Herb and Lani are guesting (albeit via a phone link) on my syndicated LIVELY LOUNGE show this week. We’re streaming the show at www.radiosix.com at these times:

Thursday 6th August: 0700 GMT = Midnight Eastern, 11pm Central, 10pm Mountain, 9pm Pacific (and in Arizona), 8pm in Alaska and 6pm in Hawaii.

Friday 7th August: 1900 GMT = 12 noon Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific (and Arizona), 8am Alaska, 6am Hawaii

Saturday 8th August: 1000 GMT = 6am Eastern, 5am Central, 4am Mountain, 3am Pacific/Arizona, 2am Alaska, Midnight Hawaii

Other stations will run the show on different days and times – check our website for details.

We’ll be talking about the album and the tour. And perhaps a little more.

Herb Alpert has sold more than 72 million albums worldwide as a musician and bandleader of the groundbreaking Tijuana Brass. He has won seven Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for “A Taste of Honey,” and had three of his recordings–the early TJB hit “Whipped Cream,” 1966’s “What Now My Love,” and his 1979 solo hit “Rise”–honored with inclusion in the Grammy Awards Archive Collection.

In 1962, Alpert and Jerry Moss founded A&M Records, which became one of the world’s leading independently owned record labels and home to such renowned artists as The Police, The Carpenters, Carole King and Janet Jackson among others. During this time Herb produced the likes of Stan Getz, The Baja Marimba Band, Gato Barbieri, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66, and his wife of more than thirty years, Lani Hall. Lani’s own Grammy-award winning career as a songstress stretches from 1960s where she amassed hits as lead singer with Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66, leading into a string of solo albums in English, Portuguese and Spanish that began with 1972’s “Sun Down Lady.”

“Herb and Lani have put together an incredibly special and heartfelt recording,” said John Burk, Executive Vice President of A&R at Concord Music Group. “It is truly an honor to welcome such esteemed artists to the Concord family.”

For a complete list of confirmed dates please visit: http://www.herbalpert.com

SOURCE Concord Records

Word has it that Fandango and Midnight Sun will be reissued in the Signature Series later this year. Check back here often for the latest news on these upcoming releases!

Well, the pictures clearly prove it – Herb Alpert and Lani Hall really are back. Having seen them perform many times over the years, I can assure you – they still have it! And to my ears, “it” is better than ever! But, more on this later.

For the six dates they played over the last three weeks, tables at Vibrato were sold out and there was standing room only. Sound familiar? In fact, it was reported that last night (May 2) hundreds were turned away at the door.

These performances had been the subject of much talk and speculation for some time now. Everyone I talked to thought that it was a good idea, but when nothing materialized, we began to think that it was just the rumor mill working overtime. Well, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Herb and Lani back on stage is definitely a good thing!

Herb has always surrounded himself with top musicians – especially one of the best female vocalists that he teamed up with some years back. This time is no exception. The band: Bill Cantos on piano, Hussain Jiffry on bass, and Michael Shapiro on drums and percussion. If these names seem familiar, they should be. Recently, they have all played for Sergio Mendes. But more than that, they have individually played for a literal who’s who of music.

Herb, Lani and this band had a synergy – defined as the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. From the quietest passages of one of Lani’s ballads to the driving sound of them all going at full throttle, they were really tight and the sound was fantastic. What’s more, they appeared to be having a great time.

Herb’s unmistakable trumpet sound was clear and strong. His sound has aged like a fine wine. Lani’s ability to sing those up-tempo songs with Portuguese lyrics always amazes me. But that’s what has been the attraction for me, since her days as lead singer with Brasil ’66. The question was, with a voice this beautiful, why has it taken so long to be able to hear it again?

The band got opportunities to solo and Herb and Lani clearly enjoyed what they were hearing – as were the rest of us. All three being superior players, they did not disappoint.

Herb was relaxed and quite funny. He quipped that he got to hear one of Lani’s songs in the shower. He also asked the audience if they knew how to make a million dollars playing jazz? The answer: start with two million dollars!

Herb played and sang I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face to Lani. On Tuesday night, he ended it by slyly inserting a few notes from This Guy’s In Love With You. On Wednesday night we had a bonus track – they came back for a second encore and played Lani’s Happy Woman.

The set lasted about 80 minutes. Anyone with even simple math skills can figure out that this is more than enough to fill up a CD. Will there be one? Will they perform more? Who knows? But, I did get a chance to tell Herb that they should record and tour. Maybe your positive comments here will help them decide.

Set List – May 1 & 2

Berimbau
Night & Day (Porter)
Pararaio (Dvajan)
Wild Is The Wind
Paper Moon
Let’s Face The Music
Morning Coffee (Bill Cantos)
Who Are You (Bill Cantos)
I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face
Dinorah (Lins) / Morning (Clare Fischer)
Laura

Encore:
You Go To My Head / Like A Lover
Jobim Medley: Corcovado, Triste, One Note Samba

Second Encore (May 2):
Happy Woman

Herb Alpert – Trumpet and vocals
Lani Hall – Vocals
Bill Cantos – Piano
Hussain Jiffry – Bass
Michael Shapiro – Drums and percussion

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Performance photos and review ©2007 Steve Sidoruk – all rights reserved – may not be reproduced without permission.

View our forum discussion thread for more photos and comments from our visitors!