🎵 AotW AOTW: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - SUMMERTIME

[LPJim]

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
SUMMERTIME
SP 4314

Side One:

Hurt So Bad (Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Wilding & Bobby Hart) Vogue Music Inc, BMI 2:20.

Jerusalem (Herb Alpert) Almo Music Corp. ASCAP 2:33

Martha My Dear (Lennon-McCartney) Maclen Music Inc. BMI 2:07

If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot) Early Morning Music ASCAP 2:39

Darlin' (Brian Wilson- Mike Love) Irving Music Inc. BMI 2:50.

Side Two:

Summertime (George Gershwin -Dubose Heyward) Gershwin Publishing Corp., New Dawn Music Corp. ASCAP 2:10

The Nicest Things Happen (Julius Wechter - Cissy Wechter) Almo Music Corp. ASCAP 3:12

Montezuma's Revenge (Sol Lake) Almo Music Corp. ASCAP 2:41

Catch a Falling Star (Paul Vance - Lee Pockriss) Marvin Music Co. ASCAP 3:00

Strike Up the Band (George Gershwin - Ira Gershwin) New World Music Corp ASCAP 2:33.

Producer: Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss/ Arranger: Herb Alpert/ Engineer: Larry Levine/ Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman/ Special credits "Summertime" - adapted from ideas by Ahmad Jamal, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and Lani Hall.

Recorded at A&M Studios/ Art Direction: Roland Young/ Design: Chuck Beeson/ Photography: Jim McCrary.

SUMMERTIME entered the Billboard Top 200 on July 24, 1971, peaked at # 111 and charted for 10 weeks, according to Whitburn's "Top Pop Albums."

Not available on CD.

JB

 

[daveK]

This album has some really nice tracks, such as the title cut, "Darlin'", and "Jerusalem" but the whole album is under 26 minutes long. That's short even by TJB standards! I wonder why Herb didn't include more songs on this one. :bandit:

 

[Captaindave]

As much of a TJB fan as I have been for years, I have never heard this album all the way through. And, I don't really know why, except it's one that I never bought, for some unknown reason... The only track that I am familiar with is Jerusalem.

Regarding the overall length of the album, I will speculate and say that maybe Herb was plenty tired of the whole thing by this time and had no interest in more and longer TJB products...I dunno, just a guess...

 

[jimac51]

I suspect Herb may have been doing the oppposite. A teaser ad from Billboard,which I have saved,headlines "The Long Wait Is Over"-referring to the time between WARM & SUMMERTIME. A little revitalized,yet a little gun shy to go back to THE BEAT OF THE BRASS days. Vocalizing is low key,here-Herb is kinda singing on the Gershwin title song,which is indeed bits & pieces of the artists he credits-it would be a while before I understood all of the influeneces but years later I used "Summertime" as a motif for a jazz show on a volunteer/college station and played about a dozen different versions of this song over two hours-Herb's version was the catalyst. It's actually a neat little musical puzzle. I would have loved to see the arrangement of "California Girls"(from the first TV special) worked in with "Darlin' " as a Brian Wilson tribute-maybe add something from PET SOUNDS the way Herb would include a Beatle cover(one of which shows up here).All in all,while not the little gem WARM has turned out to be over the years,there are parts of this album than are as good as Herb ever recorded. As for the length,PISANO & RUFF,the middle Pete Jolly album,the BMBs from this era-A&M seemed to be short changing on all fronts,so I was never really surprised-just disappointed. Mac

 

[W.B.]

Summertime
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
SP 4314

Another "Eight Arms To Hold You" moment: On the title-track single, released as AM-1261-S (b/w "Hurt So Bad"), the initial pressings listed the album catalogue number thus: "(From the A&M album "Summertime" SP-3505)." As with Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Firecat (SP-3506 . . . er, -4313), the catalogue number ended up being switched from the 3500 to the 4100 series, with SP-3505 eventually assigned to Bill Medley's LP A Song For You (which preceded by less than a year the Carpenters' album of the same name).

Special credits "Summertime" - adapted from ideas by Ahmad Jamal, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and Lani Hall.

On the aforementioned 45, neither Mr. Jamal nor Ms. Hall are mentioned in connection therewith on the "Summertime" side; instead it reads, "THANKS TO MILES, GIL EVANS, LAMBERT, HENDRICKS AND ROSS."

 

[Dave]

Summertime
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
SP 4314

A WARM album, this is not quite, though pretty much seems "cut from the same cloth". Much of the tunes are outside material: The obscure Beatles tune, Martha, My Dear (WARM at least had "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"), the oft-covered Hurts So Bad, which there have been and would still be more versions of, A Couple O' Good Ol' Gershwin Brothers Winning Summertime that Herb ably sings (reminding us not so much of "This Guy's In Love With You", as maybe "To Wait For Love") and his own Oom-Pah-Pah of their Strike Up The Band, the something "a little different" If You Could Read My Mind, which came after Gordon Lightfoot's version and, I think, preceding versions by Barbra Streisand, Vikki Carr and many others to come, something else "a little different--and also sort of a bit OFF THE WALL" like The Beach Boys' Darlin', another Big-Band Trumpet Working Exercise, Catch A FallingStar, and at least one original "Herb Alpert" tune, Jerusalem, which made it onto the SOLID BRASS compilation of stuff that did and mostly DIDN'T make it onto GREATEST HITS and his FOURSIDER retrospective, and the typical Sol Lake composition (with a bit of humor), Montezuma's Revenge and of course, the nod to Julius and Cissy Wechter in the pair's The Nicest Things Happen.

Yes, another "mixed-bag", but still just as ("warm" and) inviting as WARM, and with The Tijuana Brass credited, though easily a "solo" LP like its predecessor. And why so SHORT??

And also, (not to knock anything, but...) where did Herb get THOSE PANTS??!!

Dave

 

[Harry]

I always liked the first track on this album, "Hurts So Bad". It really sounded like the old TjB to me. The uptempo arrangement for most of the track, the slowed-down middle, and it all coming in under 2 and half minutes - somehow this track told me that the TjB was back. I love the drumming toward the end, though I wonder if it's Nick Ceroli or perhaps Hal Blaine.

"Jerusalem" got a fair amount of airplay back then, though not to the degree that the "Taxi"-era TjB did. I took a while to warm up to that song, but now find it quite haunting.

"Martha My Dear" fit the mold of Herb turning a Beatles song on its side and creating a march out of it, adding in his trademarked almost-singing at the end of the song.

"If You Could Read My Mind" never went anywhere for me. It's OK, but not a track I'd ever dig the album out to listen to. Gordon Lightfoot's take is just too definitive.

"Darlin'" brings the side to a swingin' close. This is one I DO dig the album out to listen to. Like the side's first track, it accomplishes much in under three minutes, and has a stopdown and count-in that by this time had become a hallmark of TjB-style arrangements.

And then we all got up and flipped the album over to side two, which begins with the album's title track. If I recall correctly, this was the single which preceded the album, getting some airplay. If nothing else, it was good to hear Lani Hall again after she disappeared from Sergio's line-up.

Julius and Cissy's "The Nicest Things Happens" follows with a goosebump-inducing chord progression that gets me every time. Lots of nice trombone and guitar work on this one - carrying a good deal of the melody as Herb improvises over top of it all.

"Montezuma's Revenge" is a catchy return to a Sol Lake composition with some nice work by Julius on marimbas.

"Catch A Falling Star" takes a long time to get going, and though pleasant, it doesn't really go anywhere, like its track-five neighbor on side one.

"Strike Up The Band" one my dad used to enjoy immensely. It was the flip side of the "Jerusalem" single.

As Mac pointed out, yeah, the album was short, but we WERE getting used to albums short-changing us. It happened everywhere you looked. We just accepted it.

Though it didn't quite have the impact that WARM did for me, I was happy to add SUMMERTIME into my TjB collection, and today, though homemade, it looks great in that CD jewelbox.

Harry
NP: SUMMERTIME, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

[edited to correct the "Strike Up The Band" b-side info and to remove erroneous info about mono/stereo of said 45]

 

[W.B.]

"Strike Up The Band" one my dad used to enjoy immensely. It was the flip side of the "Summertime" single, and the album version finally presented us with a stereo version.

Er . . . which version of the single would you be talking about? As I noted above, my copy of "Summertime" has the flip as "Hurt So Bad." From what I saw, "Strike Up the Band" was the B-side of "Jerusalem" (#1225).

 

[Harry]

Early morning brain cramp. Sorry! I'll go fix that now.

Harry
...who at least knew that "Strike Up The Band" was the b-side to something, online...

 

[W.B.]

. . . Summertime that Herb ably sings (reminding us not so much of "This Guy's In Love With You", as maybe "To Wait For Love") . . .

Given that Lani accompanies him here, it also seems to me to have some echoes of the sound of Brasil '66, what with the quasi-"bossa nova" arrangement.

 

[Dave]

. . . Summertime that Herb ably sings (reminding us not so much of "This Guy's In Love With You", as maybe "To Wait For Love") . . .

Given that Lani accompanies him here, it also seems to me to have some echoes of the sound of Brasil '66, what with the quasi "bossa-nova" arrangement.

Yes, the quinessential Herb & Lani duet, this side of "Peace In The Valley" and "Save The Sunlight".

The Bossa-Nova on Herb's albums is nothing new, Herb at least gave it to us on WARM's Title-Track, "Zazuiera" and a little bit on "Girl Talk"; can't think of too many other examples right now, though.

Dave

 

[martin]

The version of Summertime that was released in Germany and Scandinavia were for some reason just titled "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass" and another type of font was used for the print on the front cover than on the US version. One possible reason is that I seem to remember that the album was released in the early autumn here and "Summertime" may not have seemed like a proper title. At this point the TJB had lost much of their popularity here and one reason for the late release, may well have been that Polydor did not make a priority of the album at the time. Shortly after I believe the distribution of A & M changed and products would come from England rather than Germany.
I liked parts of the album a lot, but at the time I did not appreciate the Summertime arrangement much. Today I think it is an example of how Herb was moving further away from the TJB type arrangements into more improvisation and a stronger jazz influence. When "You smile.." came out three years later I was not surprised of how it sounded, it seemed like a natural development after "Summertime".

- greetings from the cold and snowy north - (just in from some skiing)

Martin

 

[Mr Bill]

For me the title track is not only my least favorite cut on the album but one of my least-liked songs in the TJB canon. As for the rest: I like 'em all just fine wiht "Darlin'," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Catch a Falling Star" tops with me. And Jerusalem is pretty haunting as well. Comparisons with Warm don't work for me. A lot think of Warm as Herb's first "solo-ish" work. I don't. This one, though, I do... If any other album in the Herb ALpert library is worthy of comparison to Summertime it would be Just You & Me, with this one having only one tune penned by Herb and JY&M having all but one penned by Herb...

--Mr Bill

 

[LPJim]

SUMMERTIME was used twice on A&M as an album title (Paul Desmond as well as Herb/TJB). EQUINOX was the title of LPs by both Sergio Mendes/Brasil 66 and Styx.
Wonder how many album titles -- other than GREATEST HITS -- got repeated in the A&M catalog?
JB

JOE COCKER is the title of both SP 4224 and SP 4368
A GIFT OF SONG -- Sandpipers (4328) and Judith Durham (4240)
COME SAT. MORNING -- Sandpipers (4262) & Liza Minnelli (4164)
ROAD SONG -- Wes Montgomery/ ROAD SONGS -- Hoyt Axton
ROCK ON -- Humble Pie (4301) & The Bunch (4354) .......

 

[W.B.]

SUMMERTIME was used twice on A&M as an album title (Paul Desmond as well as Herb/TJB). EQUINOX was the title of LPs by both Sergio Mendes/Brasil 66 and Styx.
Wonder how many album titles -- other than GREATEST HITS -- got repeated in the A&M catalog?
JB

JOE COCKER is the title of both SP 4224 and SP 4368
A GIFT OF SONG -- Sandpipers (4328) and Judith Durham (4240)
COME SAT. MORNING -- Sandpipers (4262) & Liza Minnelli (4164)
ROAD SONG -- Wes Montgomery/ ROAD SONGS -- Hoyt Axton
ROCK ON -- Humble Pie (4301) & The Bunch (4354) .......

Well . . . you have A Song For You by Bill Medley (3505) and the Carpenters (3511), among others . . .

But as for the two Cocker albums . . . 4224 had an exclamation point after his name while 4368 did not.

The version of Summertime that was released in Germany and Scandinavia were for some reason just titled "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass" and another type of font was used for the print on the front cover than on the US version. One possible reason is that I seem to remember that the album was released in the early autumn here and "Summertime" may not have seemed like a proper title.

Given that it entered Billboard's charts in the U.S. in late July, the title probably was apropos for America, though. However, judging from the catalogue switch from 3505 to 4314, the changeover of Cat Stevens' third A&M album from 3506 to 4313 likely occurred at the same time, albeit with a delayed release for Mr. Stevens's offering, judging from when that entered the charts.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I've learned to like this album a lot more than I used to. I really loved "Hurt So Bad" and "Darlin'" the most, but today I think Herb's trumpet solo on "The Nicest Things Happen" is one of his better solos on record, although his tone leaves a lot to be desired. I love the rhythm section on "Summertime" - it's really a great little groove. If you've heard the version by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross you'll see that there is a huge similarity, if not a complete theft. I wouldn't put this album with his best works, but it's a nice little album.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[bob knack]

I had heard "Strike up the Band" on a juke box here long before the LP came out. Maybe it was recorded with the original Brass. It's one of my fav TJB's.

It seemed that Herb was trying to reinvent himself here and maybe come back with a slightly modernized sound. A little more "Hippie-ish" if you will. I also wish there was a little more material, it was a pretty good record. We waited a long time for it.

 

[Mr Bill]

All this talk about Summertime being "different" from prior TJB recordings got me thinking that we are now in the midst of the longest Herb Alpert "dry spell" musically speaking...

Even though Herb broke up the brass in 1970, Summertime came out in 1971 and the song "Last Tango In Paris" came out in 1973 that was only a break of two years, despite claims that it was a four year hiatus. It has been over four years since Colors was released in June 1999.

As for Summertime being different than the usual TJB albums, well of course -- Herb always evolved from one LP to the next. The claim that is doesn't sound like the usual players is sort of a vapid comment since we know he used studio musicians on the recordings as opposed to the touring band we know from concerts and LP covers (though some like Pisano, Edmondson, Ceroli and Senatore were in on some sessions). Summertime is stylistically a perfect blend between its predescessor (Brass Are Comin') and (skipping the reformed TJB LPs) the highly personal Just You And Me...

--Mr Bill

 

[LPJim]

There was a 4-year dry spell between MIDNIGHT SUN (1992 - A&M) and SECOND WIND (1996- Almo Sounds), so a new project from Herb is due. I wonder what label it would be on? Maybe Universal with a microscopic A&M logo on the back (?)
JB

 

[Captaindave]

While it may be due, I am thinking that he may be retired...

Maybe not, but it does seem so to me...

 

[LPJim]

I do not want to see Herb retire.
I would not mind if the mute and drum machine retired, however.
JB

 

[Rudy]

I do like this album, despite some weak playing at times. IMHO one of the masterpieces is "Summertime". Basically if you're not into Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal or Lambert Hendricks & Ross, you're not going to "get it". Sonically it's one of the best sounding cuts on the album; sounds to me like minimal miking and processing there which sort of parallels its jazz roots. I think "Hurts So Bad" sounds the worst--the drums are quite muddy on that one, but I do like the song and arrangement. If you listen closely during the slow section on a good system, you can hear a second trumpet track bleeding through.

Also in the sonics department, the acoustic numbers like "The Nicest Things Happen", "Montezuma's Revenge" and "If You Could Read My Mind" sound very clean and up front. The arrangements are also quite different than any prior album. (Warm is a break from TJB tradition to a point, but there's still no mistaking there are still ties to the TJB there.)

I'm curious as to when this was recorded. We only know a release date for this one.

 

[Mr Bill]

I'm curious as to when this was recorded. We only know a release date for this one.

Someone years ago told me it was just a few songs into the BAC follow up that Herb broke up the brass and that this LP contains those few songs as well as left overs from Warm and BAC. That could explain the variety of sounds. Stylistically "Summertime" and the first new material a few years later, specifically "Last Tango" are frighteningly similar, indicating a pick up "right where he left off...

--Mr Bill

 

[Numero Cinco]

It's probably foolish for a newcomer like me to wade in these waters, so to speak, but the job of a critic—any critic—is to tell the truth about what he hears or sees, even if it's the experience of only one.

I pulled out Summertime this evening and played it straight through (which, as many of you have noted, doesn't take long). I didn't acquire this album until just a few years ago, so it conjures up no youthful memories or special associations for me. I take it for how it sounds to me now.

To my ears, it sounds for the most part tired, unmemorable, and experimentally groping for something that hadn't yet gelled. I have no problem whatever with Mr. Alpert's wanting to venture out in new directions. Indeed, I was impressed by how generous these tracks and their mixing are to his sidemen, especially John Pisano and Bob Edmondson (with whom Herb seems on this album to engage in a lot of call-and-response between trombone and trumpet).

That said, with but few exceptions, Summertime seems to me filled with a tired lead playing forgettable melodies that—and this, most surprising to me of all—display some of the least interesting, perhaps I should say "unfocused," arrangements in the whole Alpert canon. The rhythm line of the title track is interesting; but I confess, as Rudy warns, that I just don't get it (despite my admiration for Miles Davis). For me, the most successful track is "Jerusalem"—in part because it's the simplest and executed the most straightforwardly. Still, am I the only one out there who hears similar chord progressions, with eventual layering of vocals and strings, in "Jerusalem" as in "A Quiet Tear"?

As I reflect on the TJB albums, most of their constituent tracks coalesce to make a coherent musical statement. Perhaps more than any other, Summertime is the album about which I'm damned if I know what Herb was trying to say.

Speaking of being damned: Fire away, colleagues!

 

[Rudy]

One thing about Summertime that others here have commented about, which you also picked up on: it sounds tired. I picked up on this starting with Beat Of The Brass myself. Maybe it wasn't just the horn playing for me: no real new ground was broken, IMHO, since What Now My Love. (Other than "Casino Royale", which wasn't even a Tijuana Brass recording.) It's no surprise Warm was a departure when it came along.

Back to Summertime: I'd really like to get a timeline on these songs, the album itself, and where it fell in the period where Herb lost his lip, so to speak. It's like there are at least two different groupings of songs on this album: "Martha My Dear", "If You Could Read My Mind", "The Nicest Things Happen" and "Montezuma's Revenge" have an up-front acoustic sound with minimal percussion ("Martha" does to a point). "Summertime" is more experimental--it, too, is more up front and acoustical--upright bass, acoustic guitar, drums, and some overdubbed brass parts with the vocals and trumpet solo. The rest of the tracks are closer to earlier TJB sounds.

Where "Last Tango In Paris" fits is a mystery. It predated You Smile--The Song Begins by a fair amount of time, early enough to be included on Foursider and be released as a single on its own.