Herb & Lani Dakota Reviews

[Steve Sidoruk]

Herb Alpert, wife Lani Hall an eclectic mix in Dakota set
By Dan Emerson
Special to the Pioneer Press
Updated: 11/10/2009 11:11:29 PM CST

Trumpeter Herb Alpert achieved household-name status back in the early 1960s, with a string of pop-instrumental hits by his group, the Tijuana Brass.

But Tuesday night at the Dakota, Alpert and his vocal partner (and wife) Lani Hall focused on jazzier, more musically sophisticated material they've been performing lately. Most of the crowd-pleasing show was made up of tunes from their new "live" CD, "Anything Goes."

Unlike her platinum-selling husband, Hall hasn't achieved the level of fame her talents warrant. Although she's from Chicago, she has spent much of her five-decade career singing Brazilian and other Latin American music. She was the lead singer of Sergio Mendez's hit-making group, Brazil '66; Alpert signed the group to his label, AM Records, and produced their first three albums.

Much of their Dakota performance consisted of jazz and pop standards updated with crisply executed arrangements by the group, which also includes pianist Bill Cantos, bassist Hussain Jiffry and drummer Mike Shapiro.

Their arrangement of the Gershwin standard "Fascinatin' Rhythm" featured a graceful bossa nova groove, with Alpert and Hall dueting on the chorus and Jiffry strumming chords on his six-string bass, like a guitarist.

A few decades have passed since Hall's days with Brazil '66, but she still has a beautifully silky voice and impressive range.

The combo updated another standard, "Besame Mucho," with a thumping, tempo-shifting funk-jazz arrangement.

Hall followed with a dramatic blues-tinged version of Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and a slowed-down rendition of the usually up-tempo "That Old Black Magic," a Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer evergreen.
Arlen's "It's Only a Paper Moon" was done as a swinging instrumental, with Alpert playing a unique trumpet equipped with two bells — one muted and one "open."

Hall applied her soaring voice to the Beatles tune "Blackbird" and segued into a couple of Brazilian pieces, which she sang in Portuguese.

Hall also sang a new composition by the group's pianist, a catchy, up-tempo piece called "Black Coffee."

Alpert took a vocal turn with the old standard "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face." He's only a serviceable vocalist, a fact he acknowledged during his self-deprecating, between-songs remarks to the audience.

But he did have one hit as a vocalist in the late '60s: Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love," the melody of which he reprised on his trumpet solo.

Late in the set, Hall and Alpert delivered the title track from their new CD, a lesser-known Cole Porter ballad called "Anything Goes." The title could be a reference to their eclectic, genre-blending approach to music.

Alpert and Hall will perform at the Dakota again today at 7 and 9:30 p.m.

Dan Emerson is a freelance writer and musician in Minneapolis.

http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_13759620?nclick_check=1

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Alpert & Hall Rise to the Classics
Written by Mario Carrington
Thursday, 12 November 2009

What becomes a music legend most? Based on the past 60 days or so the answer seems to be performing at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, with their two night engagement on November 10 and 11, are the latest legendary artists to appear at the Dakota and a must-see show. They join luminaries such as Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Dave Brubeck who have all left a bit of their essence on stage during this period.

If Alpert’s only contributions to music were as an entrepreneur (Alpert was the ‘A’ in the independent powerhouse A&M Records label) and a producer (Stan Getz, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, Carole King, Janet Jackson, etc.), he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. When you add in forming and leading the Tijuana Brass, who would have to be considered part of the musical soundtrack of the 60s, you have a certifiable icon. Hall was an original lead singer of the redoubtable Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and has sustained a fabulous career as a solo artist since her departure from that group.

Alpert and Hall’s opening set of November 10th was equal parts masterful (staging by Alpert) and luminous (vocals by Hall). They have been married for over 30 years and were the most loving couple to appear on stage at the Dakota since Nicholas Ashford & Valerie Simpson. A&H were very capably supported by a rhythm section of Michael Shapiro on drums, Hussain Jiffrey on bass and Bill Cantos on piano.

Herb Alpert and Lani HallCompositions played featured those of giants such as Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, and included “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Anything Goes,” “Till There Was You,” “Let’s Face The Music And Dance,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Night & Day,” “Laura,” “Besame Mucho,” “Paper Moon,” and many more. These songs stand the test of time which is the key criteria for a classic. Their performance of these songs was gratifying due to the familiar framing and different interpretations they exhibited. A&H performed these well known compositions and delivered versions that were new, fresh and memorable.

Alpert’s crisp, clear, concise playing on trumpet is truly his own sound and in the universe of immediately recognizable styles, similar to Carlos Santana on guitar, Thelonius Monk on piano, Wes Montgomery on guitar, etc. He exudes cool on stage and the special trumpet he designed and utilized on several songs, which had two bells (one regular and one muted) on which he transferred between phrases with a trigger, was again, very cool.

There was audience acknowledgement and engagement by A&H which turbo-charged the performance, raising it to another level as evidenced by three standing ovations and two encores. Alpert answered questions between tunes and, in one humorous exchange with an audience member, a debt of gratitude was acknowledged as she said that upon hearing his “A Taste Of Honey” in the late 60s, she decided to leave the convent and get married. The entire band was having big fun on stage as, on some selections, they all served as rousing backup singers to Hall. The show served to enhance my appreciation of Alpert as an artist of immense proportions, as your mind processes all of his varied contributions to music, placing him in a pantheon with Quincy Jones and a few others.

http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/8686/115/

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall at The Dakota Jazz Club
Thursday, November 12, 2009

"DEAR MR. ALPERT," SAID A WOMAN FROM THE SECOND FLOOR. She began speaking before the applause died down after Herb Alpert's final song at The Dakota Jazz club this past Tuesday. At the very beginning of his show he insisted that the mood be very casual and he encouraged questions from the audience, "but no song requests."

"Dear Mr. Alpert! Dear Mr. Alpert!" She said again, and finally Mr. Alpert looked up. The woman then told a story, starting with the fact that she had been a nun. It was 1968, and she said that A Taste of Honey "wafted in through my cloister window" from across the way one night, "and it inspired me to leave the seminary."

The applause was deafening.

But let's get back to the beginning of the show.

Herb Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall of Brasil '66 fame, are touring to promote their first recorded project together entitled Anything Goes (warning, instant audio). As the title eludes, the album includes new takes on old classics, such as Fascinating Rhythm, It's Only A Paper Moon and I've Got You Under My Skin.

After his first song, Alpert asked if anyone had any questions. A hand went up and Alpert called on a fellow. I'd like to note how polite the Dakota's audience was that night -- the fellow stood up to ask his question. "Sir, is it true you and Tom Jones met the Queen together?"

To which Alpert responded, "How did you know that?" Alpert then told how in 1974 he performed for the Queen, but was instructed not to acknowledge her during the performance. If she liked what she saw, she would send a note after the show. Sure enough, Alpert received a note backstage. "I forget who else was there," said Alpert. "Ginger Rogers or somebody like that." The Prince told Alpert that he liked his music and listened to it in the palace den. This surprised Alpert, not because the Prince listened to his music, but the idea of what the den in the royal palace could have possibly been like.

Alpert and Hall then played an especially sultry rendition of Let's Face the Music and Dance. "First, Lani and I became friends," said Alpert, telling a story of when they first met and later when they became a couple. "This is an angel from another planet," he said. "She's from Chicago and she changed my life for the better." Hall then sang a very slow version of That Old Black Magic. She noted the fast version made famous by Louis Prima, but said she wanted to "slow it down in order to really understand that lyric." At many points during the show it was clear that Alpert and Hall still have quite a bit of magic in their marriage -- throughout the show they hugged and smiled at each other, and at one point she sat on his lap at the piano.

Hall did all of the singing at The Dakota that night, backed up by a driving rhythm section. Alpert added trumpet flourishes here and there whenever he wasn't taking over the melody. Toward the end of the show he took out an instrument he developed himself. "I called the guy, I paid to make it," said Alpert. I didn't catch what he named the instrument, but it's two trumpets in one. One bell is sans mute, and he pulls a "trigger" to switch between muted and unmuted trumpet sounds.

There were more questions for Alpert before the evening ended, including "What is your favorite song?" Alpert couldn't really answer the question fully until he finished his next song, which must have jogged his memory as he ended it in an improvised flourish of This Guy's In Love. He was reminded of a story. "I called this friend of mine," Alpert said. The friend was Hal David, and at the time he had just written a song called This Girl's In Love. Alpert asked if him if he could change the gender and some of the lyrics. In the studio, Alpert got the recording in one take.

It's no wonder Alpert is still going strong -- not only has he reinvented the music he's playing, but he gives songs sex-changes and turns nuns into the marrying type. It would seem that his trumpet's big bells rival his own.

Posted by Eda Cherry at 8:48 AM

http://betteronme.blogspot.com/2009/11/herb-alpert-and-lani-hall-at-dakota.html

 

[CherryStreet]

"Herb Alpert, Changing Minds Since 1968"

Nobody does it better.

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Leonard Feather should be spinning in his grave.