Herb Alpert looks back on remarkable musical life
Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Pop Music Critic
Thursday, May 5, 2011
He's the trumpet player who has sold more than 50 million albums, co-founded one of the biggest labels in pop history and signed the Police and Janet Jackson. But he's not done yet. Herb Alpert is back on the road with his wife, Lani Hall, in support of their new CD, "I Feel You." In anticipation of their Tuesday show at the Palace of Fine Arts, the 76-year-old Alpert looks back on some of the high points of his long and exciting career.
"The Ten Commandments" (1956)
One of Alpert's first public appearances was as an extra in the "The Ten Commandments," playing drums for Moses.
"I started playing when I was 8 and made a pretty good living in high school playing on weekends. I never thought about it in terms of a career. That was not my goal in life. I backed into it."
"The Lonely Bull" (1962), Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Alpert and a group of Los Angeles session musicians - none of whom were actually from Tijuana - opened the door for Latin music on the U.S. charts with this instrumental album and its hit title track. It was recorded after he heard a mariachi band at a bullfight in Tijuana.
"I wasn't making Latin music. I never listened to mariachi music. I wasn't trying to incorporate the music of Mexico into what I did. I wanted to try to capture the experience I had in Tijuana. I was trying to respond to my intuitive feelings. I was making music that felt right to me. I think a lot of it was also timing. I had the right song and right time."
A&M Records
Formed by Alpert and business partner Jerry Moss in 1962, A&M was one of the most influential labels during the music industry's heyday, releasing albums by major sellers like the Carpenters, Carole King, Peter Frampton, Janet Jackson and the Police. The imprint was sold to PolyGram in 1989.
"When I started producing records, I liked the feeling of hearing songs I was involved with on the radio. For a while, I enjoyed it. All the sudden we had 500 people on the staff and that was a little beyond me. We had some wonderful artists and a great reputation."
"Whipped Cream and Other Delights" (1965), Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Featuring one of the most imitated album covers in pop, this easy-listening classic sold more than 6 million copies in the United States alone and earned three Grammy Awards for its version of "A Taste of Honey."
"Some people make music just to make a hit record or attract attention. I always tried to make honest music. That's why jazz is such a beautiful art form. It's of the moment and people appreciate that expression. All music that's made honestly has longevity."
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
"Casino Royale Theme" (1967)
Alpert and Sergio Mendes produced the title track for the original "Casino Royale," written by Burt Bacharach.
"We did the music before we saw the film. We were hired guns."
NOTE: Writer obviously confused Alpert & Mendes collaboration for Never Say Never Again.
"This Guy's in Love With You" (1968), Herb Alpert
Alpert never intended to release this rare vocal track, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as a single. But after airing during a CBS television special, it topped the charts of four weeks.
"I tried to sing again on the follow-up record. I recorded a tune I thought was going to be really good, but when I listened to the playback the engineer said I sound terrible. So I dropped it. That song was 'Close to You,' which I gave to the Carpenters."
The Carpenters
Alpert brought the soft-rock duo to A&M in 1969, making them the top-selling American artists of the 1970s.
"It wasn't my cup of tea, but I recognized their intent and their passion for what they were doing. Karen had an amazing voice. She had a little magic going. At my office in A&M I could record her on a simple microphone. And Richard was a student of the record industry. It was honest music."
The Police
The cantankerous trio, led by Sting, was signed to A&M in 1978 after Alpert heard the song "Roxanne" and caught the band at a Los Angeles club.
"Three real talented guys. They all did their part. They knocked me out. It sounded like there were seven or eight people onstage. Sting was bouncing around the stage."
"Rise" (1979), Herb Alpert
Earning Alpert yet another Grammy, his No. 1-ranking solo instrumental hit "Rise" - most notable for its slap-bass and handclaps - was sampled by the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. on the 1997 hit "Hypnotize."
"I'm disappointed when people take other people's work and build on it. It's a lack of imagination on their part. But we liked the record."
Janet Jackson
One of A&M's marquee artists of the '80s, Jackson also sang on Alpert's 1987 hit "Diamonds."
"It's similar to the Carpenters. Her first album tanked. 'Control' was a year or so after she had some other product out. (A&M executive) John McClain put her in touch with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. A lot of those things were left to our great staff."
Almo Sounds
The label Alpert and Moss started in 1994 after leaving A&M. Its biggest success came with the band Garbage.
"That wasn't my idea. It was Jerry Moss. He had a feeling for it and wanted to stay involved in the music business. We did release some good records, but I was not involved in the day-to-day operations."
Herb Alpert Foundation
Helmed by Alpert and Hall, this foundation supports causes that promote music, arts and compassion.
"We've been going since 1982. I like to support organizations that do good things for kids with music and art, without prejudice. There's an organization in New York, Modest Needs, that helps people who are about to fall through the cracks financially. There's an organization in Berkeley that's studying whether compassion can be taught. We just brought the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I think jazz is the perfect American art form. It's what people all over the world are looking for. Some freedom and self-expression."
"I Feel You" (2011), Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
The new studio album by Alpert and Hall, featuring jazz renditions of pop classics alongside a handful of original compositions.
"I enjoy playing. She enjoys singing. We have a tight little group. We have fun in concert. The people really seem to enjoy what we're doing. I like to take songs that we are recording and scramble them up and play them in a different way. Every night is different. We're all free to play whatever we choose to do and whatever we choose to play. I'm having a lot of fun playing. But not packing and unpacking." {sbox}
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall: 8 p.m. Tues. Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. $57.50. www.apeconcerts.com.
To hear Herb Alpert's music, go to www.herbalpert.com.
E-mail Aidin Vaziri at [email protected].
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/05/PKEA1J6QQD.DTL
This article appeared on page P - 36 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Pop Music Critic
Thursday, May 5, 2011
He's the trumpet player who has sold more than 50 million albums, co-founded one of the biggest labels in pop history and signed the Police and Janet Jackson. But he's not done yet. Herb Alpert is back on the road with his wife, Lani Hall, in support of their new CD, "I Feel You." In anticipation of their Tuesday show at the Palace of Fine Arts, the 76-year-old Alpert looks back on some of the high points of his long and exciting career.
"The Ten Commandments" (1956)
One of Alpert's first public appearances was as an extra in the "The Ten Commandments," playing drums for Moses.
"I started playing when I was 8 and made a pretty good living in high school playing on weekends. I never thought about it in terms of a career. That was not my goal in life. I backed into it."
"The Lonely Bull" (1962), Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Alpert and a group of Los Angeles session musicians - none of whom were actually from Tijuana - opened the door for Latin music on the U.S. charts with this instrumental album and its hit title track. It was recorded after he heard a mariachi band at a bullfight in Tijuana.
"I wasn't making Latin music. I never listened to mariachi music. I wasn't trying to incorporate the music of Mexico into what I did. I wanted to try to capture the experience I had in Tijuana. I was trying to respond to my intuitive feelings. I was making music that felt right to me. I think a lot of it was also timing. I had the right song and right time."
A&M Records
Formed by Alpert and business partner Jerry Moss in 1962, A&M was one of the most influential labels during the music industry's heyday, releasing albums by major sellers like the Carpenters, Carole King, Peter Frampton, Janet Jackson and the Police. The imprint was sold to PolyGram in 1989.
"When I started producing records, I liked the feeling of hearing songs I was involved with on the radio. For a while, I enjoyed it. All the sudden we had 500 people on the staff and that was a little beyond me. We had some wonderful artists and a great reputation."
"Whipped Cream and Other Delights" (1965), Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Featuring one of the most imitated album covers in pop, this easy-listening classic sold more than 6 million copies in the United States alone and earned three Grammy Awards for its version of "A Taste of Honey."
"Some people make music just to make a hit record or attract attention. I always tried to make honest music. That's why jazz is such a beautiful art form. It's of the moment and people appreciate that expression. All music that's made honestly has longevity."
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
"Casino Royale Theme" (1967)
Alpert and Sergio Mendes produced the title track for the original "Casino Royale," written by Burt Bacharach.
"We did the music before we saw the film. We were hired guns."
NOTE: Writer obviously confused Alpert & Mendes collaboration for Never Say Never Again.
"This Guy's in Love With You" (1968), Herb Alpert
Alpert never intended to release this rare vocal track, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as a single. But after airing during a CBS television special, it topped the charts of four weeks.
"I tried to sing again on the follow-up record. I recorded a tune I thought was going to be really good, but when I listened to the playback the engineer said I sound terrible. So I dropped it. That song was 'Close to You,' which I gave to the Carpenters."
The Carpenters
Alpert brought the soft-rock duo to A&M in 1969, making them the top-selling American artists of the 1970s.
"It wasn't my cup of tea, but I recognized their intent and their passion for what they were doing. Karen had an amazing voice. She had a little magic going. At my office in A&M I could record her on a simple microphone. And Richard was a student of the record industry. It was honest music."
The Police
The cantankerous trio, led by Sting, was signed to A&M in 1978 after Alpert heard the song "Roxanne" and caught the band at a Los Angeles club.
"Three real talented guys. They all did their part. They knocked me out. It sounded like there were seven or eight people onstage. Sting was bouncing around the stage."
"Rise" (1979), Herb Alpert
Earning Alpert yet another Grammy, his No. 1-ranking solo instrumental hit "Rise" - most notable for its slap-bass and handclaps - was sampled by the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. on the 1997 hit "Hypnotize."
"I'm disappointed when people take other people's work and build on it. It's a lack of imagination on their part. But we liked the record."
Janet Jackson
One of A&M's marquee artists of the '80s, Jackson also sang on Alpert's 1987 hit "Diamonds."
"It's similar to the Carpenters. Her first album tanked. 'Control' was a year or so after she had some other product out. (A&M executive) John McClain put her in touch with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. A lot of those things were left to our great staff."
Almo Sounds
The label Alpert and Moss started in 1994 after leaving A&M. Its biggest success came with the band Garbage.
"That wasn't my idea. It was Jerry Moss. He had a feeling for it and wanted to stay involved in the music business. We did release some good records, but I was not involved in the day-to-day operations."
Herb Alpert Foundation
Helmed by Alpert and Hall, this foundation supports causes that promote music, arts and compassion.
"We've been going since 1982. I like to support organizations that do good things for kids with music and art, without prejudice. There's an organization in New York, Modest Needs, that helps people who are about to fall through the cracks financially. There's an organization in Berkeley that's studying whether compassion can be taught. We just brought the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I think jazz is the perfect American art form. It's what people all over the world are looking for. Some freedom and self-expression."
"I Feel You" (2011), Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
The new studio album by Alpert and Hall, featuring jazz renditions of pop classics alongside a handful of original compositions.
"I enjoy playing. She enjoys singing. We have a tight little group. We have fun in concert. The people really seem to enjoy what we're doing. I like to take songs that we are recording and scramble them up and play them in a different way. Every night is different. We're all free to play whatever we choose to do and whatever we choose to play. I'm having a lot of fun playing. But not packing and unpacking." {sbox}
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall: 8 p.m. Tues. Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. $57.50. www.apeconcerts.com.
To hear Herb Alpert's music, go to www.herbalpert.com.
E-mail Aidin Vaziri at [email protected].
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/05/PKEA1J6QQD.DTL
This article appeared on page P - 36 of the San Francisco Chronicle
