Does anyone have any concert memories?

[alpertfan]

I have never had the chance to see Herb Alpert in concert, and I wasn't around when he and the TJB were performing their hits in concert to fans. Anybody have a memory of a particular concert they attended either of Mr. Alpert as part of the Tijuana Brass or as a solo artist? Anyone remember the TV shows? Any concert photos you'd like to share?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I have never had the chance to see Herb Alpert in concert, and I wasn't around when he and the TJB were performing their hits in concert to fans. Anybody have a memory of a particular concert they attended either of Mr. Alpert as part of the Tijuana Brass or as a solo artist? Anyone remember the TV shows? Any concert photos you'd like to share?

I've seen Herb twice as a solo artist, for both the Second Wind in '96 and the Passion Dance in '97 tours. Both were in Dallas at an outdoors festival. For me the Second Wind concert meant a little more because it was my first time seeing Herb play live. It was just a 5-piece group with Jeff Lorber, and Herb sounded great. The Passion Dance concert was a bit more rushed as it was part of the Dallas Jazz Festival, and he was the next to last performer. There was a time curfew so Herb only got in just under an hour's playing. But it was great hearing him do a TJB medley salsa-style.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

I've seen the Tijuana Brass three times and Herb Alpert once.

The first TJB concert was probably 1967 or so, but I'm too young to remember most of it. I believe it was downtown at Cobo Arena. I vaguely remember someone trying to hold me up for a moment to see the band, but I don't remember it at all.

I did see the two mid 70's TJB reunion tours for You Smile and Coney Island. Memories there are distant as well, but I do remember they always closed with "Zorba".

The Alpert tour for Under A Spanish Moon was neat. The Meadowbrook Festival Orchestra backed him up, Del Barrio conducted, and he also had his combo there off to one side. I only have one or two usable pictures out of the roll I took--I'll have to see if I can post them on here. Some familiar Tijuana Brass songs got new orchestral arrangements, Lani sang three songs (one being "Like A Lover", a second in Spanish, and then "Ancient Source" from the Spanish Moon album).

After that tour, he never came back through Detroit. I would drive as far as Chicago or Ohio to see him, but beyond that is stretching it.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I wish I could've seen the original TJB, especially in the '66-'67 years, when they probably were at their peak. I especially would've loved to seen the Carnegie Hall concert, where the Dave Brubeck Quartet opened for them. If I remember right, the Allyn Ferguson Orchestra backed the TJB up. I remember reading a review of this concert in the New York Times while I was at a library. There was also a story of it in Billboard, where they gave glowing reviews.

Another one I wish I could've seen was when Brasil '66 opened for them. That would have been an incredible night of music!


Capt. Bacardi

 

[DAN BOLTON]

I saw Herb once, in June of '84 during the Bullish Tour at Indianapolis. It rained that evening, and the concert was outside...so there was a rain delay of about an hour. My date used the time to down a couple of Margaritas and a couple of Budweisers, so it really didn't matter too much to her one way or another, but the crowd was for the most part patient...even though some guy refused to drop his umbrella. Herb dodged puddles onstage and thanked us for waiting...and put on a great show. Lani sang a Lionel Ritchie tune with Herb, and did a bee-bop number while the guys took a break and dried off. Danny Denton did his painting act to FANDANGO, and I only wish the image was a little smaller so I could have fit it into the trunk of my Mirada... It was one of Nick Ceroli's last appearances, sadly, and I got to see John Pisano and Bob Edmondson; not to mention the great Julius Wechter. My date was too feshnickered to even think of trying to get backstage, so we left quickly. And she passed out in the car on the way home...never went out with her again, but I'll never forget that night. Herb put on a great show under the most stringent of circumstances...and we all got our money's worth, a lot of happy memories...


Dan, reminiscing online...

 

[Harry]

I saw Herb and the Brass both times that they appeared at Philadelphia's Spectrum. The first time, we sat on the folding chairs on the Spectrum's floor, and had to strain to see over the heads of others in front of us. I don't recall who opened for that concert.

The second time we were elevated in the first ringed section of the venue, so line of sight was much better. In the last few years, I've located my old ticket stub for this concert and have posted it here before, but will do so again:

The late O.C.Smith opened this 1969 show.

I also saw the re-formed Brass when they appeared at the Valley Forge Music Fair. I remember Lani and Julius at that one. I think it was from the Coney Island days.

As a longtime fan, of course, I dutifully watched all of the TV specials back in the '60s and into the '70s. Sometime around '78 or so, I lost interest in Mr. Alpert, only to have it re-kindled somewhat with the Fandango album - enough to go out and buy up all of the intervening albums I'd missed.

Then another rekindling of interest happened with Keep Your Eye On Me - enough to go out and buy up all of the CDs I could find. Smart move!

I missed the whole Bullish tour. It seems to me that I was busy dealing with the passing of my father around that time.

And I've not managed to connect with any of Herb's '90s appearances - so really, the last time I saw him in person was back around 1973-4.

Harry
...jogging the memory, online...

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

1966 - Yale Bowl, New Haven - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 opened for Herb & TJB. I was dying to see & hear Herb's Tijuana Brass, as I had been a fan for a couple of years by then, but who knew who Sergio Mendes was? He & Brasil'66 were fantastic and I couldn't wait for the release of their 1st A&M album!

1968 - Yale Bowl, New Haven - The Checkmates, Ltd. opened for Herb & TJB. I shot B&W 8mm film of the show.

1974 - Warwick Musical Theatre, Warwick, RI - Herb & TJB w/ Lani & Bobby Sandler. They played a full week and two shows on Saturday. I knew the A&M College Rep, based in Boston and met A&Mer Barry Korkin, who Herb brought to A&M main office. Met Herb & Lani for 1st time. To me, this was unbelievable for any fan! They let me have the run of the theatre to shoot photos during the week. Not too bad for a huge Herb fan and kid just out of college!

1974 - Oakdale Musical Theatre - Wallingford, CT. Same line-up as above. I also had a week running around the theatre shooting photos. Herb had a mobile recording studio in one night to record a live album. Let's hope that this one will see the light of day with the project that is in the works now.

1984 - Garden States Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ. Bullish Tour. Was still married then. Herb got into his opening dialog and told the crowd they still looked good. My Ex yelled out , "You look pretty good yourself Herb!" Herb said, "thanks" and the crowed roared. Had to sneak the camera in this time, but got some great shots.

1988 - Canandaigua, NY w/ Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Symphony Tour. Spent the afternoon sitting in on the rehearsal. Spoke to Bill Earl for a while during the afternoon. Herb sat in back by the sound board while Lani rehearsed. He wanted reaction from me & the Mrs. during Lani's warm up. Got back stage passes for after the show. No photos from audience, but got great shots from back stage with Herb & Lani.

1996 - Philadelphia, PA. Second Wind Tour. Another great show and 1st time seeing Herb solo. Front row seats and, of course, shot more photos. Met Herb again after the show. Have my all time favorite Herb Alpert photo from this show.

1996 - Los Angeles. Herb played free show (shortened Second Wind Tour playlist) at "Taste Of L.A."

1997 - Montreal, Montreal Jazz Festival. Passion Dance Tour. More photos and had my camera temporarily confiscated, because I hadn't bought a photo license from the Jazz Festival. Who knew???

 

[alpertfan]

Wow! I've read about the enormous demand the TJB had to do concerts, and I used to imagine that their concerts were virtual mobs (like many of the British Invasion bands of the '60s), and that unfortunately kind of waned with Mr. Alpert's solo period. Thanks everybody for sharing. How much better does it get then actually meeting the artist backstage and being able to take a picture?

 

[Captaindave]

August, 1968 - Blossom Music Center, about 30 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. Attendance of about 25,000 over two nights at this venue; about 12,500 - 13,000 or so per night, if my memory is correct. This was a well behaved crowd to the best of my memory. It was not at all like an unruly rock concert crowd or a mob; rather it seemed like the crowd was mature and mannerly and well-behaved, again to the best of my memory. Most people were well dressed and came to hear the performance. It did not seem to me that a TJB concert attracted the same kind of audience that some of the more rock oriented acts might have drawn.

This was a fantastic concert, opened by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, LTD. The TJB played two sets, separated by an intermission. The whole show, including the opening act, started at 8:30 pm, I believe, and ended at about 11:00pm. The TJB played most of their hits and popular songs, as well as some others they had recorded. Total playing time was probably about just short of two hours. This was the summer that This Guy's in Love...was high on the pop music charts and the Beat of the Brass album was the most recent recording.

The sound and performance were terrific. I had never seen a group like them before, and I was "blown away," so to speak. If I had to use one word to describe those evenings, the word would be "magical..." Maybe even "haunted..." This was the sixties, which to me, having lived through it all, was a time that had an "atmosphere" or "feeling" like no other has ever had since. Those were very special times, and I have deeply rooted memories and feelings, albeit very hard to put into objective terms, about those times. I was in high school and those were my formative years. I was beginning to have a keen awareness of the world around me, and what a time to be growing up! When someone mentions Herb Alpert and the TJB, this is what comes to my mind. They were a huge concert draw, and to be there was a truly special experience on those two nights from 1968...

October, 1969 - Cleveland Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio. This concert was played to a much smaller audience. The TJB were on their way out, so to speak, as the sixties were drawing to a close. It was just a little more than a year after the Blossom concert I mentioned above, and it was apparent that a lot was changing. The Brass Are Comin' album was the current recording and the TJB did a couple songs from that album. The sound was good, but from hindsight, the "magic" of the earlier concert was absent.

Sometime in Spring, 1974, I think. Front Row Theater, Cleveland, Ohio. The new TJB. Something was different. It was good, but it clearly wasn't the old group form the sixties, which I preferred.

Summer, 1974 - I think that was the year. Back to Blossom Music Center - the site of the 1968 concert from 1968. Much smaller crowd. A decent concert, but I think it lacked the "magic" again that the 1968 show had.

This new TJB had a different sound and playing style than the original group. Looser and somewhat jazzier. More individual freedom of expression. Trumpet solo by Bob Findley. More featuring of the individual members of the group. OK, but I preferred the tight, precision playing of the original group, and the higher level of showmanship they displayed, IMO.

There was something about those concerts from back in the sixties when the TJB was still riding high on the pop charts and getting lots of radio airplay and being seen on TV specials that made it some sort of different feeling, at least to me.

 

[Greg Shannon]

I saw Herb and the TJB in I believe 1966, but it's been a long time and I was only 10 or 11, so I'm not real clear on the dates. It was at the Centennial Colisseum in Reno, not the best venue. My recollection is that we (my mom, a friend, and I) sat in bleachers rather far away from the stage, turned 90 degrees to the stage. I remember little of the show except that I enjoyed it a lot. Brazil '66 and the BMB also performed, and Julius Wechter of course participated in the TJB set. That was when I first learned that he was a sort of unofficial member. (As a kid I had a fairly rigid idea of how the TJB was constituted, so it came as a revelation to me that Wechter played in the band.)

Many years later, at the time of Coney Island, a friend of mine and I drove to Harrah's Tahoe to see that incarnation of the TJB. That show, too, was great, but alas my only clear and lasting memory of the night is that it was a dinner show, I was a poor college student, my friend and I were both short on cash, and the dinner cost more than we expected, so we, uh, kind of stiffed the waiters. Glad I got that off my chest.

Greg Shannon

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Like Neil, my earliest recollection goes back to early childhood. I vaguely remember my first TJB concert, sitting on Dad's lap at the now-defunct Circle Star Theater. This must have been some time around early to mid '67. We saw them again in Michigan in late '68, which I remember more clearly.

We saw the reunited Brass in London (1974) and later that year at the Circle Star.

Later, I attended the Bullish and Second Wind concerts at the Concord Pavillion -- both included Lani Hall.

Most recently it was Herb's brief appearance at the Julius Wechter Tribute two years ago in Glendale, California.

Jon

 

[PJ]

Seeing Herb at Two London Concerts 1996 & 1997

Great Performances , Groups and Atmosphere

Peter

 

[jazzdre]

i saw herb in concert in 2000,here in ny,at town hall.it was a jazz charity concert,and also on the bill were patti austin,warren hill,dave valentin,and tito nieves.WHAT A CONCERT!!!dave if i remember,was the opening act,then the producer of the passion dance album,oscar cartaya,introduced herb.he came out wearing a beige suit,purple tie,and sneakers.the musicians were pretty much the same playerws on the passion album,except for the pianist,who was bob baldwin. they did a 20 minute improvised take on rise,then herb did my funny valentine,then he did a salsa medley of his tjb stuff. it was great! the others were incredible,particularly,patti and warren.that was one of the best concerts i've ever been to,cuz i finally got to see one of my alltime favorite performers in concert!

 

[david]

When Herb was with the TJB does anyone remember how much playing time Tonni Kalesh got (sp)? Was he strictly second trumpet or did he ever play few solos himself (in concert).
Or for that matter did Nick Ceroli ever do a drum solo? I had herad that Bob Edmondson played a few trombone solos. What would they do if a bandmember got sick? That would have had to have happened on at least one occasion. I would assume that many of the band members could fill in - play other instruments if necessary.
Just curious.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Tonni Kalash did the high notes for the most part, but I don't recall any real solo. Nick had a few drum fills here and there, but no real solo a la Buddy Rich. Bob did a nice slow version of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" before the band kicked in as done an record. He also was known for playing his "peace cymbals" on "Struttin' With Maria". Herb would joke that Bob bangs everybody over the head for peace.

There was an instance where Tonni wasn't available, but I don't recall the reason. On one of the Hollywood Palace shows there was a different trumpeter, but I don't know who he was.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[TonyCurrie]

Back in 1974 I was working on a commercial radio station in Glasgow, and I hassled A&M to get an interview with Herb when he visited Scotland. I and a BBC man were allowed interviews in the VIP lounge at Edinburgh Airport - the BBC man did a TV interview on film, clearly didn't know anything about Herb, and asked inane questions about Fleas. Then it was my turn and I opened by asking how much his life had changed since he'd been with Lani (who was beside him and had been totally ignored by the BBC man). He opened up at once and we did a good fifteen minutes, with Lani contributing.

At the end of the interview, Herb invited me to be his guest at the show that night and although I had to travel back to Glasgow to transmit the interview as part of my drivetime show and then whizz the forty miles back to Edinburgh for the show, I was in my front row seat in good time.

This was just after the release of "You Smile - The Song Begins" and although it was TJB Mark II it was still an exciting performance, including Lani singing, and of course Bob doing his trick with the cymbals on "Struttin'".

But I often wish I'd witnessed the original 1967 lineup on stage.

 

[Captaindave]

Here is what I think and remember about the sixties TJB in concert and they way they operated on stage...

Herb was obviously the "star" of the show - the leader of the group on stage.. The Tijuana Brass as we know them from concert and album covers, provided the well rehearsed, expert playing, precision ensemble that backed Herb. They were even dressed accordingly. Herb always wore a special and different outfit, with the other six sidemen dressed in matching outfits.

A TJB concert was a real concert. Not just a bunch of guys walking onstage and deciding to play some tunes. It was not a "jam session." It was even rehearsed as to stage entrances and exits. It appeared to me in the audience that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, had been rehearsed to perfection - even down to the spoken words and audience interactions that Herb did from the stage. There were no solos by any of the sidemen, except the Bob Edmondson intro for I'm Getting Sentimental Over You as mentioned above. It was Herb Alpert and the TJB, the group, the sounds and songs from radio and TV. It was not seven individuals each trying to be featured as soloists. TJB concerts weren't like that in the sixties. There was more of that in the seventies with the second group...

These concerts gave me the impression of being high precision shows. There did not appear to be any "ad-libbing" or uncertainty about what was happening next. The band played the hits, as well as many other tunes that we know as fans from the albums.

It was very special...the group played the songs with precision right down to the exact notes, but there was a simultaneous feeling of freedom and precision at the same time. Imagine that you had these seven guys over to your house and asked them to play for you. They would play as individuals, but within the confines of the group context. It was a phenominal "group" sound. They really knew how to play as a group, yet you could hear them swing as individuals also. They were extremely tight and precise, yet could really swing and "jazz" it here and there - what you were hearing was the recordings played live...

There was no featuring of any of the sidemen...Tonni Kalash did play some high register things, but not much. I think the idea was to let the audience hear Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and the songs that people had come to know from radio and TV. You went home from a concert amazed at how good this group really was, and how well they played together. You knew you had heard something very special...

 

[Captaindave]

Regarding the above post and wishing to have seen the 1967 lineup...

I saw both the original sixties group - three times - and the reformed, seventies group - two times.

IMO, I preferred the original group. I'm not really sure about all the reasons, and I have a feeling that some of it is so subjective that I couldn't really be more specific...

I think there was a little higher level of showmanship with the original group; i.e., the more "dressed up" appearance of the group, what appeared to me to be a little more "structure" to the show, and for me, Lani Hall was more of a distraction than an addition to the performance. I had heard her with Sergio Mendes and Brasill 66. It would have been great to hear a concert where Sergio and Herb were on the same bill. There was nothing wrong with her; she just wasn't what I wanted to hear and see. I wanted to hear the TJB. I didn't get to hear and see these guys live and in person very often and I wanted to make the most of it - not other stuff that wasn't the TJB...

I think what I am stumbling around here trying to say is that there was something about the original TJB and the part it played in the musical landscape of the sixties, and that it was the original group and those songs that were associated with that time period that had such a great influence on me growing up...by the time the second group came along, I had "grown up" a few more years and had moved on in life and some of the "magic" for me that existed back in the sixties was gone...

There was something very special - almost magical - about a TJB concert under the stars of a beautiful, summer, sixties night, listening to a live performance of music that helped to shape the "soundtrack" of that generation...yes, very special...

 

[Timeframe]

I saw Herb and the TJB in 1966 at the Assembly Center in Downtown Tulsa. I was only 10 and I think it was in May. My recollection is that my uncle, his wife and I sat right of the stage. Highlights were the totally red-lit "Love Potion #9", and Bob Edmondson's cymbal antics with "Struttin with Maria".

Steve

 

[david]

I saw the "Bullish" tour at the Conford Pavillion in July of 84.
It was amazing. The sound was loud, clear, powerful. Herb sounded better live than anything I had heard on a recording. I belive his wife sang a solo and their daughter danced to one fo the numbers (might have been Bullish).
Anyway, I walked out of there totally impressed thinkg that for even someone who did not appreciate Herb Alpert, listneting to him in concert would leave them asking "What the hell is this?" Whoa!"

 

[martin]

I never saw Herb with the TJB. As very often in the 60's and 70's "little" Norway was skipped while Sweden and Denmark were visited on the last tour of the original TJB in the fall of 69. I was only ten at the time, so travelling to Stockholm or Copenhagen was out of the question. Herb was interviewed for a Norwegian TV show, though, during that tour.
In the mid seventies the reformed TJB never made it to Scandinavia at all, but did a couple of concerts in England and played a charity concert in Monaco.
So it was not until 1996 when I read in Billboard that Herb would do a tour in the US for the first time in eight years that I packed my suitcase and travelled all the way to LA to hear him at the House of Blues on 2nd May 1996. I was able to get a place right in front of the stage. Burt Bacharach and Jerry Moss were seated a few rows behind me. The concert was sold out weeks in advance and the mood was fantastic. As everyone knows Herb played a combo-type concert with Jeff Lorber. He included some TJB tunes in a very casual way. Later in the summer I went to London to hear the same line up at one of the two Jazz Café concerts he did there. These were also sell-outs and wonderful concerts.
In the summer of 97 Herb came back to Europe on the "Passion Dance" tour and I heard him in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The latin band was closer to a "modern TJB" than the Jeff Lorber project, and the concert that was attended by a crowd of about ten thousand was another highlight.

- greetings from the cold north -

Martin