Deixa-me rir...

"Caros audiophiles, this week another early childhood hero of mine. Herb Alpert & his Tijuana Brass Band.

Even at the age of 7 or 8, I was captivated by him, perhaps wanted to be him. As portrayed in his iconic album cover photos: the tanned handsome man with the beautiful woman on his arm, wearing a short brown bolero jacket on South Of The Border, or the black tie dinner suit on What Now My Love. like a stylishly cool James Bond of music; or flying a vintage aeroplane on Going Places, travelling to exciting destinations; and entranced by the sexy girl covered in cream on Whipped Cream & Other Delights. He was charismatic and exotic.

And his music was joyful and uplifting, exciting and fun. His trumpet, combining with guitars and percussive mariachi rhythms, he managed to create with his band a distinctive sound, in the same way that for example Glenn Miller had his own sound, Very few artists have been able to achieve this.

I used to spend hours playing along to his tunes with my toy trumpet standing on the table in our playroom. God knows what sound I really made but it seemed like I could play every note!

It seems incredible in the rock and pop era of The Beatles and The Stones and Bob Dylan that there could be appeal for such an apparently conservative "un-groovy" instrumental music but Herb Alpert's Tijuana sound was still modern and permeated everywhere in the middle 60s, perhaps as an antidote to rock and pop. But then again, the best-selling album of that era was The Sound Of Music! There was room for all music.

I suppose some might consider him as music for elevators or hermetically sealed shopping malls where any music has the soul sucked out of it. But no, Herb Alpert is energetic and celebratory, rather like The Gipsy Kings of the 90s.

With his worldwide mega success Herb Alpert was also a hugely successful business entrepreneur, becoming the A of A&M Records and recognising and encouraging the talents of The Carpenters and The Police among many others.

I could find very few good videos of Herb Alpert and his Band playing 'live', but I offer a selection of my favourite tunes, including his one and only solo hit as a singer which ironically is possibly his best-known work, together with Spanish Flea.

As a child, listening especially to his tune El Presidente, I always imagined him peforming at a bullring, his music introducing the matadors and toreadors as they march into the arena. So imagine my surprise when I found such a video!

el presidente:

herb alpert - mexican shuffle:

i've grown accustomed to her face:

south of the border:

this guy's in love with you:

A proxima! Ole
PO