It was a blast from the past with Malibu’s Herb Alpert and his new take on the Tijuana Brass at Pepperdine University last week. The sold out show was a benefit for Malibu’s Urgent Care, a vital part of the community. The goal was to help raise $500,000 to make Urgent Care a first class facility. Alpert and wife Lani Hall donated 100 percent of the profits to the cause.
“As good as it is, it can be even better,” Alpert told Malibu Seen.
One Malibu resident who came to mind was the late great Tom Petty who electrified the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks ago only to die after suffering a heart attack days later on his way to Santa Monica UCLA.
When Malibu’s Lou Adler arrived in his white beanie, it was show time and the audience was in for a treat.
The Grammy Award winning trumpeter and his longtime vocalist wife conjured up a magical mix of jazz, world and American standards that lit up the stage.
Herb’s outstanding talent has earned him five No. 1 hits, multiple Grammy Awards, 14 platinum albums, 15 gold albums and, all told, 72 million records sold. (Not bad!)
The Los Angeles native soared to success with the Tijuana Brass in the early ‘60s with hits like the “Lonely Bull.” Medleys were played and much was made of Herb’s album cover “Whipped Cream and Other Delights,” which featured a young babe wearing nothing but whipped cream. Lani also cranked out some amazing tunes including “Besame Mucho.” From 1966 to 1971 she performed as the lead vocalist for Alpert’s Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66.
Together the two were a force to be reckoned with. They delighted the crowd with wide screen paintings of Herb’s eye-popping acrylic art, romantic pics of the couple kissing and vintage video clips, along with classic numbers like the theme song to The Dating Game to more recent hits like “Rise.” He also gave his fans a rise by conducting a sing-a-long to the popular hit “This Guy’s in Love with You.” By the end of the show of smooth soothing sounds, the crowd was in love too—with Herb and Lani.