(Contemporary Jazz / Smooth / Trumpet / Vocal Jazz) Herb Alpert & Lani Hall - Anything Goes (Live) {Concord Jazz CJA-31441-02, USA} - 2009, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

By EDWARD BLANCO
Published: January 7, 2010
Though trumpet legend Herb Alpert and wife Lani Hall have been together for more than three decades, it's hard to believe that Anything Goes is their very first album together. A musician and entrepreneur, Alpert is best known for his work in the 1960s with his Tijuana Brass, five number one hits, eight Grammy Awards and fifteen gold albums. As co-founder of A&M Records, Alpert's impact on music has been even greater. After signing Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 to A&M and producing the group's first recordings in the 1960s, Alpert met and later married lead singer Lani Hall. After being together on stage many times, Alpert and Hall collect a set of eight live performances recorded across the United States for Anything Goes.
The selection of music could not be better, as the duo draws on a total of fourteen pieces including standards from the songbooks of Harold Arlen and Cole Porter to Gershwin and Irving Berlin classics, Latin and Brazilian music. The years have treated Hall kindly, as her vocal energy has not diminished in any discernible way. Some of her finest performances can be heard on songs like "That Old Black Magic" and "I've Got You Under My Skin," but perhaps her best and most powerful vocals are on the two Brazilian songs, Djavan's "Para-Raio" and Ivan Lins' classic, "Dinorah," both sung in Portuguese.
Hall shares vocals with pianist Bill Cantos on the opening " Fascinating Rhythm" and the stunning Cantos original , "Who Are You," where she reaches high notes with ease. Cantos joins Alpert on "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face," with drummer Michael Shapiro and bassist Hussain Jiffry rounding out the group's musical support. As for Alpert, he is simply amazing; whether on open trumpet or muted horn, he leads the music, providing a slew of gritty solos and holding court on several instrumentals including "The Trolley Song," Consuelo Velazquez's Latin classic, "Besame Mucho," and David Raskin's immortal "Laura."
Alpert may be viewed through the prism of pop music, largely because of his success in the genre and partly of his own doing when he stated that, during the 1960s and 1970s, " [I] was in the closet as a jazz musician because I wasn't quite sure where I fit in." He now firmly asserts that, "I' m basically a jazz musician...Jazz is always in my spirit." With Anything Goes, Alpert cements his jazz pedigree, and as for this long-awaited duo record, these two very special people and partners for life make beautiful music together...and lucky for us. Anything Goes immortalizes their performance once and for all; hopefully there is an encore in the waiting.
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By NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO
Published: August 17, 2009
There is a very unique characteristic that permeates this CD from beat one throughout its entirety. And, given that this effort was recorded across a series of live performances, it makes trumpeter/vocalist Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall's Anything Goes all the more special. That characteristic is intimate, and the result of that intimacy is joyous listening.
While this is their first combined CD, Hall and Alpert are certainly no strangers—they have been married since 1973. Their combined artistic efforts here do go extremely well; this CD is a thoroughbred winner. Sending up 14 perfectly chosen Latin-tinged selections from the Great American Songbook to Broadway—nothing unexpected from the Tijuana Brass' leader and former ""Sergio Mendes}}' Brasil '66 lead vocalist—Anything Goes features two mature artists with nothing to prove and every emotion to examine and deliver.
Hall's still recognizable vocal instrument has mellowed a bit since she gave us "Fool on the Hill" and other number one hits with Mendes. Here her voice is tonally and lyrically meticulous ("Who Are You?") and marvelous. She thrills across a rainbow of song types, grooves and languages (Portuguese on "Dinorah/Morning," for example). She is smooth, sultry, and wonderfully witchy with the beat, cooking jazz on "Morning Coffee," too
Alpert's trumpeting, whether playing solo ("The Trolley Song") or dancing around Hall's beautifully tosstructed lyric delivery ("Besame Mucho") displays minimalist virtuosity and taste. There is a "Jackie and Roy" touch when vocalizing with Hall, while "Accustomed to Her Face" is a moving me/you musical love letter signed, sealed and cliché-delivered with Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" tag.
The rhythm section supports beautifully and tastefully across the date—never too "studio tight." Pianist Bill Contos is beautifully refined in his comping and harmonic support, while drummer/percussionist Mike Shapiro keeps fires glowing as bassist Hussain Jiffry splendidly pulses and pushes.
The production effort and engineering are outstanding. Anything Goes does indeed go—straight to being a marvelous, impeccably presented and produced performance. It is the other delights that Alpert's Whipped Cream & Other Delights (A&M, 1965) generated what seems like only yesterday. Forego the spoon and devour. Delightful.

Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Iconic trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert and his wife, renowned singer Lani Hall, present original arrangements of classic American standards with the color of Brazilian music scattered throughout.
Customer Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars - HERB ALPERT & LANI HALL IN OUTSTANDING, JAZZY LIVE PERFORMANCES, August 18, 2009
By" RBSProds "rbsprods" (Deep in the heart of Texas)
Five MARVELOUS Stars!!! Grammy-winners Herb Alpert and wife Lani Hall perform intimate, jazz-charged songs recorded live in front of enthusiastic club audiences across the nation. And this CD shows their artistry is still burning bright after 5 decades of musical excellence, indeed one performance is Grammy-nominated. The 60's was a period of musical consolidation and discovery, and highly visible in the mix was recording company executive Alpert as the driving trumpet force of the mixed-bag "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass" group. And Lani Hall's fluid, hip, sweet voice was the driving vocal force of Sérgio Mendes' jazzy mixture of bossa nova, Beatles, Simon & Garfunkle, funky piano, and pop standards wrapped in a group he called "Brasil '66". Both of these groups were part of Alpert's stable of artists under his high-selling A&M recording company label. The spell of latin rhythms was key: the "Brass" had hits with "Tijuana Taxi" and the "Lonely Bull", while Mendes' mixed straight Brazilian popular music (MPB) like "Mas Que Nada", with Americanized versions ("For Me" was Mendes' English-version of the huge Brazilian-Portuguese hit "Arrastão" that made Elis Regina a star), and with Beatles' hits like "Fool On The Hill". Alpert even made a record-setting splash with disco/dance era chart-topper Rise, while Hall was making Spanish-only CDs (Lani Hall - Es Facil Amar won her a Grammy) and singing a Bond movie theme ("Never Say Never"). This CD centers around standards, originals, and MPB and has both surprises and revelations of their still-evolving musicality. Bill Cantos (piano, keyboards, and background vocals), Hussain Jiffry (electric bass) and Michael Shapiro (drums & percussion) offer exceptional support.
The 'best of the best' begins with "Fascinating Rhythm" featuring both a sassy Hall blending with Alpert on vocals and with Alpert stretching farther out in solo than expected on muted trumpet. Djavan's "Para-raio" (Lightning Rod) finds Hall wonderfully showing off her Portuguese vocal gymnastics, with Alpert ripping off a wonderful open bell trumpet solo. "The Trolley Song", "It's Only a Paper Moon" (using open and muted bells on a unique double-bell trumpet which allows immediate switching), the closer "Laura" (in a Tijuana Brass mode), and the Grammy-nominated "Besame Mucho" find Alpert on trumpet with the trio playing with fire and humor. An unusual "Old Black Magic" has Hall and muted Alpert shifting to a minor chord and mood that effectively recasts this old Tin Pan Alley classic. Perhaps best of all is Ivan Lins' classic "Dinorah"/Morning", where Hall finds new vocal nuances in a song that has been recorded by everyone from Elis Regina to George Benson. Alpert shows off excellent chops and ideas in his solo as does pianist Cantos. "Morning Coffee" by Cantos is a pure expression of what we have always known: Lani Hall is an exceptional jazz vocalist who has sung to us over the years, through many demanding solo and group contexts, in multiple languages. "Who Are You?" (Cantos, again!) has Hall singing beautifully, recalling the days of superb gems like "Slow Hot Wind" and "So Many Stars". "Anything Goes" is wrapped in Thelonious Monk's "Misterioso": an arrangement that works surprisingly very well. This CD, which has clear, immediate sound, shows that Ms Hall and Mr Alpert are vital performers and hopefully have other musical surprises in store for us in the future. Highly Recommended. Five JAZZY Stars!!
(Trivia: The combination of Alpert's #1 "This Guy's In Love With You" (vocal) in '68 and #1 "Rise" (instrumental) in '79 set a Billboard chart first for an artist going to #1 separately as a vocalist and instrumentalist. Lani Hall and Herb Alpert are the parents of actress Aria Alpert.
This review is based on an iTunes Plus download with digital booklet and IMDB.com information.)
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5.0 out of 5 stars - WELCOME HOME MR. & MRS. A., August 31, 2009
By: Alan Dorfman "JukeboxJunkie812" (DELRAY BEACH, FL United States)
It might surprise many of you that it is now 47 years since Herb Alpert released his first album, "The Lonely Bull." It certainly surprised me that it has been 10 years since his last release, 1999's "Colors." Listening to his new CD "Anything Goes" the big question that comes to mind is "Where have you been Herb?"
Between his multi-million selling string of successes with the Tijuana Brass (all of which have been recently reissued in remastered versions) and his disco period (which produced hits such as "Rise" and "Diamonds" with its Janet Jackson vocals), it is easy to forget that Herb Alpert comes from a jazz background, especially if you were amongst the many who didn't buy his albums in the 80s and 90s. Yet he was able to blow toe-to-toe with Hugh Masekela in 1978 and has produced such lovely music as his "Under The Spanish Moon" and "My Abstract Heart" albums to mention two.
Well after sitting out most of the '00 decade, Herb Alpert is back with a straight-forward jazz album and a live one at that. He is by turns sprightly ("It's Only A Paper Moon,") subtle ("That Old Black Magic" or "Let's Face The Music And Dance"), playful ("The Trolley Song"), sultry ("Besame Mucho") and flat-out swinging ("Laura"). He even puts down his horn and sings, as he did on his biggest hit "This Guy's In Love With You," on the tender "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face."
Luckily for us he leaves the bulk of the singing to his wife, Lani Hall. If the name doesn't ring a bell, she was one of the femme singers front and center in Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 when they scored most of their big hits. Personally one of the biggest musical disappointments in my life was when she put her singing career on the back burner in favor of wife and motherhood. And I apparently am not alone inasmuch as when a rare Lani Hall CD shows up on eBay it brings big bucks.
Consequently it is a true pleasure to have her back and live, using that warm, enveloping, lovely voice that her cult of fans have been missing. And her husband is not afraid to let her shine, which she does over and over whether it is on standards ("Fascinating Rhythm," "Let's Face The Music And Dance," "Anything Goes," and "I've Got You Under My Skin") or sambas ("Para-Raio" and "Dinorah/Morning"). While all of the previously mentioned titles are wonderful, the true standouts for Mrs. Alpert are the uptempo "Morning Coffee" and the lovely ballad "Who Are You?" (with some background help from Bill Cantos).
This CD is a wonderful surprise which made me realize just how much I've been missing new music from this pair of brilliant artists and performers. You may not realize it yet but you do need this CD. I hope it won't be another decade before they re-emerge with more wonderful new music like this gift they have just given us.
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5.0 out of 5 stars - Handsome Musical Sound, October 2, 2009
By: Ernest C Tong "pdxet" (Portland, Oregon United States)
Herb Alpert, Lani Hall & Company create a top notch musical experience in concert with "Anything Goes" that sounds better with each repeated listening.
It's wonderful to hear Lani's lustrous voice after so many years. This time she treats us to her Great American Songbook interpretations while still romping like a Brazilian thoroughbred through "Pararaio" and "Dinorah/Morning." The crystalline sound amplifies every nuance in her supple vocals--she's stated she vocalizes everyday and this recording finds her in excellent voice and form.
Herb's solos and background riffs are always tasty and range from the south sea island mysterious "That Old Black Magic" to cooking renditions of "Besame Mucho" and "Laura." There is also a lovely twist on his take of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" that surprises the listener with a musical O Henry ending.
The backup group lead by composer/pianist Bill Cantos is top notch ... you can tell everyone is having fun here! Top cuts: /"Anything Goes" / "Dinorah/Morning" / "That Old Black Magic" / but they all are gems!
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All other Customer Reviews at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Anything-Goes-Herb-Alpert-Lani/product-reviews/B001Y44EMG/

Concord Jazz presents Anything Goes, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall’s live collection of beautifully reinterpreted standards. This is the first time that the celebrated duo has recorded a complete album together and is Alpert’s first new CD in 10 years since the debut of Colors in 1999. A love letter to each other and a tribute to their enduring personal and professional relationship, Anything Goes is to be accompanied by tour dates across the country.
Music icon, legendary trumpet player and bandleader, philanthropist and visual artist
Herb Alpert has sold more than 72 million albums worldwide as a musician and bandleader of the groundbreaking group, the Tijuana Brass. He has won seven Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for “A Taste of Honey,” and had three of his recordings—the early TJB hit “Whipped Cream,” 1966’s “What Now My Love,” and his 1979 solo hit “Rise”—honored with inclusion in the Grammy Awards Archive Collection.
Alpert and Jerry Moss founded A&M Records in 1962, and A&M went on to became one of the world’s leading independently owned record labels and home to such renowned artists as The Police, The Carpenters, Carole King and Janet Jackson among others. During this time Herb produced the likes of Stan Getz, The Baja Marimba Band, Gato Barbieri, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, and his wife of more than thirty years, internationally renowned singer Lani Hall. Lani’s own Grammy-award winning career as a vocalist stretches from the 1960s, when she amassed hits as lead singer with Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66, leading into a string of solo albums in English, Portuguese and Spanish that began with 1972’s “Sun Down Lady.”
"Herb and Lani have put together an incredibly special and heartfelt recording," said John Burk, Executive Vice President of A&R at Concord Music Group. "It is truly an honor to welcome such esteemed artists to the Concord family."
Anything Goes was produced by Herb Alpert and Lani Hall and recorded live at venues in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Washington DC, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco and the Napa Valley Opera House. The 14-song collection features American standards such as Cole Porter’s original song and title track “Anything Goes” as well as a few instrumental songs including “Laura” and Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame Mucho.” Lani also sings in Portuguese on the tracks “Pararaio” and “Dinorah/Morning.” The recording features Herb Alpert on trumpet and vocals, Lani Hall on vocals, Michael Shapiro on drums and percussion, Bill Cantos on keyboards and background vocals and Hussain Jiffry on electric bass.
Source: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/Anything-Goes-Live/