Herb Alpert: "In The Mood" Album - Comments & Reviews

What Are Your Favorite Songs? (multiple choices available)


  • Total voters
    12
Status
Not open for further replies.

David S

Well-Known Member
The amazon download came available for me at 12:30am (I’ll be receiving the cd on the 30th of September), so I’ve given this a hearing. Mind you, I need to establish my biases. Though I grew up with the TJB sound in my house, I have always preferred Mr. Alpert’s solo career, so I tend to listen to his records with this in mind. I prefer artists that continually interpret rather than repeat, much like what Dylan has done throughout his illustrious career.

This record does not immediately jump at me the way Steppin’ Out clearly and immediately did. There are some good tracks here, but in general, I think that this record seems to be aiming for a diverse audience, at least more diverse than Steppin’ Out and the Live album of a few years ago, which were excellent records. Maybe it’s because Chattanooga Choo Choo seems so out of place with all of the loops and all. It sends a message at the beginning which isn’t upheld throughout the record. On the other hand, it was kind of the same thing on Steppin’ Out with Puttin’ On the Ritz. But Ritz was a better track. The records moves between different sounds and grooves that aren’t complete.It's an uneven recording.

That said, these are my favourite tracks, in this order:

1. Let It Be Me (I can clearly see this being used on the Grammy awards show during a retrospective of music industry folks lost in the past year, particularly since it will list one of the Everlys. It is a beautiful elegy. Wouldn’t surprise me if the track gets a grammy nomination.)

2. Begin the Beguine

3. Zoo Train

4. Amy’s Tune

5. When Sunny Gets Blue

6. Sneaky

The TJB sound lovers will doubtless like Spanish Harlem.

Obviously, the Everlys salute and America the Beautiful will garner attention. Not without merit, either.

Not sure the “amazon exclusive” was worth it with only two extra tracks, but as I like the man’s music, this is a small quibble since he is one of a few musicians I would simply get a new record for upon learning of its availability. I think $13.99 might’ve been a better price.

I'll continue to play this record, though.

In the post A&M era to date, I’d rate the records as follows:

1. Steppin’ Out

2. Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Live

3. Second Wind

4. In The Mood

5. I Feel You

6. Herb Alpert & Colors

Regret that I will not see the tour to support this album, as they do not have a Texas date scheduled and I won't be in the DC area for work purposes when they are scheduled to be there. That is just as well. I last saw them at Lincoln Center a few years with a front row, table seat. Still don't know how that managed to happen. I literally sat in front of Mr. Alpert. My spouse, who isn't necessarily a fan, remarked that it seemed like he was playing to me. Which, of course, he wasn't, but I prefer to keep to that memory.

drs
 
Last edited:
Herb Alpert
IN THE MOOD
Shout! Factory SF 15522
51E01FNQ-bL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Released 2014

Produced by Herb Alpert with Lani Hall, Mike Shapiro, Hussain Jiffry and Bill Cantos

Songs:

1. Chattanooga Choo Choo (Harry Warren/Mack Gordon) - 4:17
Arranged by Randy Badazz Alpert & Herb Alpert
2. Blue Moon (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) - 2:13
Arranged by Herb Alpert & Randy Badazz Alpert​
3. Zoo Train (Herb Alpert) - 3:16
Arranged by Herb Alpert​
4. Begin The Beguine (Cole Porter) - 3:10
Arranged by Bill Cantos & Herb Alpert​
5. Don't Cry (Mari Falcone/Bill Cantos) - 3:00
Arranged by Bill Cantos & Herb Alpert​
6. Ol' Man River (Jerome Kern) - 4:32*
Arranged by Eduardo del Barrio​
7. Let It Be Me (Gilbert Becaud/Mann Curtis/Pierre Delanoe) - 2:44
Arranged by Mike Shapiro, Herb Alpert & Hussain Jiffry​
8. Spanish Harlem (Jerry Lieber/Phil Spector) - 2:41
Arranged by Mike Shapiro, Herb Alpert & Scott Mayo​
9. 5 a.m. (Hussain Jiffry/Lani Hall Alpert) - 3:27
Arranged by Herb Alpert & Hussain Jiffry​
10. Morning (Clare Fischer) - 4:04
Arranged by Eduardo del Barrio & Herb Alpert​
11. When Sunny Gets Blue (Marvin Fisher/Jack Segal) - 4:24
Arranged by Eduardo del Barrio & Herb Alpert​
12. Amy's Tune (Michael Shapiro) - 2:40
Arranged by Herb Alpert & Bill Cantos​
13. All I Have To Do Is Dream (Felice Bryant/Boudleaux Bryant) - 3:06
Arranged by Mike Shapiro, Bill Cantos & Jamieson Trotter​
14. Sneaky (Herb Alpert/Jeff Lorber) - 3:54
Arranged by Jeff Lorber & Herb Alpert​
15. Conversation (Bill Cantos) - 2:44*
Arranged by Bill Cantos​
16. America The Beautiful (Katharine Lee Bates/Samuel A. Ward) - 2:36
Arranged by Mike Shapiro, Herb Alpert & Jamieson Trotter
* - Amazon Exclusive tracks​
Musicians:
Herb Alpert - Trumpet, Vocals
Bill Cantos - Keyboards, Vocals
Mike Shapiro - Drums, Percussion
Hussain Jiffry - Bass
Eduardo del Barrio - Piano, String Arrangements
Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
Jeff Lorber - Keyboards
Lani Hall - Vocals
Jamieson Trotter
Oliver Schnee
Brad Dutz
Ricardo Hambra
Scott Mayo

Engineer: Hussain Jiffry
Additional Engineers: Eduardo del Barrio, Bill Cantos, Scott Mayo, Jeff Lorber, Jamieson Trotter, Randy Badazz Alpert, Mike Shapiro, Iggy Clizovesky and Herb Alpert

Mixed by Hussain Jiffry
Mastered by Bernie Grundman

Lani and I have been performing with our band Bill Cantos, Hussain Jiffry and Mike Shapiro for the last 8 years. My concept is that if music is fun to play, it would be fun to listen to. Hope you enjoy this CD...it was made with love.

Available at Amazon.com (with samples): http://www.amazon.com/Mood-Amazon-Exclusive-Deluxe/dp/B00MC79KNC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1412108661&sr=1-1&keywords=herb alpert




Capt. Bacardi
 
Please post all of your thoughts of this album on this thread so we won't have a dozen different threads going on. Thanks!


Capt. Bacardi
 
Kind of nice to see a few familiar old A&M names on the credits, including Art Direction by Roland Young and Mastering by Bernie Grundman, along with a few of the familiar names from Herb's earlier solo days. I was surprised there are no songwriter credits on there....I remember when songwriters used to really get up in arms over not getting credits, to the point where songwriter names now appear on the Billboard charts.

Haven't listened yet but I'm looking forward to it in a couple hours.
 
I've listened up through "Let It Be Me" and I'm really liking the album. Based on what I'm hearing so far, I think this will probably become my favorite of Herb's post-A&M/Almo albums.

As fate would have it, I had missed a couple of the other related threads so I didn't know about the "Summertime" connection on the "Don't Cry" track. What a great surprise that was -- in listening to that song not too long ago, I was thinking that'd be a great one for the band to perform today....and now here it is, except even better than if they had just remade the original. Major kudos to Mari and Bill on this one. It's uber-catchy.

I'd already heard "Chattanooga Choo Choo" when it was pre-released, but it's much more fun listening to it on my "good" stereo as opposed to computer speakers. A lot is happening in that track. Very cool. It kind of reminded me of "Beyond" (due to the electronics) and "A Taste of Honey" the way the arrangement stops and starts. But definitely a new dimension for Herb.

"Begin the Beguine" is one of those songs I've heard of before but never really knew it, or had any recordings of it -- but as soon as the song began the melody was instantly familiar. I guess I'd heard it in the background before, probably when I was growing up.

I really liked "Zoo Train" as well -- a nice quirky arrangement that sounds like the band was really having fun in the studio.

So right now I'm at work (at the movie theater pictured in my avatar) so the rest of the album will have to wait till after tonight's movie. But so far, so good!
 
"Begin The Beguine" takes me way back to Junior High School Chorus, where we performed the song in one of our concerts. I'm also loving the album and was surprised at the lack of composer credits. Herb's usually very good about that. Anyone who's seen his recent shows can testify to that - he'll often stop the proceeding to quiz the audience to see if anyone knows the composer of the
song that he'd just played or that Lani had just sung.

An interesting part of the packaging is that the backing color for the back, spine, and inside the gatefold is brighter version of ochre.

Harry
 
Grrr - being in the UK, I can't get the album yet. Not available on the UK iTunes or Amazon sites and I can't order it from the US sites. And it's not available on Herb's site (although that's where I got Chatanooga from a few weeks ago). The few clips I've heard have sounded really good so I can't wait!
 
I did post a review in another thread before this one came up, gentlemen, so please feel free to close that and move it over here, if you can... drs
 
I like this album, and am happy that an official CD was released. I opted for the Amazon Exclusive with Bonus Tracks. Over the past week, I've listened to the album as it was released early by USA TODAY, so I've heard the album now a number of times - but not the bonus tracks. As mentioned by others, the album seems to recall elements of the TJB days in both sound and content, which is surely welcomed by me. I'm a fan of all of Herb's "eras", but the TJB sound is the root of it all, so color me happy.

Favorites include the lead track, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" with its frenetic rhythm but familiar melody. That one is surely "fun to listen to" as Herb hopes in the liner notes. "Zoo Train" does indeed sound like something else Herb has done, but I can't place it. The melody seems so familiar.

I really loved the surprise on "Don't Cry" that uses the guitar/bass/drums groove from Herb's "Summertime" with a totally new song thrust on top of it. An instant favorite. The liner notes don't state who the male vocal lead is on this track, but it doesn't sound like Herb, who's "...don't cry" lines from "Summertime" are still there. At any rate, it's top notch, with Lani trading vocals with the male lead. It almost makes the record sound like a cross between Herb and Brasil '66.

You can tell that Herb was moved by the passing of Phil Everly enough to visit two old Everly Brothers favorites. "Spanish Harlem" gets a nice update from its rather simplistic VOLUME 2 recording. It's also nice that this one has a "normal" vocal line instead of the somewhat cringe-worthy Mexican accented earlier version. ("There eess a rrrose...)

Nice tunes fill out the middle-late part of the album - "5 am", "Morning", and "When Sunny Gets Blue". Then "Amy's Tune" picks up the pace a bit.

"Sneaky" does indeed sound like it would fit on SECOND WIND, and "America The Beautiful" is a nice way to finish off the album, just as it finished off the old VIVA MIAMI! TV special. This version has the interesting "world percussion" section to propel it.

I need to find some time to check out the two bonus tracks. One thing I'm happy about is that "Conversation" is a song - and not some bonus interview with Herb - not that that would be bad, but records are after all, for songs. Save the interviews for TV. When I first saw the title, I feared it was a talking track.

Harry
 
"Don't Cry" that uses the guitar/bass/drums groove from Herb's "Summertime" with a totally new song thrust on top of it. An instant favorite. The liner notes don't state who the male vocal lead is on this track, but it doesn't sound like Herb, who's "...don't cry" lines from "Summertime" are still there.
On the back cover it states "Voices: Lani Hall and Bill Cantos."
 
I've listened to this about a dozen times already and I keep digging it more each time. One of the first things I noticed is the rather short times on many songs - between 2:30 and 3:30 for the most part, conjuring up memories of the records of old. That may explain why this album has been so easy to listen to. It seems this is a bit more pop oriented, although Herb does get in some brief jazz solos here and there.

"Chattanooga" starts things off in a bit of a techno sound. "Blue Moon" has a bit of the Colors feel to it to start before breaking into a light swing on the bridge. Some nice horn work towards the end of the tune. "Zoo Train" has a bit of "Sugarloaf" feel to it (from Fandango) with Herb doing a really nice laid-back horn solo. One of my faves for sure. The Artie Shaw standard "Begin The Beguine" follows. This is one of those songs I got tired of playing when I was doing big band gigs but here they do a fresh approach to it. Nothing too fancy here. "Don't Cry" has that "Summertime" rhythm loop, as mentioned before. This is probably my favorite cut. I think Bill's voice comes close to what Herb sang on the original and fits in beautifully with Lani's voice. Love the lyrics on this, as well as the little scat vocals at the 1:50 mark. Really hip song!

"Ol' Man River" is the biggest surprise to me. I wasn't really expecting a lot with this tune, especially since I'm not a big fan of the song. But they really turned this into an amazing performance, with its jazzy rhythms and quirky string work. Lovely solo by Herb as well. "Let It Be Me" is a gorgeous ballad. Really love the bass work by Hussain Jiffry. This eventually breaks into a quasi-TJB feel. "Spanish Harlem" is more of a straight read, with a bit of a trumpet solo at the end. Another on of my favorites is "5 a.m." which has a great melody to it as well as a cool chord progression. Lovely vocal by Lani with her sultry approach. I find myself hitting the repeat button on this one!

The beginning of "Morning" reminds me of some incidental music that Herbie Hancock wrote for the "Death Wish" movie. Eerie and mysterious. A perfect vehicle for Herb. Love how the rhythm section worked together on this track. "When Sunny Gets Blue" is another lovely ballad that probably would've fit well on the Midnight Sun album as well. Eduardo del Barrio has those strings doing a bit of "outside" work. Very nice. "Amy's Tune" is an uptempo little romp. Love Michael Shapiro's brush work on drums. Cute little tune. "All I Have To Do Is Dream" is another nice ballad. I swear Herb is getting to be a master of playing ballads. A bit of a TJB trumpets sound towards the end.

"Sneaky" has a bit of soulful funk to it. Love the groove on this tune! I even picked up a trumpet and played along with this for a bit (which prompted my wife to ask "just what do you think you're doing???"). :D "Conversation" is another ballad played rather sweetly by Herb. Nice melody on this track! Nice interplay between Herb and Bill. And finally there's "America The Beautiful" done rather poignantly with much bravado towards the end before Herb ends the tune by himself.

All in all a very satisfying album to listen to!



Capt. Bacardi
 
"Spanish Harlem" gets a nice update from its rather simplistic VOLUME 2 recording. It's also nice that this one has a "normal" vocal line instead of the somewhat cringe-worthy Mexican accented earlier version. ("There eess a rrrose...)

Being the perv that I used to be, I kept thinking that lyric was "There is some hoes in Spanish Harlem". But that's just me.... :wink:

One thing I'm happy about is that "Conversation" is a song - and not some bonus interview with Herb

I know of another tune called "Conversation" done by Frank Rosolino and Conte Candoli, which is an uptempo bebop tune but was pretty sure it wasn't the same one. Turns out I was quite right.



Capt. Bacardi
 
Have to wait until sometime next week because I am getting the CD Amazon bonus tracks in Saginaw, Michigan (which is 37 miles from my home). Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
Well I've listened to it twice through now and this album is definitely a winner. It has quite a bit of Herb's "classic" sound in it -- double-tracked trumpet pops up in a number of places (how long since we've heard that?).

The only track that hasn't really fungused onto me yet is "Ol' Man River" but I'll give it a few more listens.

Captain B. mentioned the relative short running times of the songs -- that could be one reason I am enjoying this record a lot. Since I'm not primarily a jazz fan, I've found some jazz tunes can go on too long for my taste. Keeping things to more of a pop-song format is a plus for me; I think this is why I can listen to Herb's jazz records more easily than some others I've tried.

I really like "Spanish Harlem" better than the TJB version. The fact that it's been over 50 years since that version was made and Herb still sounds just as good as he did then is great. How many artists can say that? I really like the melancholy feel on some tracks, such as on "Conversation" and "When Sunny Gets Blue." Perfect music for the fall season (when I usually get to feeling kind of melancholy anyway due to summer being over!)

Of the other songs I didn't mention in my earlier post, I'd say "Let it Be Me," "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Sneaky" are my favorites so far, but I can't say there's a "skip-over" in the bunch. I really like how some of the songs have a more "produced" feel to them, while others have a more "live in the studio" approach. It really makes for some fine showcasing of the individual band members.

I really enjoyed Lani's contributions here as well. Obviously she has a much more abbreviated role than on the last couple of albums, but her work here has that kind of jaunty feel that she had when she worked with Brasil '66. And she really turns up the sultriness on "5am."

So overall, it's a winner in my book. I hope "A&Mguyfromwayback" will have a chance to stop by this thread and talk about the experience of making this excellent new record.
 
I finally listened to "In The Mood" which I got Thursday afternoon (with the Amazon bonus tracks) but I had to wait until Saturday night to listen because I was too busy watching college football. The song "Sneaky" & "Zoo Train" are my favorites. The remakes of "Let It Be Me" & "Spanish Harlem" are way better than the original. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
Mind you, I need to establish my biases. Though I grew up with the TJB sound in my house, I have always preferred Mr. Alpert’s solo career, so I tend to listen to his records with this in mind.

This record does not immediately jump at me the way Steppin’ Out clearly and immediately did. There are some good tracks here, but in general, I think that this record seems to be aiming for a diverse audience, at least more diverse than Steppin’ Out and the Live album of a few years ago, which were excellent records. Maybe it’s because Chattanooga Choo Choo seems so out of place with all of the loops and all. It sends a message at the beginning which isn’t upheld throughout the record. On the other hand, it was kind of the same thing on Steppin’ Out with Puttin’ On the Ritz. But Ritz was a better track. The records moves between different sounds and grooves that aren’t complete.It's an uneven recording.

That said, these are my favourite tracks, in this order:

1. Let It Be Me (I can clearly see this being used on the Grammy awards show during a retrospective of music industry folks lost in the past year, particularly since it will list one of the Everlys. It is a beautiful elegy. Wouldn’t surprise me if the track gets a grammy nomination.)

2. Begin the Beguine

3. Zoo Train

4. Amy’s Tune

5. When Sunny Gets Blue

6. Sneaky

The TJB sound lovers will doubtless like Spanish Harlem.
Obviously, the Everlys salute and America the Beautiful will garner attention. Not without merit, either.

Not sure the “amazon exclusive” was worth it with only two extra tracks, but as I like the man’s music, this is a small quibble since he is one of a few musicians I would simply get a new record for upon learning of its availability. I think $13.99 might’ve been a better price. I'll continue to play this record, though.

In the post A&M era to date, I’d rate the records as follows:

1. Steppin’ Out

2. Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Live

3. Second Wind

4. In The Mood

5. I Feel You

6. Herb Alpert & Colors

drs

My thoughts on this album are very similar to yours, and I agree with most of your synopsis... but there are a few exceptions...
Not to take anything away from STEPPIN' OUT, or either of the two CDs with Lani... but IN THE MOOD is clearly the best album Herb Alpert has put out in [easily] a decade or more.
The mark of a truly great album is when you keep playing it over, and over, and over again. And that hasn't happened with me in years. In short, I just can't get enough of this album!

I tend to gravitate toward Alpert's solo career more as well. Don't get me wrong. I grew up listening to my mom's old TJB records, which is what got me started. But when I heard "Rise" in 1979, I immediately took notice and started following his solo albums as they were released. The rest is history.

But where I differ, respectfully, is that sometimes I actually prefer a diverse, 'mixed bag' potpourri approach to an album. Herb has done that on several occasions, as you know, during his solo career. RISE, BLOW YOUR OWN HORN, STEPPIN' OUT and IN THE MOOD all employ this strategy, with varying degrees of success. Some critique these albums as "uneven"... while I prefer to think of them as an "ecclectic variety".

I will agree, though, that the radically electronic track of "Chattanooga" is a major head switch from the rest of the album. Stellar chord progression, though. Good thing it was the first track or it never would've blended in!

That said, these are my favourite tracks:
1. "Begin The Beguine" (The Artie Shaw original was fantastic, but this one is an incredibly new creation... and a mesmorizing track.)
2. "5 am" (I am relaxed just at the thought of this track... Lani's lower register appeals to me vocally as well. She sounds more at ease here. If you've ever heard Herb's 1977 vocal "The You In Me" single, this laid back mood comes to mind.)
3. "Blue Moon" (I love how it goes back and forth from a clipped funk beat to a John Pisano/TJB-style bridge!)
4. "Zoo Train" (someone compared this to "Sugarloaf" from FANDANGO... Come to think of it, the rhythm is spot-on!)
5. "All I Have To Do Is Dream" (The chord changes on this one are mind-bogglingly brilliant and the trumpet, of course, is hauntingly beautiful.)
6. "Sneaky" (Yep, I actually like some Jeff Lorber keyboard riffs every now and then!)

The rest of the album is enjoyable too, with "Amy's Tune" reminding me stylistically of the TJB, the Eddie del Barrio orchestration on "Morning" sounding like something from an early '70s crime thriller, "When Sunny Gets Blue" waxing reminiscent of the MIDNIGHT SUN album, while "Let It Be Me" and "Spanish Harlem"... both intriguingly fresh some 50+ years later, don't quite measure up to their early A&M versions... but are still worthwhile listens. And with "America The Beautiful", I think it best not to reveal the title to a new listener. Just let them recognize it as it all unfolds in it's unique and wonderful treatment here. And the 'solo' ending is the epitome of class.

My top five 'post-A&M era' albums vary a bit too:

1. PASSION DANCE
2. IN THE MOOD (Oh, yeah... it's up there. I actually like it that much.)
3. SECOND WIND
4. HERB ALPERT & COLORS
5. STEPPIN' OUT


- Tony
 
Last edited:
I picked up the album in the Patchogue Theater at the concert night. I must say enjoy it more than almost any Herb Alpert album in recent times. Maybe because it feels slightly more "commercial" than most of the other recent albums. There are certainly some "TJB" qualities about it, with the many short songs, where the emphasis is less on long improvisations and more on Herb's interpretation of the melodies. I also think we should feel blessed to be fans of an artist who delivers so wonderfully at an age where most others would be content with an existence in comfortable retirement, maybe with occasional performances as a "golden oldie".

- greetings from the north -
Martin
 
The January issue of DownBeat just came out and did a review of In The Mood. They gave it 3 stars (out of 5). Here's the text:

Herb Alpert may be the most successful pop instrumentalist of all time. Perhaps his greatest achievement is crafting light and attractive settings for his modest trumpet playing. Since disbanding the Tijuana Brass in about 1970, Alpert has recorded in many formats, some of which have reflected his love of jazz. As a young man he heard Chet Baker, and that lyrical model has been a component in Alpert's sound.

The album at hand is not a jazz album, per se, though he does some improvising. Like all Alpert productions, the instrumentalists are top-notch, though kept on a short leash. (One of the biggest treats on this collection is the wonderful melodic lines of Hussain Jiffry's electric bass.) He has gathered pop standards throughout the decades ("Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Begin The Beguine", "When Sunny Gets Blue", "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Spanish Harlem") and recast them in new settings. Color - supplied by the keyboards of Bill Cantos, Jeff Lorber and Jamieson Trotter - and pervasive percussion dominate the instrumentation. A world-beat overlay on a chestnut like "Chattanooga Choo Choo" may be a momentary novelty, but the format often turns into so much atmospheric ephemera. A groove-laden "America The Beautiful" is a bit daring, but the trumpet wisely just sticks to the theme.

The Alpert trumpet is much as it has always been: round-edged, soft-tones, confined to the middle register and without a great deal of presence. The berimbau-laced keyboard wash on the moody "Morning" is where Alpert turns in his best rhythm playing with short, elliptical phrases. And "Sunny," with its spare backing and warm trumpet, gives his best ballad accounting.

Say what you will about Alpert, but he knows what works for him. - Kirk Silsbee


Capt. Bacardi
 
Actually, given that this is DB it's a pretty positive review. DB has been known to be stingy with its star rating, and 3 stars is classified as "good". They're pretty hardcore with jazz and have a rather purist attitude for the most part.



Capt. Bacardi
 
A review from the All Music Guide website:

***1/2 (out of 5)

Although trumpeter and pop icon Herb Alpert is largely associated with his jazz, Latin, and lounge instrumentals of the '60s and '70s, he's never fully retired from the music scene. In fact, Alpert's 2013 album with wife and vocalist Lani Hall won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Coming on the heels of that album, Alpert's 2014 effort, In the Mood, finds the stylistically wide-ranging artist once again bringing together a mix of jazz standards, smooth pop instrumentals, and infectious original compositions. Working with his nephew, arranger/producer Randy Badazz Alpert, as well as such longtime collaborators as Bill Cantos, Mike Shapiro, and Jeff Lorber, Alpert has crafted an album that perfectly updates his approach for a modern audience. Alpert was an early adopter of electronic sounds and In the Mood is no exception as it features a very club-ready, EMD reworking of the swing-era classic "Chattanooga Choo Choo." It's an iconoclastic move also echoed in his funky, hip-hop-inflected take on "Blue Moon." While Alpert always seems to be in search of new musical ground to explore, he's conversely never afraid to revisit his past, as evidenced by his electronic- and contemporary R&B-infused arrangement of his old Tijuana Brass number "Spanish Harlem." Elsewhere, Alpert teams again with Hall for several gorgeous, laid-back Latin numbers including the funky "Don't Cry," and the romantic "5 A.M." And it’s not just Alpert's knack for crafting listenable, relaxing pop songs that makes In the Mood so enjoyable. Arguably, Alpert's trumpet playing has only deepened over the years and cuts here, like his poignant orchestral reading of "When Sunny Gets Blue," reveal his gift for small group jazz balladry that brings to mind a mix of Chet Baker and Harry Sweets Edison. Ultimately, whether he's digging deep into a jazz standard, or defying expectations with a breezy electronic arrangement, Alpert proves yet again he is a true pop journeyman on In the Mood.

Matt Collar


Capt. Bacardi
 
Here's a review from the JazzTimes site that was just posted:

Herb Alpert
In the Mood
Shout Factory

By Christopher Loudon


Among the 14 selections that fill Herb Alpert’s latest, his 38th career album, the Glenn Miller-associated title tune is not included. Which begs an obvious question: In the mood for what? Love? Nostalgia? Patriotism? The correct answer is all of the above.

Alpert opens with another Miller anthem, “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” reimagining the breezy big-band number as a slice of electronica-fueled smooth jazz, loops courtesy of nephew Randy “Badazz” Alpert. From there the trumpeter travels all over the musical map, from a caffeinated “Blue Moon” to a twilit “Begin the Beguine,” and from a richly textured “Spanish Harlem” to a spare, dreamy “When Sunny Gets Blue” elegantly arranged by Eduardo del Barrio. Along the way, there’s a double nod to the Everly Brothers with tender treatments of “Let It Be Me” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

Alpert’s wife, estimable vocalist Lani Hall, makes brief appearances, buried in the background on “Dream,” lightly dusting the shadowy “5 am” and echoing her Brasil ’66 roots on “Don’t Cry.” As on Alpert’s previous album, last year’s Grammy-winning Steppin’ Out, she is sadly underutilized. Alpert closes with an august “America the Beautiful” featuring a blend of percussion instruments from around the globe, intended to extol the U.S.’s melting-pot ethos. The album’s less-showy apex arrives, however, five tracks earlier, with the serenely lovely “Morning,” bright and promising as a cloudless dawn.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/149855-in-the-mood-herb-alpert



Capt. Bacardi
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom