The basic premise sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” skit. A rapper from a yesteryear superstar group finally releases his long-awaited debut album, except now he’s a flautist and the album’s all meditative instrumentals with zero vocals. It’s just as silly if you substitute “rocker” or “country singer” for “rapper.”

Somehow, André 3000, who rose to fame with “Hey Ya!” hitmakers OutKast, pulled it off. His 2024 solo LP “New Blue Sun” is nominated for Grammys not just in a niche category, Best Alternative Jazz Album, but also a biggie, Album of the Year. Whether André 3000, an Atlanta native, wins zero, one or two Grammys this Sunday, the album’s already received Pitchfork’s imprimatur. And soundtracked many a yoga sesh.

As weird and wonderful as André 3000’s album is, Herbie Mann’s 1971 LP “Push Push” says, “Hold my flute.” The cover art features a waist-up photo of a shirtless, middle-aged Mann with a flute slung over his right shoulder like a gun. But like “New Blue Sun,” the music on “Push Push,” also all instrumentals, is better than one might expect. Partly because Mann’s album features Southern rock’s greatest guitarist, Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band.

“Push Push” opens with a jazz-funk title track. Following Mann’s extended flute salvo, Allman plays his first guitar solo on the album 3:18 into this 10-minute track. Playing off R&B drum great Bernard Purdie’s groove, Allman’s solo starts slow and over the next two minutes builds into bluesy fire.

After more butterfly-like lines by Mann, Allman’s lead playing returns to the conversation around 6:22. This time he’s playing slide, the guitar technique he’s most associated with, from Allman Brothers cuts like “Dreams.” Fluid improvision was Duane’s wheelhouse. The Allman Brothers were wizards of jazz-inspired jamming, as heard on “At Fillmore East,” the now-classic live album which released about a week after “Push Push” in July ‘71.

Lithe and greasy Allman solos can be heard on tracks like “Spirit in the Dark” and “Man’s Hope.” There’s some lovely subtle slide at the end of “Never Say Goodbye.” Allman opens up more on a cover of Ray Charles R&B raver “What’d I Say.” Allman’s playing on album closer “Funky Nassau” evokes trippy explorations from Allman Brothers songs like “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”

Tragically, Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident just three months after “Push Push” and “At Fillmore East” were released. He was just 24. In an interview with rock magazine Creem published posthumously in 1973, writer Laurel Dann asked him if he was pleased with the sessions for Mann’s album.

“Hell, yeah,” Allman replied. “Herbie Mann’s a really talented guy. I felt real good when he asked me to play with him. These sessions are goin’ good because everybody’s free. Any session is as creative as you make it. You’ve got to feel free to introduce your own ideas.”

Allman told Creem his early career experience as a studio musician prepared him for recording with Mann. “Like, when I worked on the Wilson Pickett sessions in Muscle Shoals,” Allman said, “I suggested he cut [The Beatles song] ‘Hey Jude.’ It ended up that he used my arrangement, and it worked out just fine. Everybody was happy.”

While growing his band’s career, Allman continued to play on other artist’s records. Most famously, he was a vital contributor to Eric Clapton’s Derek & The Dominoes album “Layla.” Besides those early Shoals sessions and Mann’s album, Allman’s guitar-elevated tracks like Aretha Franklin’s version of The Band tune “The Weight” and Delany & Bonnie cut “Living On The Open Road.”

According to music website Something Else, Allman and Mann connected through soul-rock husband and wife duo Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. From his apartment one night, Mann heard Allman jamming with Delaney & Bonnie nearby. He brought his flute, went over and joined the jam. Mann and the Allman Brothers were both on Atlantic Records imprints, so a studio session made sense business-wise as well as artistically.

Arif Martin, whose resume also boasts work with artists from Aretha to Queen, produced the “Push Push” album. Besides Allman and drummers Purdie and Al Jackson, Jr., ace musicians on the record include bassist “Duck” Dunn, guitarist Cornell Dupree, pianist Richard Tee, among others.

Mann’s “Push Push” album was a mild commercial success, reaching about midway on the Billboard 200 albums chart while hitting 21 on the R&B albums chart. The Brooklyn native later hit paydirt with dance-chart topping 1974 single “Hi-Jack.” He died in 2003 at age 73 at his New Mexico home. In more than 50 years since “Push Push” released, the album has become a cult classic among crate-digging vinyl collectors.

Flute has been memorably featured on many mainstream hits. For example: Mama & the Papas’ folk-pop hit “California Dreamin’”; Marshall Tucker Band’s Southern rock anthem “Can’t You See”; Eric Burdon and War’s surreal funk “Spill the Wine”; and Men at Work’s ‘80s fave “Down Under.”

Jethro Tull’s classic-rock sound is distinguished by singer Ian Anderson’s flute playing, as heard on songs like “Locomotive Breath.” More recently, rappers like Lizzo and Future incorporated flute into their tracks. Now with his Grammy-nominated album, André 3000 is giving the instrument a spotlight once again.