I co-manage Herb Alpert and want to thank you for your piece today. So thrilled that you enjoyed the show and were willing to spread the good word.
When Herb decided to do this tour in honor of the 60th anniversary of Whipped Cream and his 90th year on this mortal coil, he wanted it to really celebrate the music, and that feeling that his original live band and studio players captured (Note- the wrecking crew recorded on Whipped Cream), but also feel real, vibrant and current. We all agreed to hand pick images, film clips, musicians, lighting fixtures, and even off-stage staff who would amplify his joy for this music, simple but powerful presentation, and the kindness/authenticity he insists upon with all those who surround him. Herb shares himself up there, and along with his fantastic band, we are so glad to see the ripple effect it's having on his fans and beyond. I saw people checking out of the hotel next door on Sunday morning. It was pouring rain, and yet they were all still smiling, having travelled far and wide to see this hometown show! What a blessing...
Thanks again for your glowing endorsement, as I hope others will get to come spend time with us in the near future... XS
Alexander (Xander Smith) Wolton
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I’m Herb’s agent…glad you enjoyed the show. I had the pleasure of experiencing the tour in different cities across the country this year and I’m pleased to report the response is always the same — happiness, joy and multiple standing ovations. To me, this is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake…the songs are hits, the melodies are timeless, the archival videos are integrated perfectly to help tell the story…and maybe most importantly it’s a little welcome break from tough times. Herb put together the revamped Tijuana Brass for 2025 and it has been the under the radar tour of the year - 39 consecutive sellouts (and counting), 36 cities and over 65,000 tickets sold.
Michael Morris
MINT Talent Group
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The fascinating story behind "The Lonely Bull" can be found in "Hollywood Eden." The most intriguing aspect t me is that there was no ready market for this music -- it was born wholly of Herb's imagination and there was really nothing like it (unless you count those oddly popular bullfight music albums, which don't really count). Also keep in mind that Herb got his start alongside his songwriting partner Lou Adler writing and producing Sam Cooke. Flea told me he used to see sheet music at Fairfax High with Herb's name still on them.
Cheers,
Joel Selvin
PS: Check the composer credit on "Whipped Cream."
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Love Herb I saw him at Vibrato right before Covid hit. His playing is still great as is his voice and he has a ton of great stories that he loves sharing. And those songs were the best and as you mentioned crossed genres. My dad started his career in Cleveland and ended up running a big distribution company, A&M was one of the labels they handled. I remember Jerry Moss staying at our house in Cleveland before the label started selling in big numbers. When we moved to LA dad was named Head Of Sales at A&M. Whipped Cream was the largest selling record of the year in America. The Peter Whorf cover was brilliant and certainly didn't hurt the sales.
Michael Rosenblatt
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Saw Herb & TJB at the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center back on March 28, and it was like time had stopped, and/or was irrelevant. A night filled with pure joy and rediscovery. Having Lani Hall of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 (who's also Herb's wife, I believe) come out and perform four songs mid/late set was also a treat.
I immediately went and found my Audiophile Series edition of their Greatest Hits LP, ordered the 60th anniversary picture-disc LP reissue of Whipped Cream, and then went and bought the reissue LP of Rise in a local record store since I never owned it. Pure magic.
Herb's going back out in 2026, and I'd see him/them again in a heartbeat.
Mike Mettler
Editor, Analog Planet
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I was only 8 years old. My uncle owned a record store so we got albums early and often. With hindsight, I think my first fantasies about women probably came about thanks to the album cover art for "Whipped Cream and Other Delights."
To this day, I still enjoy that music. To this day, every mention of this album triggers a vivid memory of the album cover.
Mark McLaughlin
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I attended Herb Albert at the Dolby on Friday night. As one of the younger members of the crowd at almost 63, it brought back sweet memories of my mom playing HATB on the family hi-fi. She loved music! Then again, she might’ve liked his dimples too, lol. What a handsome man he was, and still so charming. I could have listened to his bits (have no doubt he has tons of stories), and music all night.
I agree with you. His music has a certain optimism to it even for the slow tunes. It brought back the feeling of that era. It was impossible not to hum and bop along to the perfectly arranged songs. By the end of the night, my face hurt from smiling.
So many people don’t know the extent of the effect that Herb had on the music business/scene. He is a living legend.
I’d forgotten abou Laugh-In, and Teaberry. It evoked glimpses of my childhood that made me teary eyed. My parents both gone. My oldest sister's favorite gum, she’s gone too. Yet somehow I felt content and fulfilled after being in his presence as he walked us all back in time.
I’m so thrilled that I finally got to see him perform, and urge anyone who grew up during that era to get a ticket, get in the car, just go! You won’t regret it.
Sincerely,
Janine Weltman
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A year ago I asked Siri to play Herb Alpert on Spotify and it brought me back to the sixties. I had forgotten about the Teaberry Shuffle and the TJB song played when introducing contestants on the Dating Game. The theme from Casino Royale was also a gem. His music was simply fun. I was in elementary school at the time and one of my best friends was Herb's nephew, Derek. Derek's family lived next door to my aunt & uncle in Studio City so whenever we would visit, I would go next door to play at Derek's house. Uncle Herb was there once when I visited and he sat Derek, Randy and myself down and played us "We Can Fly" by the Cowsills. Apparently their MGM contract was expiring and he was considering signing them. I gave the record a big thumbs up but Derek & Randy were not as enthusiastic. Oh, well. When I ran for student office at Carpenter Avenue Elementary School in 1968, Derek was my campaign manager. Our teacher suggested that each candidate display a poster on the side of one of the bungalow classrooms. Derek went to A&M and had one of the techs use backdrop material to fashion a "poster" that was probably 15 feet long which covered the entire side of the building. After Derek was asked to explain how this was a "poster," he replied that he was not told of any size limitations at which point the teacher let out an "F-Bomb" and suggested we get lost. Rather that "get lost," I won the election, in no small part due to Derek's planning and execution. Good times. Bob Paris
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Herb often does a Q&A with the concert audience, and when I saw him backstage a couple of tours back, I told him I would have asked which band on A&M he thought should've been big but wasn't. He immediately replied, “The Flying Burrito Brothers.“ How about that!
Richard Pachter
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Herb Alpert is still the only artist to hit No. 1 with an instrumental (1979’s “Rise”) and a vocal (“This Guy’s In Love With You” 1968).
Vince Welsh
DeLand, FL
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The show was incredible. Holy cow. I wasn't sure what to expect knowing he's 90...then he came skipping out and me and my 77 year dad got so excited we giggled.
I love the way he loves his wife...and how he gets choked up with talking about how much he loves her. Any partner should be so lucky. My dad noted that it was neat that the images on the big screens of them together were essentially re-created when she came out on stage.
His stories were so informative - I could listen to him talk about his experiences for hours. His story about his horn teacher Caruso in NY was interesting. "You are the instrument, this is just a piece of plumbing" Good stuff. His wit and ability to deliver info is spot on - he's sharp as a tack. He is a master class in how it's done. His label is also a master class in how it's done. He can create social content on the fly, he knows what he wants and delivers it EVERY TIME. To be 90 and firing on all cylinders is pretty awesome. We should all be so lucky.
This one will go down in the memory books for sure.
Oh, and the Tijuana Brass band was spectacular. I mean, wow.
Jocelynn Pryor
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We saw this show in Winnipeg recently - and it was the show we didn’t know we needed. Easily a hi-lite of the year! The crowd here was mixed for sure, but definitely leaned into the demographic who grew up with his music.
He even brought out his adoring wife (and she was spectacular)!!!
I’d go far as to say - not only one of the best of the year, but one of THE most memorable in quite some time.
What an incredible treat to see this 90 YEAR OLD perform as though he was…at least a much younger version of many people of his vintage.
Dale Robertson
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Loved yoir review of Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass.
I saw him in Dallas 1.5 years ago. He blew me away how vital, unbowed, still excited, etc that he is at this age.
An inspiration.
And yes, his show is like being in his living room.
Colin Boyd
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We saw Herb in May and he blew that horn in every song for the whole two hours. Videos for almost every song on the background scrim, but his video budget was helped no doubt by his being the “A” of “A&M Records.”
His stories between songs were the best.
How Jerry Moss didn’t think much of “ A Taste of Honey,” but the crowd reactions on the road were enthusiastic. Then he and the band play it for us, I roll video, and at the end the crowd is on their feet, I’m closing in on Herb’s face and his eyes are swimming in tears. He is overwhelmed, after this song, every night of this tour, by how the fans still react.
You cannot buy a better feeling than that, just being there: him enjoying us enjoying him.
Only in America.
—Emory Damron
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My wife and I saw Herb Albert last year without the Tijuana Brass. Herb was playing with his wife Lani Hall (previously lead vocalist for Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66) and a small backing band. It was a magical concert. Herb would tell a story, play a song, tell another interesting story, play a song, etc. I wasn't sure at 90+ years old he still had the musical chops, but he did not disappoint. What a discography!
Denis Konouck
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Saw him w TB 1963. My 1st live show ever at The Greek
Art Geier
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Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss, Chris Blackwell - the most incredible music men I have ever had the privilege to meet ....understated , gracious, authentic and always about the music first.
It was my privilege as an entry level PR guy to put Lonely Bull to No:1 in NZ ..,and lucky enough to meet Herb at the A&M 20th Anniversary celebrations many years later!
Victor Stent
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When I was producing music videos back in the late 70s/80s etc., we used to use the Chaplin Stage at A&M Records, on La Brea, all the time. It was a favorite with a lot of music video production companies - the great director Wayne Isham was once the production manager there. Herb's office was close by and he was often there - always approachable and always gracious.
One video my partner Jim Yukich and I shot there was Jeff Beck's "Ambitious", in 1985. We had the conceit of people "auditioning" with Jeff and had them actually sing the song live over the track (Donny Osmond and Marilyn McCoo were standouts!). We asked Herb to make an appearance and he did, coming in right at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaGfW2Ifuts
He is, as you note so well, a class act.
Paul Flattery
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Thank you...
For your beautiful and heartfelt words about Herb. I too was there Saturday night and felt this same kind of happiness hearing all those songs and seeing a true master (and one of my main mentors in life and music) at work.
He had that entire audience in the palm of his hands—I didn’t want it to end! And all the while I’m thinking…would I be able to play like that ALL night when I’m 90? Uh, doubt it. :)
His life is like one of his pieces of art…he sets quite the example of how to live a creative life.
I’m so glad you wrote that piece, as this is a must-see show for as long as this sold out run lasts. Lucky for us we got in to see it!
Much love, DK.
—
Dave Koz
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