I often awaken in the middle of the night with a song pulsating through my head. It may derive from an earlier trip to the grocery store, some T.V. commercial, (like Pampers’ desecration of Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,”) or more recently, “The Lonely Bull,” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. This lively tune came out of the blue. I hadn’t thought of this illustrious man and his talented group for years.
As it turned out, this song would lead me on a path to an unexpected conclusion. My next nudge came when I was searching biographies on Tubi for musical greats. Up came Herb Alpert, with his trumpet of course and a complete update as to what he’s been doing all these years. I tuned in, quite happy for some jazzy vibes and his gorgeous smile. The bio is called “Herb Alpert Is.” It’s well worth the watch. The following was my takeaway.
Herb Alpert is more than a fantastic trumpet musician. Years back he worked in recording studios, promoting new talent like Sam Cooke and eventually joined record producer Jerry Moss to form A&M Records. Word got out about what a fresh new label it was. Over the years they signed names like The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Carole King, the Police, Peter Frampton and Janet Jackson to name only a few.
When Alpert decided to launch his own instrumental group, he knew they would need a recognizable sound. On a whim he attended a bullfight in Mexico where the crowd’s jubilant roar inspired the brass sound that would be their trademark hit after hit over the following years. Thus their first album, “The Lonely Bull,” was born.
Sergio Mendez and Brasil ‘66 were invited to front the group when they started touring. Their Latin/Portugese jazz vibe complimented the Tijuana Brass, plus they featured two beautiful young female vocalists, one of whom was lead singer Lani Hall, a teenager at the time. The Alperts love story is a beautiful one. Lani is now 77 and Herb 88 years old. They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year.
A week after watching his musical biography, I came across a box of old albums in a thrift store. The LP that jumped out at me was the sensational “Whipped Cream and Other Delights.” You may recall the sexy beauty seated low, covered in nothing but a white froth. (Alpert claims that it’s shaving cream.) With an album cover considered risque for the times (remember the band appealed to all ages), it became the surprise number one album of 1966, even outselling the Beatles.
My path was coming to its conclusion. While scrolling news bits on my phone I caught sight of a feature article via the Hamilton Spectator. Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall were starting a tour through Eastern Ontario and the U.S. After Toronto, their next stop was the FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton on Mother’s Day! One of my daughters lives a few blocks from there. I was pumped and gave her a call. Within minutes she bought our tickets. (My last live music concert was twelve years ago when Gordon Lightfoot came to Kitchener.)
Stage lights flashed, then glowed. The audience cheered as the backup musicians tuned up while Lani and Herb made their way to centre stage. The couple quickly made friends with the crowd, Herb played top tunes sprinkled throughout the evening, Lani sang a spellbinding melody from the Broadway show, “Rent”. A backdrop of Alpert’s modern artscapes and sculpture he created, gave a window into the man’s ongoing love of artistic culture.
Grateful for their own blessings, Herb and Lani have been giving back where it counts. In 2010 The Harlem School of the Arts in Manhattan was about to close its doors due to financial hardship. When the Alperts heard about this, he underwrote financial assistance through the Herb Alpert Foundation to save it. To date Herb and Lani have donated over 19 million dollars to the school.
And just think. It all started with a lonely bull.