OK, here’s a topic that I recently saw being discussed over at allaboutjazz.com that should be a non-intimidating topic for anyone, even folks that hate jazz: What is the most beautiful album/CD cover you’ve ever seen?
Among the nominees there was the cover of the 1965 album “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (TJB). Now I won’t touch that comment with a ten foot pole for fear of starting a pie fight, but it made me realize that I don’t think I’ve ever profiled Herb Alpert. I even checked with the BT site search engine and it appears to be true…
Now that may or may not be related to the fact that growing up my mother was a Herb Alpert fanatic, (along with Frank Sinatra), and she literally had the record player going all day every day. Since she had all of the albums put out by his late-sixties group the Tijuana Brass, I not only know all the songs, I know the order they occur on the albums, how the improvisations go, etc. Seriously scary, the stuff accumulates in your mind from your childhood, like themes to old cartoons, commercial jingles, etc…
So, as I typically do when putting these together for your weekend entertainment, I go to Google and then to the artist’s website. (Kinda overpowering color scheme, by the way; reminds me of NASA depictions of the surface of Venus, or something in the movie V for Vendetta). Making your way through the Dantesque pages, you suddenly end up here, where the lights have been turned back on, and it seems as if dear old mom could have written the text:
…Creator and innovator, musician and producer, artist and entrepreneur, Herb Alpert is one of this generation’s true Renaissance Men, a man with a profound passion empowering his every endeavor.
An extraordinary musician, Alpert’s trumpet playing earned him five #1 hits, eight Grammy Awards, fifteen Gold albums and fourteen Platinum albums. Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass propelled Latino music into the pop music limelight, at one point outselling the Beatles two to one. Through commitment to artists with personal vision, Alpert (along with partner Jerry Moss) guided A&M Records from a humble Hollywood garage operation into the largest independently owned record company in the world. Great performers such as Carole King, Cat Stevens, Styx, Supertramp, The Carpenters, Sting and Janet Jackson are evidence of the consistent quality and diversity of the A&M Records family. One bold, brilliant sound with many different simultaneous chords.
Refusing to limit himself, Herb Alpert has utilized his genius to explore other artistic ventures. During the last two decades, Alpert has emerged as a talented abstract expressionist painter with international exhibitions. His canvasses are characterized by flowing shapes, bold brushstrokes and exploding colors. Alpert has also chosen to involve himself in the world of Broadway theatre. His producing credits include the Tony Award/Pulitzer Prize winning production of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.” He also co-produced “Jelly’s Last Jam,” Arthur Miller’s “Broken Glass,” and August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars.”
Alpert’s most serious contribution may yet be his greatest. The Herb Alpert Foundation assists educational, arts, and environmental programs dedicated to the training of young people, helping them discover their own potential and vibrant energy.
In all of these ventures, there is a harmony not unlike Alpert’s music, a flowing of energy and sound, a dedication to quality which sustains everything Alpert does and separates him into a class by himself, a class of leaders to be emulated and remembered.
OK then, um, so what can I add to that? Little did I know I was being exposed as a mere lad to the artistic apotheosis of Western civilization… Think I’m exaggerating? Then follow the link to the next page in the biography, where we find out such useful items for your next Trivial Pursuit tournament as:
- In 1958, Alpert and Lou Adler produce the single, “Love, Love, Love,” for Lou Rawls and then team with Sam Cooke to write the pop standard, “Wonderful World.” [“Don’t know much about history…”] Cooke’s version of the song reaches the Top 20, as do subsequent cover versions by Herman’s Hermits and Art Garfunkel.
- In 1962, Alpert and Jerry Moss form Carnival Records, later renamed to A&M Records. The label’s first release, The Tijuana Brass single, “The Lonely Bull,” reaches the Top 10 in December. That same month, the Brass’ first album, also titled, “The Lonely Bull,” enters the pop album chart and remains there for more than three years.
- In 1964, the “South of the Border” album is released and the single, “The Mexican Shuffle” enters the pop singles chart. Alpert re-records the song for the Clark Chewing Gum Co. to use for their national ad campaign. The witty result, “The Clark Teaberry Shuffle,” has America snapping its fingers for months.
What did I say above about old commercial jingles? Now I’ve got this melody stuck in my head! AAAaaarrgh! “Witty” isn’t what I’m thinking right now… snap… snap… snap…
[If you want to hear this tune too, go here and you’ll find it at the bottom of the left-hand column!]
- In December 1965, Herb and A&M receive their first two gold albums for, “Whipped Cream And Other Delights” and “Going Places.” By the end of the year, “Whipped Cream And Other Delights” is the No. 1 album in the country [with what, for 1965, is a tres risque cover] and “Going Places” [with Alpert flying in a biplane on the jacket, IIRC] is No. 4 on its way to No. 1. Both albums remain on the chart for more than three years, as does the 1964 Tijuana Brass release, “South Of The Border.”
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass hold down the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop album chart for a total of 18 weeks during 1966, more than any other act that year. For 4 of the 18 weeks, the Brass has both the No. 1 and No. 2 albums. Runners-up: The Beatles, who occupy the top spot for 17 weeks.
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass are cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for having five albums in the Top 20 simultaneously, a feat unequaled in recording history.
- Alpert’s only #1 single with the Brass was “This Guy’s in Love With You”, featuring a rare vocal. Alpert’s vocal skills were limited, but this song also had a limited range, and it worked for him. The song debuted in April 1968, and topped the charts for four weeks.
[OK, I know you jazz purists out there that consider Herb Alpert “mere pop” are probably frothing at the mouth and biting your keyboards at this point. Please don’t swallow the plastic – full of carcinogenic phthalates, cadmium, and the like.]
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the TJB – let’s just say there was a period in the late sixties and early seventies where you could hardly avoid his music. Don’t buy records or listen to the AM radio? You’d run into him when you watched “The Newlywed Game” or “The Dating Game” on TV, which featured Alpert’s music as the theme to these shows. Go to the movies to see “Casino Royale,” a spoof of James Bond, and yep, that’s him in the soundtrack. Go Christmas shopping in 1968, and a tune from his Christmas album, which hit #1 on the list of seasonal albums, would likely assail you.
Ah, K.P., but I’ve got you now – I’m not a Baby Boomer!! Well, did you watch the 1980 Olympics? His track “1980” from the “Rise” album was featured in the telecasts, and went on to win a Grammy for best pop instrumental… He played at Superbowl XXII in 1988, and his music was again featured in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics coverage…
To make a long story somewhat shorter, by the late `80’s he’s getting into abstract painting and sculpting, and in the early `90’s sells off A&M records to get into some of the things noted in the blockquote above. He continued to release new material on albums until 1999, and afterward still continued to appear as a guest on other jazz artist’s albums.
OK, so he’s really rich and famous and everything he touches seems to get an award and make obscene amounts of money.
But is there something worth my time to dig out, if I’m not a Baby Boomer wanting a trip down memory lane?
Yes.
He recorded two albums in 1978 (one studio, one live) with Hugh Masekela, an exiled South African flugelhorn and cornet player who had recorded with everybody from jazz artist Abdullah Ibrahim to Harry Belafonte, The Byrds, and Paul Simon. Masekela had a hit in the 1960’s with the pop instrumental “Grazing in the Grass,” but his collaboration with Alpert was not a pop album – it was heavily influenced by African folk music, and helped open people’s ears for what would later become the genre of “world music.” By today’s standards it would be considered pretty mainstream, but it’s still an enjoyable album to track down, in vinyl or CD, on eBay. Unfortunately, it looked at Amazon like it’s out of print. 🙁
You can find more on these two albums at this site; here’s a taste:
Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela is joyous and celebratory. Hugh Masekela is a well-known trumpet player from Africa, who coincidentally topped the chart immediately following Herb Alpert’s “This Guys’ In Love With You” with “Grazing In The Grass”. Combining African ideas with jazz fusion and light funk, this was one of the most upbeat albums Alpert had recorded up until that time. Masekela’s flugelhorn melded with Alpert’s trumpet so well at times that it was often hard to tell them apart! Careful ears can easily distinguish the two by their playing styles. And to my ears, Alpert’s experience with Masekela changed the way he approached the trumpet. I hear a definite change in his soloing with this album and all those that follow it.
The African influence is strong. Such tracks like “Happy Hanna” and “African Summer” have strong rhythms and beats in the African tradition. The old standard “Skokiaan” gets a disco treatment with Alpert and Masekela trading off licks. “Lobo” is a track composed by Brazilian music legend Edu Lobo, with an arrangement that touches on both South American and African influences. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, happy and lively set by Herb and Hugh.
…And remembering the tunes on Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela had the added benefit of getting that damned Teaberry Chewing Gum tune out of my head!
Your Turn
OK, we can talk about Herb Alpert, or we can go back to that opening question: What’s the most beautiful album/CD cover you’ve ever seen? (And give a link or photo if you can.)
Or we can invite our good friends in the “women’s study set” over to deconstruct the imagery in the album cover linked at the top.
Or we can talk about those old TV commercials. Your call.