By Miriam Singer
Legendary trumpet player Herb Alpert and his wife, award-winning vocalist Lani Hall, will perform at The Egyptian Theatre, Tuesday, October 17th at 7:30pm.
Creator and innovator, musician and producer, artist and philanthropist, Herb Alpert is a man with a profound passion. At age 8, Herb Alpert was drawn to the trumpet in a music appreciation class in his elementary school. He was very shy and the trumpet became his voice.
“I was very fortunate that I had that exposure to music and was encouraged to stick with it,” Alpert says.
At 88, Herb Alpert is energized every morning thinking about what he’s going to sculpt, paint or play on his trumpet, or where he, Lani and their band will be performing on their tour. Lucky for us, they are coming to Boise.
Finding the Feeling
Alpert co-founded A & M Records with his friend Jerry Moss. The record company had humble beginnings, starting in Alpert’s garage. Now it’s considered to be the most successful independent label in history, selling for half a billin dollars in 1989 to Polygram Records.
Before starting A & M, Alpert began his musical career writing songs with his friend Lou Adler. They penned Sam Cooke’s big hit, “Wonderful World.” Cooke taught Alpert to listen for the feeling in music.
Alpert remembered finding that feeling when he was at a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico. He felt the excitement in the crowd that was stirred by the fanfare of a mariachi brass band. When he got home, he wanted to capture that energy and sound. He experimented with layering his trumpet recordings in his garage studio until he got it just right. The resulting song, “The Lonely Bull,” ascended the charts like a rocket and The Tijuana Brass was born.
Success Breeds Success
Success wasn’t the only thing Alpert found through music. Alpert first met Lani Hall when Sérgio Mendes and Brasil ’66 showed up at A & M Records with Lani as their lead singer. Brasil ’66 later became the opening act for The Tijuana Brass.
Lani Hall’s emotional vocals propelled Brasil ’66 to international stardom. Working hard on their musical paths, Hall and Alpert found themselves in each other’s hearts.
Alpert is the only recording artist in history to have a #1 hit as a singer and as an instrumentalist. He bumped Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” out of the #1 spot with his rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “This Guy’s in Love with You” in 1968.
Alpert and Hall created the Herb Alpert Foundation in the late 1980s, and have contributed tens of millions of dollars to the arts and education. Alpert believes it’s important for kids to experience creative expression at an early age.
See Them Live!
Multi-Grammy winners Herb Alpert and Lani Hall along with their pianist Bill Cantos, bassist Hussain Jiffry and drummer Tiki Pasillas will perform at The Egyptian Theatre in Boise, Tuesday, October 17th at 7:30pm. Tickets are available at egyptiantheatre.net or call the Box Office at 208-387-1273.
Herb and Lani perform a mix of some classic Tijuana Brass, Brazilian jazz, The Beatles, American standards and Brasil ’66 songs as well as many surprises with their spectacular band. The show features a giant video screen that displays hundreds of classic photos, videos and various memorabilia from Herb and Lani’s music careers as well as a backdrop of Herb’s paintings and sculptures enhancing their not to be missed momentous and inspiring show. Love radiates from the stage. It’s something to be experienced.
“I like to make uplifting music. I get energy from a concert. I have this opportunity to make people feel good,” said Alpert. ISI
