Herb Alpert will add brass to pops with Pacific Symphony
Richard Kaufman recorded with Herb Alpert a few decades back, and a recording exists to prove it.
He just isn’t sure which one it is.
Kaufman, the principal pops conductor for the Pacific Symphony, distinctly recalls working on a track as a session violinist with the venerable trumpeter. With so many studio appointments on Kaufman’s schedule, however, he didn’t take note of the song’s title — and, hence, doesn’t have the performance in his record collection.
“My memory was, I felt very excited to be there, because it was an opportunity to work with Herb Alpert,” Kaufman said.
As it turned out, that long-ago session wasn’t the only such chance. From June 4 to 6, Kaufman will conduct Alpert and his ensemble, including wife and vocalist Lani Hall, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. And if anyone has a recorder running, well, consider the performance officially documented.
Aside from music itself, Kaufman and Alpert may have plenty to discuss when they meet for the first day of rehearsals. The current season marks Kaufman’s 24th as Pacific Symphony pops conductor, and he routinely guest-conducts with other orchestras around the world. A week ago, he took the baton for the Boston Pops’ Film Night series.
Alpert, meanwhile, has had a high-profile run of late. Last year, he won his eighth Grammy, taking Best Pop Instrumental Album for “Steppin’ Out.” In 2013, President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to music and work as an executive for A&M Records, the label he co-founded.
Could anything this year top those achievements in Alpert’s mind? The Malibu resident, who turned 80 in March, had a low-key response to that question.
“Just stay in good health,” he said by phone. “That could top everything. The other stuff really doesn’t matter.”
Last September, Alpert released his latest album, “In the Mood,” which leans heavily toward 20th century American classics: “Blue Moon,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Spanish Harlem.” The bandleader plans to draw from that disc for part of his Segerstrom show, which will also feature a medley from Alpert’s onetime band, the Tijuana Brass, and a vocal showcase for Hall.
Alpert — who has collaborated for decades with his wife, as well as his nephew, songwriter-arranger Randy Badazz Alpert — draws inspiration from making his band a family affair.
“We’ve been married for 41 years, and I am crazy about her,” he said of Hall. “She is a world-class singer and an amazing artist and an amazing wife. So we have the best time. I mean, traveling around the world, packing and unpacking, is definitely not one of my favorite things to do.
“But playing onstage and working with the same group for the last nine years, listening to my wife — it’s been a tremendous gift for me to be able to do that.”
Alpert and his small combo, which played on “In the Mood,” will take the spotlight for the second half of the show. In the first half, Kaufman will lead the pops in a summer-themed program that includes a sing-along to American standards such as “In the Good Old Summer Time” and “By the Beautiful Sea.”
As far as Kaufman is concerned, Alpert’s repertoire belongs in that company as well.
“The music of Herb Alpert was sort of the sound of America in the ‘60s and early ‘70s,” he said. “He had such a unique sound, and you’d hear his music everywhere, whether you were in an elevator or a doctor’s office or just anywhere. And the reason that he was so successful is because he is an absolutely fantastic musician in every way, not just as a trumpet player.”
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IF YOU GO
What: Herb Alpert and Lani Hall with the Pacific Symphony
Where: Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
When: 8 p.m. June 4 to 6
Cost: $35 to $185
Information: (714) 556-2787 or https://www.scfta.org