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May 26, 2008
Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, Yoshi's SF, 5/25/08
Years ago, while browsing the entertainment listings in the back of one of the free weeklies, I read that the great Nina Simone was scheduled to play SF Civic Auditorium. A lifelong fan of the High Priestess of Soul, I asked a few friends if they wanted to come along.
As it happened, the people I asked either weren't aware of her or already had standing plans (unless they were just letting me down gently). For lack of a companion, I ended up not going.
When I read her obituary about a 18 months later, regret coursed through me like an electric current. I can even recall a bitter, metallic taste.
I've come to understand myself a little better since then, which is why I purchased tickets to see Herb Alpert and Lani Hall in concert immediately after reading this review of their performance at Joe's Pub in New York.
Herb Alpert singularly informed popular music as a performer and producer. He shaped my tastes -- the transistor radio I possessed in the early 70s received only AM stations. Alpert is 73 years old, but it wasn't his age that compelled me to buy two tickets on the center aisle. It was the thought, "How many chances will you get to see Herb Alpert live in concert?"
Since the only logical answer was "I don't know," a decision was easily made.
Liz and I had a fine time at Yoshi's, our first trip to the new SF venue. The show was truly memorable -- a blend of traditional and Brazilian jazz, occasionally salted with a few bars from Greatest Hits material like "The Mexican Shuffle." Rather un-self-consciously, he seamlessly appended the beginning of "This Guy's In Love With You" to the end of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." His three-piece backing band was aces, though the pianist seemed a bit workmanlike to me.
Lani Hall's voice is in great shape. She fronted Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 and sounds just as smooth today as when she recorded "Mas Que Nada."
I wanted to hear some of the old stuff, but he didn't delve deeply into the back catalog, nor did he need to. He gave us just enough to satisfy the craving, but no more. C'mon -- he's Herb freaking Alpert! Everyone in that room could have hummed "Spanish Flea" in unison, it's so deep in our cultural DNA. Instead of exhuming his oldies, he spoke enthusiastically to the audience between songs, taking questions and telling stories.
Another thing that was particularly nice to see: he and Lani Hall really seem to be a lot in love. People on stage are intensely aware of how they present themselves, but there was something unguarded and open about the way they looked at each other that spoke to a deep and abiding connection. At least twice, he referred to her as "my bride" with that sense of awe and disbelief that nerdy guys sometimes display when they speak of the woman who said "yes."
Or so I hear, anyway.
Posted by Your Protagonist at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)