Herb receives honorary degree at UCLA

Chuck Catalano

New Member
Hi Rudy and fellow TJB and A&M Records connoisseurs,
Long time no virtually see. :)
A couple of weeks ago, after attending our daughter's graduation from UCLA, I discovered that on the same day Herb and Lani Alpert were attending another graduation on campus, one for the first graduating class of the University's Herb Alpert School of Music during which Herb was awarded the school's highest hnor, the UCLA Medal. Video of the event is on YouTube in case you haven't seen it ().

Of all the awards and honors Herb's received it seemed to me that this one was very extra-special for him.

Congratulations to Herb and to all the graduates of The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA!
 
I watched this on Facebook Live, then watched Herb's speech a 2nd time. I already knew that Herb had served in the Army. What I didn't know before watching Herb's speech at UCLA was that he was stationed at Fort Knox, KY, the state where I grew up. I also found it very interesting that he said he was one of about a dozen trumpet players in the Army band at Fort Knox, and that about half of them were as good or better than he was at that time. He said he realized then that he would have to find his own artistic "voice" if he wanted to have a career in music. Obviously, he found it.
 
I also found it very interesting that he said he was one of about a dozen trumpet players in the Army band at Fort Knox, and that about half of them were as good or better than he was at that time.

According to this interview...

An Interview with Herb Alpert & Lani Hall | HuffPost

...Alpert met twelve trumpet players from around the country that ALL played higher, faster and louder than he, and could read better.
 
According to this interview...

An Interview with Herb Alpert & Lani Hall | HuffPost

...Alpert met twelve trumpet players from around the country that ALL played higher, faster and louder than he, and could read better.
He also discusses this in an interview that can be found on youtube:



This interview lasts approximately 37 minutes. If you haven't seen this interview it is well worth watching. To be honest, I'm not a fan of the interviewer; despite his credentials, I don't think his questions were articulated well. That's just me. Of course, Herb has the ability to improvise and provide interesting answers to less than stellar questions. Again, that's just me. Anyway, Herb talks about his Army band experience at about the 18:50 mark of this interview. His comments on this topic are rather brief and general, yet it is obvious that this was a growth experience and a milestone moment in his development as an artist.
 
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Hey, all the best people spend time in Kentucky. I'm just sayin'. :wink: And if you haven't been here you really should visit. :uhhuh:
I agree! Even though I now live in Indiana, I'm close enough that from my upstairs window I can see a few treetops in KY just across the Ohio River. Most of my family members live in Western Kentucky. Kentucky is beautiful! I enjoy my newfound knowledge that our guy Herb spent some time here during his early adult years.
 
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