Herodotus and Juan Ponce de León, among others have been spinning stories about the fountain of youth for centuries. Some have already found it. Tony Bennett performed with Lady Gaga to celebrate his 95th birthday in 2021; at 91 years old Willie Nelson is still touring, and his new album, Last Leaf on the Tree will be released November 1 (his 76th solo album); and Herb Alpert is still on the road at 89 years young, performing with his vocalist/arranger wife Lani Hall and churning out his latest 50 Herb Alpert, that commemorates the number of studio albums made and years married to Hall. On October 12, Alpert, Hall and go-to backup group will perform at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, of which the venue is celebrating its 101th year.
Alpert’s California roots began in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and continued with studies at the University of Southern California. His skills as trumpeter and song writer were quickly noticed and a visit to Tijuana, Mexico changed his musical destiny. Alpert formed his namesake Tijuana Brass in 1962 of which the group received Grammy Awards starting with the album A Taste of Honey. Hits like What Now My Love and Lonely Bull added more luster to an amazing career that includes collaboration with Hall, a former leader vocalist for Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66.
Allpert is a multi-dimensional artist, as sculptor, founder of A&M Records with Jerry Moss and philanthropist in establishing the Herb Alpert Foundation, which helps support students of musical institutions such as California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles City College, Harlem School of the Arts and the University of California, Los Angeles, with its appropriately named Herb Alpert School of Music. The eight time Grammy Award winner Alpert has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a National Medal of Arts.
The recently released 50 album is filled with feel good music. The melodies aren’t particularly hard-hitting or the orchestration swirling with elliptical intensity between trumpet and ensemble. It does give us another reminder of how Alpert can still infuse a quintessential flair into everything he plays that reflect the different genres of his work. Once again, he provides trademark upbeat syncopated rhythms in bebop hued Sh-Boom and Baubles, Bangles and Beads. There are some new, catchy Albert collaborations like Never Too Late, Where Do We Go From Here, with its jam session style and the dreamy-toned tinge of Morning Mist.
Alpert’s embouchure technique still has an edge to produce subtle nuances in Are You Lonesome Tonight? as well as snappy repetitions in Corcovado and Jeannine – especially enjoyable while nibbling spicy guacamole and chips. The opening track, Dancing Down 50th Street with energize bass and drums earthiness is perhaps a musical selfie of Alpert’s nonstop and stellar journey as performer and producer. Happy Golden Anniversary Herb Alpert!