Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: On the road 60 years later!

<p>There are still a few&nbsp;bands who made their names in the 1960s who tour and perform in 2026. But it’s hard to imagine one hipper, cooler and more evocative of what it actually felt like to be alive in American in the 1960s than <strong>Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass</strong>. Between 1962 and ’69, this band released 12 albums and scored countless hits on the charts, including beating out the Beatles for Number 1 hits in 1965.&nbsp;</p> <p>At age 90, Alpert has nothing left to prove. His achievements as a musician, a producer, a businessman, a philanthropist, a sculptor and painter and more are legendary. If you’re foggy on any of that, check out the film <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Herb-Alpert/dp/B09SLBDGB1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Herb Alpert Is…</a></em></p> <p>So we know there is only one reason why Alpert would reunite the band that first made him famous for an ambitious tour&nbsp;more than 70 years after its formation, and over 60 years since the band played live in anything like its original form: <em>Because it amuses him.</em></p> <p>And it clearly does. At a sold-out show at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT, on March 26, the man was having the time of his life, telling stories, cracking jokes, inviting audience commentary as if we were in a small club and conducting his six-piece combo like the master bandleader he is. They charged through the hits, “The Lonely Bull,” “Spanish Flea,” “Tijuana Taxi,” “A Taste of Honey,” “Zorba the Greek,” “Whipped Cream,” “Casino Royal,” and of course, perhaps Alpert’s biggest hit, “This Guy’s in Love With You,” at which point Alpert invited—well, more or less commanded—the audience to sing along with him, which they did.</p> <p>There is something about this band’s blend of pop-jazz, mariachi and skiffle-band boogie that really captures a 1960s vibe, something beyond the better remembered rock and soul sounds of the decade. And there’s no doubt that this crowd was feeling it, as you can tell from my cell-phone highlight reel. The show is cleverly punctuated with evocative video moments: Alpert’s appearance on “What’s My Line,” him being introduced by Louis Armstrong and goofing with Sergio Mendes of Brazil 66. </p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T5aR1fytsh0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p>Alpert renders his signature horn sound with all the warmth and wit fans remember. Based on my conversations with Alpert for this website&nbsp;(see below), he would say that he plays much better now than he did back then. And his performance in New Haven certainly backed that up. There’s a Miles-like serenity in his tone, the direct expression of a wise and&nbsp;loving heart.&nbsp;</p> <p>Full disclosure: Between the ages of six and twelve years old—roughly the run of the original TJB—I was a super fan, collecting all the albums in an almost fetishistic way, and listening to them constantly.<br></p> <p>But even if you were just a casual listener in those heady years of the ‘60s, you could not escape this sound. Undaunted all these years later, Alpert and the TJB have expanded their summer tour. There are still some tickets left if you move fast, <a href="https://herbalpert.com/us_main_page_section/tour/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>My conversations with Herb Alpert:</p> <p><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/interview-going-places-with-herb-alpert">Going Places with Herb Alpert (2016)</a></p> <p><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/herb-alpert-talks-about-the-25th-edition-of-his-arts-awards">On the 2019 Herb Alpert Awards.</a></p> <p><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/herb-alpert-remembers-hugh-masekela" rel="noopener" target="_blank">On Alpert’s memories of Hugh Masekela.</a></p> <p><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/herb-alpert-on-the-2023-herb-alpert-award-in-the-arts-and-more">On the 2023 Herb Alpert Awards.</a></p> <p><a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/herb-alpert-on-the-sunny-side-of-the-street">On his 2022 album, “Sunny Side of the Street.”</a></p>