Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Jazz
  •  

At 83, Herb Alpert's Still In Love With The Music

  •  Gary G. Vercelli 
Friday, September 14, 2018 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP

Herb Alpert performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Thursday, May 4, 2017, in New Orleans.

Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP

The name Herb Alpert is nearly synonymous with the term "hit record."

The trumpeter made a lot of them in the 1960s and '70s as leader of the Tijuana Brass, and as a producer and record executive. As an artist he's sold 72 million records, including such hits as "A Taste of Honey," "This Guy’s in Love With You," "Spanish Flea," and "Rise."

Now 83, Alpert is still recording and touring, with a stop this weekend at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.

The distinctive sound he developed with the Tijuana Brass was inspired by his trips to the bullfights in Mexico.

"I got caught up in the feeling of the event," Alpert says. "Up in the stands there was a brass band, and they used to introduce the different events. I just tried to translate that feeling that I got into music. That was 'The Lonely Bull.'"

"The Lonely Bull" was a top-10 hit in 1962. That enabled Alpert to form his own record label with partner Jerry Moss. A&M Records became a major player and broke new artists, including Richard and Karen Carpenter, siblings from Downey, Calif.

"Karen was an extraordinary talent. She didn't really know how great she was, unfortunately," Alpert says. "She'd always say 'Ah, my strength is as a drummer.' Luckily for them, and us, I gave them 'Close to You.' That song was their major breakthrough song."

While Alpert was responsible for plenty of hits at A&M, there were some misses too.

"People used to come into A&M and they'd have a master recording. If you'd like it you could sign them," he says. "This artist came in with this record and I hated it. It was too long and I thought it was out of tune. I just didn't like listening to it. I turned it down.

"It turned out to be 'Louie, Louie,'" Alpert says. "That's one that got away."

One artist that didn’t get away was Sérgio Mendes, whose fresh, new sound was born after he signed with A&M. Mendes called his band Brasil '66, and it featured lead singer Lani Hall, who would later become Alpert’s wife.

Meanwhile, Brasil '66 became an instant success. One of the first tunes they recorded was "Mas Que Nada."

"He had a really fast tempo, and I said 'No, we've got to slow this baby down, you're playing this for hummingbirds,'" Alpert remembers. "So we slowed it down and got it into the groove, and that just catapulted Sérgio and the group."

Beyond his many successes and awards, Alpert is most passionate about music, a connection that started when he discovered the trumpet as a child.

"It's a beautiful instrument," Alpert says. "I [play] it every day just about, but not because I have to, I just love it. I started playing when I was 8 years old in my grammar school. They had a table filled with various instruments and I happened to pick up the trumpet and it was talking for me, because I'm an introvert."

Alpert now works to create those same opportunities for today's kids, funding a number of projects around music education.

"I work very hard with the Herb Alpert Foundation to make sure kids have some type of creative experience at an early age," he says. "I think it's so important to be a core part of kids' education."

Listen to Gary's full-length Insight interview with Herb Alpert here.

    Related Stories

  • Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP

    Herb Alpert Remembers His Tijuana Brass Days

    Thursday, September 13, 2018
    Trumpeter, producer, and A&M Records founder Herb Alpert speaks with CapRadio’s Gary Vercelli ahead of his concert this weekend at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.

 features

Gary G. Vercelli

Jazz Music Director

Jazz Music Director Gary Vercelli produces CapRadio's terrestrial and online jazz programming, including JazzStream.org. He also hosts Excellence In Jazz and Acid Jazz and writes reviews of new jazz releases.  Read Full Bio 

 Email Gary G. Vercelli

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Judge blocks California law preventing doctors from spreading COVID-19 misinformation

4 storylines to watch in this weekend's NFL conference championship games

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Behind The I-80 Castle: A Drag-Racing, Beauty School Mogul’s Dream House

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Judge blocks California law preventing doctors from spreading COVID-19 misinformation

4 storylines to watch in this weekend's NFL conference championship games

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Behind The I-80 Castle: A Drag-Racing, Beauty School Mogul’s Dream House

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a News Tip
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.