Catch The Wind

2010年代に8枚のスタジオ・アルバムをリリースし、健在振りを見せつけたハーブ・アルパート。そんな彼から未発表レア・トラック集「Lost Treasures」を経た2021年オリジナル・アルバム「Catch The Wind」が到着！9つのオリジナル曲、ビートルズの“Eleanor Rigby”“Yesterday”のカバー、アメリカのクラシック曲“Smile”“America The Beautiful”“Summertime”が収録！

Arriving on the heels of his 2020 documentary film Herb Alpert Is..., 2021s Catch the Wind finds legendary pop trumpeter Herb Alpert continuing to put his distinctive instrumental stamp on nicely curated covers and originals. Along with his career-spanning documentary, Catch the Wind is a continuation of Alperts late-career resurgence that began in the 2000s with albums like 2009s Anything Goes and 2011s I Feel You, and which culminated in a Grammy win for 2013s Steppin Out and a nomination for 2016s Human Nature. What continues to be particularly intriguing about Alperts work here is his knack for rethinking his Tijuana Brass roots, offering new twists on classic songs. To this end, he takes on the Beatles, transforming Eleanor Rigby with a moody adult contemporary vibe and vocals by his wife Lani Hall, a combination that brings to mind Stings solo work. He also sinks into an orchestral version of Yesterday that balances classical string shimmer with his own Miles Davis-like trumpet leads. Similarly, he frames his warm trumpet on America the Beautiful against an underpinning of fretless bass and strings, a style that surprisingly evokes the sound of Carly Simons Let the River Run from the Working Girl soundtrack. There are also several engaging originals, including the 1960 organ groove of Slick (featuring keyboardist Jeff Lorber) and the tropical, clubby R&B of the title track. Theres also the funky Dance with Me, which recalls Alperts 1979s disco-infused Rise. We also get several acoustic jazz numbers, including Will I See You Again and a poignantly fragile rendition of Smile. Heartfelt and stylistically wide-ranging, Catch the Wind is an enjoyable update of the easy listening traditions that Alpert helped create. ~ Matt Collar