Review:
Well, the pictures above clearly prove it - Herb Alpert and Lani Hall really are back. Having seen them perform many times over the years, I can assure you - they still have it! And to my ears, “it” is better than ever! But, more on this later.
For the six dates they played over the last three weeks, tables at Vibrato were sold out and there was standing room only. Sound familiar? In fact, it was reported that last night (May 2) hundreds were turned away at the door.
These performances had been the subject of much talk and speculation for some time now. Everyone I talked to thought that it was a good idea, but when nothing materialized, we began to think that it was just the rumor mill working overtime. Well, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Herb and Lani back on stage is definitely a good thing!
Herb has always surrounded himself with top musicians – especially one of the best female vocalists that he teamed up with some years back. This time is no exception. The band: Bill Cantos on piano, Hussain Jiffry on bass and Michael Shapiro on drums and percussion. If these names seem familiar, they should be. Recently, they have all played for Sergio Mendes. But more than that, they have individually played for a literal who’s who of music.
Herb, Lani and this band had a synergy - defined as the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. From the quietest passages of one of Lani’s ballads to the driving sound of them all going at full throttle, they were really tight and the sound was fantastic. What’s more, they appeared to be having a great time.
Herb’s unmistakable trumpet sound was clear and strong. His sound has aged like a fine wine. Lani’s ability to sing those up-tempo songs with Portuguese lyrics always amazes me. But that’s what has been the attraction for me, since her days as lead singer with Brasil ’66. The question was, with a voice this beautiful, why has it taken so long to be able to hear it again?
The band got opportunities to solo and Herb and Lani clearly enjoyed what they were hearing – as were the rest of us. All three being superior players, they did not disappoint.
Herb was relaxed and quite funny. He quipped that he got to hear one of Lani’s songs in the shower. He also asked the audience if they knew how to make a million dollars playing jazz? The answer: start with two million dollars!
Herb played and sang I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face to Lani. On Tuesday night, he ended it by slyly inserting a few notes from This Guy’s In Love With You. On Wednesday night we had a bonus track – they came back for a second encore and played Lani’s Happy Woman.
The set lasted about 80 minutes. Anyone with even simple math skills can figure out that this is more than enough to fill up a CD. Will there be one? Will they perform more? Who knows? But, I did get a chance to tell Herb that they should record and tour. Maybe your positive comments here will help them decide.
Set List – May 1 & 2
Berimbau (DeMoraes, Gilbert, Powell)
Night & Day (Porter)
Pararaio (Djavan)
Wild Is The Wind (Tiomkin, Washington)
Paper Moon (Arlen, Harburg, Rose)
Let’s Face The Music
Morning Coffee (Bill Cantos)
Who Are You (Bill Cantos)
I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Lerner, Loew)
Dinorah (Lins) / Morning (Clare Fischer)
Laura
Encore:
You Go To My Head (Coots, Gillespie) / Like A Lover (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Dori Caymmi, Nelson Motta)
Jobim Medley: Corcovado, Triste, One Note Samba
Second Encore (May 2):
Happy Woman (Peter Cetera)
Herb Alpert – Trumpet and vocals
Lani Hall – Vocals
Bill Cantos – Piano
Hussain Jiffry – Bass
Michael Shapiro – Drums and percussion
(l-r: Jon Konjoyan, Steve Sidoruk, Herb, Stephen Vakil, Lani)
Performance photos copyright © Steve Sidoruk 2007 – all rights reserved – may not be reproduced without permission.
)
