Trumpeter Herb Alpert’s staggering accomplishments as both a pop musician and a record company executive make him a singular figure in U.S. history.
His longevity is also remarkable. Alpert started his career as professional songwriter in the late 1950s, and decades later, he remains active as a bandleader, with a new studio album, “Wish Upon a Star,” set for release on Sept. 15.
Highlights on the compelling album include instrumental arrangements of the Disney classic “When You Wish Upon a Star,” The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” and, most surprisingly, Jerry Reed’s “East Bound and Down,” the theme song for the 1977 movie “Smokey and the Bandit,” which was released last month as the first single off the new disc.
Alpert and his wife — the Grammy-winning vocalist Lani Hall — along with their agile band will perform at the Vic Theatre on Sept. 16.
During a recent video chat from their home near Los Angeles, Alpert, 88, and Hall, 77, held hands like smitten teens. The duo wed in 1973 and will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in December.
In a business where many artists thrive for only a few years, Alpert has managed to maintain not only his health but also his creative drive.
“I play every day for the pleasure of playing,” the trumpeter said. “I love to do it. I started playing when I was 8 years old, and it’s just part of me. I love the process, because you never get to the promised land. You never get to the finish line. And that’s the beauty of being a musician. You never get to the place where you think you’re headed.”
Two of the new album’s tracks, “Sensibility” and “It’s All in the Game,” feature elegant lead vocal performances by Hall. Alpert provides exquisite trumpet work and subtle supporting vocals on those two tunes.
“Herb and I, when we work together, we always bounce ideas off each other,” said Hall, who is a Chicago native. “And that’s what happened with ‘It’s All in the Game.’ We just put the pieces together the way we wanted to.”
The concert at the Vic will include a giant screen, showcasing photos, memorabilia and video clips from throughout the artists’ careers.
The mid-1960s was a particularly exciting time for both Alpert and Hall. In that era, Hall was the lead singer in the internationally acclaimed band Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66. Alpert, meanwhile, was a superstar with multiple roles, serving as a producer and executive at the label he co-founded, A&M, and as the leader of the instrumental group Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass.
Mendes’ band and Alpert’s group both recorded for A&M, and their respective chart successes helped the independent label to soar. Thanks to instrumental hits like “A Taste of Honey” and “Spanish Flea,” Alpert became synonymous with peppy, feel-good melodies.
In April 1966, Alpert had four albums simultaneously in the Top 10 on the Billboard pop album chart. That type of chart dominance was unmatched by a living artist for decades, until July of this year, when Taylor Swift placed four titles in the Top 10. When Swift accomplished the feat, Alpert posted a message on TikTok, praising and congratulating her.
Alpert also conveyed his admiration for Swift during his interview with the Sun-Times.
“I think she’s a really good artist,” Alpert said. “She’s clever. She’s talented, and very sensitive to the audience that she’s playing for. And she deserves all this credit.”
Besides garnering media attention for his 49th studio album, Alpert has been in the news recently for a sad reason. Record executive Jerry Moss, the other co-founder of A&M, passed away on Aug. 16 at age 88.
Alpert and Moss launched the label in 1962, and by the time they sold it in 1989, A&M had earned a stellar reputation as an artist-centered company. A&M had an eclectic roster which, at various points, included The Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Janet Jackson, The Police, Billy Preston, Cat Stevens and iconic jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery.
“If it wasn’t for Jerry, I probably wouldn’t have the career I have now,” Alpert said. “He was a wonderful human being. He was honest. And it was all done on a handshake. We had no formal agreement between us. We had a very open, honest relationship. And I miss him greatly. He was a gentleman.”
In addition to being a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Broadway producer and generous philanthropist, Alpert is an accomplished painter and sculptor. One of his paintings graces the album cover of his new release.
“When I paint, I just go into another zone,” Alpert said. “I’m not a realistic painter. I’m an abstract expressionist. So, I just painted something that felt like [the song] ‘When You Wish Upon a Star.’ It’s like that old joke: How do you carve out an elephant? You take everything away that doesn’t look like an elephant.”
