The Hollywood Bowl was packed on Sunday night as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass returned to the storied venue for the first time in 59 years. At 91, the band leader took clear pride in the occasion, telling the crowd, "This is a dream come true for me. I never thought I'd be doing this at 91."
For years Alpert had shown little interest in reviving his 1960s band brand as a full touring concept. Family members and business partners eventually persuaded him that a purposefully nostalgic show would draw larger, more celebratory crowds. That prediction proved accurate last fall, when Alpert and the Brass sold out a theater tour that culminated in a pair of appearances at the Dolby Theatre in November. This summer the party moved uphill to the Bowl, a setting where the sense of time travel could feel all-encompassing.
A Set Rooted in the 1960s
The nearly all-'60s program leaned heavily on nostalgia, with overhead screens showing vintage clips from television programs like "Laugh-In," "The Dating Game" and "What's My Line." For longtime fans who grew up with a copy of "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" in the living room, the associations were immediate. Even younger attendees appeared to catch the spark of joy in the arrangements, built on the distinctive sound of trumpets playing in unison, or two trumpets and a trombone, without vocals.
The evening opened with a lengthy, crowd-pleasing introduction from pop legend and one-time Alpert protege Paul Williams. He recounted the well-known story of how A&M Records began in a garage on a handshake between Alpert and Jerry Moss, and how Alpert resolved to start his own label after an engineer slapped his hand at a mixing session. Williams framed the anecdote around Alpert's guiding principle that artists should always come first.
Ninety-One and Undiminished
Alpert and company took the stage with "The Lonely Bull," the top 10 hit that launched both the artist and A&M. He followed with a run of hits and deeper cuts that reinforced his Latin-flavored charm: "Memories of Madrid," "Spanish Flea," "Bittersweet Samba," "Mexican Shuffle" and "Tijuana Taxi." Striking on this tour is how minimal the ensemble is, with just two horn players beyond the star: Kris Bergh on trumpet and Ryan Dragon on trombone.
Though he performed mostly seated, Alpert pulled his full weight and showed no signs of the vocal decline that has affected many pop performers in their later years. He delighted in an unpredictable ritual, swiveling his chair to point at players and cue their solos. "Every night it's different, because they don't know when I'm gonna call on 'em," he told the audience. The band, none of whom played in the 1960s lineup, included Bill Cantos on piano and marimba, drummer Ray Brinker, bassist Hussain Jiffry and guitarist Kerry Marx.