TJB SUMMERTIME album

[Captaindave]

I do not own the SUMMERTIME album and am unfamiliar with it, except for the song JERUSALEM.

For some unknown reason, I don't have this album in my collection; perhaps that is because for quite a long time, I didn't know it existed.

Can anyone tell me what I have missed by not being familiar with this album?

Wasn't it recorded after the BRASS ARE COMIN' album? So, about when would that have been? (I remember that BRASS ARE COMIN' came out later in 1969, I think).

Any comments on this one? (I was going to put this over in the thread on the least played album topic.....I guess because that thread caused me to think about this - but perhaps it is better as a new topic......)

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I do not own the SUMMERTIME album and am unfamiliar with it, except for the song JERUSALEM.

Can anyone tell me what I have missed by not being familiar with this album?

I think you should get it just to hear "The Nicest Things Happen", where Herb plays one of his better jazz solos on record. The song "Summertime" is also pretty neat. Herb's trumpet sound still sounded bad, though.

Wasn't it recorded after the BRASS ARE COMIN' album? So, about when would that have been? (I remember that BRASS ARE COMIN' came out later in 1969, I think).

This came a couple of years after The Brass Are Comin', in 1971. The TJB had already been disbanded, so there is a question as just who did play on the album, although we're pretty sure Julius Wechter and Bob Edmondson were there. Just because the TJB name is there doesn't necessarily mean the group (as we know it) played on the album.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[DAN BOLTON]

This album is notable for one thing in particular: it marks the debut of Lani Hall and Herb Alpert singing together. Their version of "SUMMERTIME" is really something else...it isn't the familiar arrangement or even the tune...I'd never heard this version before hearing the single...but it's really great, and it marks the beginning of a great partnership!


And the Captain is right on about "THE NICEST THINGS HAPPEN"...not only is it one of Herb's best solos, it's also one of Julius' best works...should be played at a lot of weddings...

Sol Lake has an unusual song on the album, also..."MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE" is a gem. It's kind of haunting...gives me goosebumps.

Other standouts are "MARTHA MY DEAR","DARLIN'" and "IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND"[which I always hoped Herb might sing; he didn't, but it's still good].

The album has an overall quiet, almost accoustic feel to it. It is definitely an album you should try to find a copy of, because Herb really began to stretch his creative legs here. It's the last TJB album, and that's kind of a bummer, but it really doesn't detract from the music.

Dan, saying happy hunting and good listening...

 

[Rudy]

Summertime really has a soft rock/folk sound to it, very different from the TJB with a lot of acoustic guitar and electric piano. Other than "Darlin'" and "Strike Up The Band", there isn't much of a TJB sound on this one at all. It could almost classify as a "solo" album. The title track is quite different--influences courtesy of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and Ahmad Jamal. Definitely a favorite of mine!

 

[Steven J. Gross]

This is one any TJB fan has to have. Similar to Warm, but unique and A CLASSIC! The standard "Summertime", which usually has serious, overly-sentimental arrangements, is brilliantly turned into a funky-jazzy delight by our hero, Herb Alpert.