The opening “Dancin’ To Keep From Cryin'” carries a more upfront soul feel with Crawford’s horn chart and a lush string arrangement. “Lover To Lover” is among the longer pieces on the set and takes a more sustained, mid-tempo approach. The title track is compact and tightly arranged around Straughter’s keyboards. “Theme I” — written by Straughter — is one of two tracks with Crawford’s horn work. On Side B, “Jealousy” is the most rhythmically forward piece, Obiedo’s guitar more present in the mix. “Fajehzo” closes the album on a percussive, loosely structured frame.

A1. “Dancin’ To Keep From Cryin'” (4:29) – Scarborough/Fauntleroy
A2. “Lover To Lover” (5:57) – Scarborough
A3. “Tailor Made” (4:05) – Amani/Hunt
A4. “Theme I” (4:34) – Straughter

B1. “Jealousy” (5:05) – Clark/Scarborough
B2. “I Started Living” (4:02) – Duncan
B3. “Most Of All” (3:54) – Amani/Hunt
B4. “Fajehzo” (4:27) – Ashford

Humphrey recorded and remixed Tailor Made at Columbia Recording Studios in San Francisco, with producer Skip Scarborough and recording/remix engineer Don Cody. Mastering was handled by Vladimir Meller at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City.

Discography: