Numero Cinco
New Member
Here are my Buried Treasures, listed in the order I wish my fantasy CD could play them:
1. "The Sea is My Soil" (from Warm): Essentially a tone poem, and one of the most ravishing tracks in the entire catalogue. Why it has never been included in any compilation to date is beyond me.
2. "Up Cherry Street" (from South of the Border): Probably everyone has one or two tracks that forever hooked him on the Brass. Along with "Green Peppers," this was mine. Such a relaxed shuffle; did Herb ever accompany Alpert more perfectly than here? Although I hugely admire Dave Frishberg's piano in the rearrangement on You Smile, for me the original will always be the one.
3. "Freckles" (from What Now My Love): My favorite Dixieland-styled number, with that marvelous Wall of Sound. The percussion on this track (by Nick Ceroli?) blows me away every time.
4. "Bud" (from Herb Alpert's Ninth): My favorite among the Spanish ballads, perhaps for the sentimental reason of its production around the time of Ervan Coleman's death.
5. "Walk, Don't Run" (from !!Going Places!!): Straight-ahead rock, with Herb in splendid form. As others have suggested, this arrangement outventures The Ventures.
6. "Bo-Bo" (from Sounds Like . . . ): If the Martian asked to be introduced to classic TJB sound and "A Taste of Honey" or "Tijuana Taxi" were unavailable, this is the track I'd play for Marvin. All the components are here, fitted together seamlessly.
7. "Numero Cinco" (from SOTB): If it's been a while since you've heard this one, pay attention to how creatively Alpert arranges this very simple melody. Listen for how particular instruments enter and exit, then all unite for the last chorus. Okay, so it's not Ravel's Bolero; but at two-and-a-quarter minutes, it'll do nicely.
8. "Monday, Monday" (from The Beat of the Brass): A field day for Bob Edmondson on trombone and (I assume) Julius Wechter on chimes. My test for the success of an arrangement is how well it causes you to reconsider (or even forget) the original hit cover. For me, this track passes that test in spades.
9. "Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor" (from You Smile—The Song Begins): My favorite bridging track from Old Brass to New. A haunting arrangement of an equally weird tune.
10. "Felicia" (from !!GP!!): Assuming that's Pisano on guitar, playing his own composition, this for me is his finest track.
11. "Freight-Train Joe" (from S.R.O.): Melancholy comedy, or comic melancholy. Spot-on soli by Wechter in the bridges.
12. "Marjorine" (from Warm): To describe it is to evoke a nightmare: Herb waits at least a full minute before entering, after a clarient obligato accompanied by concertina (!) The song then morphs into light big band with Dixieland curlicues. In other words: Alpert meets Pete Fountain and Woody Herman on la Rive Gauche. Don't ask me how this works, but it does.
13. "And the Angels Sing" (from !!GP!!): Herb takes Manhattan: lush strings, playful flute. Cocktails with Bobby Short. Beautiful.
14. "Flea Bag" (from HAN): Wechter's jaunty hommage to his own "Spanish Flea." My favorite of Edmondson's soli, which I used to love mimicking on my high-school Conn.
15. "Jingle Bell Rock" (from The Christmas Album): I never thought that the TJB and Christmas standards, or novelties, went together, and I still don't. This, for me, is the exceptional track from (I suppose) the only original CD still available, in season.
16. "Robbers and Cops" (from The Brass Are Comin'): Unadorned, not very creative, but my favorite Edmondson/Alpert call and response. This is one of the few tracks I can remember being staged for one of those TJB specials on NBC in the Sixties: The band outfitted as Chicago mobsters, pilfering instruments at a music store. Cop on a bullhorn counts down the beat; they "play" the whole song without audio fade-out, then merrily dance into a paddy-wagon whose door slams shut.
17. "A Walk in the Black Forest" (from !!GP!!): Again, Alpert's arrangement of this practically unsingable but oddly memorable song outdoes that of its composer who made it a hit, Horst Jankowski. BTW: There's an error about this track in the Discography on Rudy's Corner. "Schwarzwaldfahrt" is the name of the song in German, not a collaborator.
18. "Warm" (from Warm): With Mr. Rogers's assistance, Alpert again out-Wechters Julius on his own song. Simply lovely. Yes: I know that this track was included in one of the many compilations (Foursider). It's my party, and I'll cheat if I want to.
1. "The Sea is My Soil" (from Warm): Essentially a tone poem, and one of the most ravishing tracks in the entire catalogue. Why it has never been included in any compilation to date is beyond me.
2. "Up Cherry Street" (from South of the Border): Probably everyone has one or two tracks that forever hooked him on the Brass. Along with "Green Peppers," this was mine. Such a relaxed shuffle; did Herb ever accompany Alpert more perfectly than here? Although I hugely admire Dave Frishberg's piano in the rearrangement on You Smile, for me the original will always be the one.
3. "Freckles" (from What Now My Love): My favorite Dixieland-styled number, with that marvelous Wall of Sound. The percussion on this track (by Nick Ceroli?) blows me away every time.
4. "Bud" (from Herb Alpert's Ninth): My favorite among the Spanish ballads, perhaps for the sentimental reason of its production around the time of Ervan Coleman's death.
5. "Walk, Don't Run" (from !!Going Places!!): Straight-ahead rock, with Herb in splendid form. As others have suggested, this arrangement outventures The Ventures.
6. "Bo-Bo" (from Sounds Like . . . ): If the Martian asked to be introduced to classic TJB sound and "A Taste of Honey" or "Tijuana Taxi" were unavailable, this is the track I'd play for Marvin. All the components are here, fitted together seamlessly.
7. "Numero Cinco" (from SOTB): If it's been a while since you've heard this one, pay attention to how creatively Alpert arranges this very simple melody. Listen for how particular instruments enter and exit, then all unite for the last chorus. Okay, so it's not Ravel's Bolero; but at two-and-a-quarter minutes, it'll do nicely.
8. "Monday, Monday" (from The Beat of the Brass): A field day for Bob Edmondson on trombone and (I assume) Julius Wechter on chimes. My test for the success of an arrangement is how well it causes you to reconsider (or even forget) the original hit cover. For me, this track passes that test in spades.
9. "Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor" (from You Smile—The Song Begins): My favorite bridging track from Old Brass to New. A haunting arrangement of an equally weird tune.
10. "Felicia" (from !!GP!!): Assuming that's Pisano on guitar, playing his own composition, this for me is his finest track.
11. "Freight-Train Joe" (from S.R.O.): Melancholy comedy, or comic melancholy. Spot-on soli by Wechter in the bridges.
12. "Marjorine" (from Warm): To describe it is to evoke a nightmare: Herb waits at least a full minute before entering, after a clarient obligato accompanied by concertina (!) The song then morphs into light big band with Dixieland curlicues. In other words: Alpert meets Pete Fountain and Woody Herman on la Rive Gauche. Don't ask me how this works, but it does.
13. "And the Angels Sing" (from !!GP!!): Herb takes Manhattan: lush strings, playful flute. Cocktails with Bobby Short. Beautiful.
14. "Flea Bag" (from HAN): Wechter's jaunty hommage to his own "Spanish Flea." My favorite of Edmondson's soli, which I used to love mimicking on my high-school Conn.
15. "Jingle Bell Rock" (from The Christmas Album): I never thought that the TJB and Christmas standards, or novelties, went together, and I still don't. This, for me, is the exceptional track from (I suppose) the only original CD still available, in season.
16. "Robbers and Cops" (from The Brass Are Comin'): Unadorned, not very creative, but my favorite Edmondson/Alpert call and response. This is one of the few tracks I can remember being staged for one of those TJB specials on NBC in the Sixties: The band outfitted as Chicago mobsters, pilfering instruments at a music store. Cop on a bullhorn counts down the beat; they "play" the whole song without audio fade-out, then merrily dance into a paddy-wagon whose door slams shut.
17. "A Walk in the Black Forest" (from !!GP!!): Again, Alpert's arrangement of this practically unsingable but oddly memorable song outdoes that of its composer who made it a hit, Horst Jankowski. BTW: There's an error about this track in the Discography on Rudy's Corner. "Schwarzwaldfahrt" is the name of the song in German, not a collaborator.
18. "Warm" (from Warm): With Mr. Rogers's assistance, Alpert again out-Wechters Julius on his own song. Simply lovely. Yes: I know that this track was included in one of the many compilations (Foursider). It's my party, and I'll cheat if I want to.
