PITTSBURGH — Herb Alpert entered stage left, doing a long-legged and limber dance move he’d replicate nearly 90 minutes later when gracefully exiting the stage.
In between, Alpert regaled a sold-out and seated Pittsburgh audience Monday with stories and world-class horn-playing, backed by his trusty Tijuana Brass band.
“It’s nice I still sometimes get to play venues older than me,” Alpert, 90, said with a smile, soaking in the elegance of the Byham Theater.
A no-cameras policy, strictly enforced by flashlight-wielding Byham ushers, freed up fans to sit back and savor Alpert’s engaging personality and proficient playing. He advised spectators early this would be a loose night with audience questions welcomed. Fortunately, fans kept their mouths shut — as those impromptu crowd Q&As and shouted song requests tend to go off the rails rather quickly. The largely, but not entirely, senior aged crowd saved its vocalizations for cheers for the peppy music played by Alpert and his six-man band.
And besides, Alpert quickly got to the first frequently asked question on his own, saying his smash-hit “Whipped Cream & Other Delights” album -with its iconic cover depicting a topless woman-covered-only-in-whipped-cream (in reality shaving cream) — was not his idea. His A&M label co-founder Jerry Moss talked him into it, but Alpert’s got no regrets given its gold-certified sales success.
It’s hard to predict what will be a hit, Alpert said, noting his fledgling label passed on a song with unintelligible lyrics. That turned out to be The Kingsmen’s chart-topping “Louie, Louie.”
Alpert said his 1965 Grammy-winning “Taste of Honey”” began as a B-side, with producers convincing him its stop-and-go rhythm wasn’t danceable enough to be a single. But a Seattle concert, where Alpert saw spectators reacting enthusiastically to it, ushered in a change of plans. “I said ‘I’ve got a focus group up here who loves it,'” Alpert reminisced about the ultimately chart-scaling single.
Seated center stage, Alpert played trumpet throughout the Byham concert, except when he handled lead vocals on “This Guy’s in Love.” His singing voice has weathered a bit thin, but the horn parts sounded sharp. In many cases, Alpert spun around and energetically conducted the Tijuana Brass, using hand gestures to get them to raise or lower their volume. Tijuana Brass members Kris Bergh (trumpet), Ryan Dragon (trombone), Kerry Marx (guitar), Hussain Jiffrey (bass), Ray Brinker (drums) and Bill Cantos (piano, marimba) watched intently for Alpert’s orders, instantaneously speeding up or softening the sound as required.
Alpert stood a few times, to swing around and conduct them from in front of the drum kit, as on “Rise,” the 1979 chart-topper famously sampled by rap star The Notorious B.I.G.
Many in the Pittsburgh crowd granted a standing ovation after Alpert welcomed on stage Latin jazz singer Lani Hall, his wife of 51 years, who sang a couple songs including the Beatles’ “The Fool on The Hill.” Alpert got emotionally choked up discussing how much Hall has meant to him, and explaining how they met when she was singing in Sergio Mendes’ Brasil ’66 band which had been on tour with Alpert. Alpert joked how he had warned his Tijuana Brass bandmates not to get in trouble by romantically pursuing Brasil ’66’s female singers, “which cleared the way for me.”
Video projections throughout the 90-minute performance effectively set the fun-loving tone and helped remind audience members what a pop-culture force Alpert was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Videos showed the angular, wavy dark-haired Alpert and his band performing in a bullfighting ring, with an active bull running around them. There were TV clips of Alpert emceeing a show with jazz trailblazer Louis Armstrong, and acting out a Western movie scenario with introductions from film and TV stars Jimmy Stewart and Johnny Carson.
Alpert delivered a brief and well-targeted remark at the importance of funding school arts programs throughout the country, noting “government leaders don’t get it.” Alpert noted he had merchandise on sale in the lobby, including albums fans have owned for decades, adding proceeds go to arts programs since he doesn’t really need the money.
Alpert’s got a new and young fan contingent now, explaining how a Tik Toker posted a video with his “Ladyfingers” that’s surpassed 4 billion streams. “That’s with a ‘b,’ he said as one must when talking about billions.
For Pittsburgh fans who’ve been along for the ride for half a century, it was an utter delight getting to peacefully groove and sway along as Alpert trumpeted away on songs like “Spanish Flea” and “Zorba The Greek” with film star Anthony Quinn dancing along in a black-and-white video.
Alpert and the band were marvelous, likely exceeding expectations for many.
He said his sister, who’s 98, often asks why he still plays concerts.
Simple: He loves doing it, and believes it brings an energy others enjoy.
Ask any of the 1,300 people who attended the Byham show: It was an utterly delightful performance.
