Herb Alpert and Lani Hall: Café Carlyle
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
Café Carlyle, NYC, March 10,2015
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Philipp Scholz Rittermann
Seeing Herb Alpert and Lani Hall was 100 minutes of great fun. Although it has been more that 50 years since the Tijuana Brass burst on the scene and almost 50 years since Hall lent her vocals to Brasil 66, the loving husband and wife team seem as fresh as ever. Alpert still plays trumpet with the best and Hall is a dynamic vocalist whose voice blends beautifully with Alpert’s trumpet. Both seem to be enjoying working together in front of an audience: and the enjoyment is contagious. Despite the fact that Alpert said that the way to make a million playing jazz is to start with three million, he appears to be doing quite well with his now improv style of playing. His banter with the audience is relaxed and produced many laughs.
Alpert and Hall mixed solo trumpet sessions and vocals seamlessly with Bill Cantos on keyboards providing great and often funny assistance. From the opening “Moondance” to the closing “Putting On the Ritz” followed by four audience-demanded encores, each song performed was a winner. Numbers included a medley of Alpert’s Tijuana Brass hits and a medley that combined “Begin the Beguine” with Alpert on trumpet and Hall’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” that melded together perfectly.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
