During the summer of 1979 (could have been 1980), I spent a couple of weeks with my maternal grandparents. I was 12. And I'm not sure whether or not it's an insult to my grandparents, or Herb Alpert, but I tought myself to play the song "Rise" on a trumpet I found in their house. They had a bench hanging from an old pecan tree in the backyard, and there I spent hours torturing the nearby cattle (and anyone else within earshot) as I "perfected":February 24, 2009
"Rise"
During the summer of 1979 (could have been 1980), I spent a couple of weeks with my maternal grandparents. I was 12. And I'm not sure whether or not it's an insult to my grandparents, or Herb Alpert, but I tought myself to play the song "Rise" on a trumpet I found in their house. They had a bench hanging from an old pecan tree in the backyard, and there I spent hours torturing the nearby cattle (and anyone else within earshot) as I "perfected":
One of my all-time favorite songs.
ReplyDeleteDo you also remember "Feels So Good" by jazz musician Chuck Mangione?
Mother had Alpert's album Whipped Cream; I listened to it by the hour when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteDid you know he founded A&M Records, and that he co-wrote "Wonderful World"? Not Louis Armstrong's signature song, but the Sam Cooke tune that starts out "Don't know much about history; don't know much biology".
Sure. I had to check my memory for a sec to be sure it was "Rise" and not "Feel So Good" I had learned that summer. Both songs were popular around the same time if I'm not mistaken. Mangione hit some notes in that song I couldn't have hit!
ReplyDeleteI probably heard about Alpert writing that song. He has been a real force in the music biz, for sure.
Love this! Just didn't realize it was Herb Alpert and never had seen that funky video. Our recently defunct smooth jazz station played both old and new jazz, and Rise was in heavy rotation.
ReplyDeleteMy parents also had (and still have) Whipped Cream in their record collection. I remember thinking the cover was neat.
Did you ever master Rise?
Amy, I think I mastered it in my own mind. I'm sure my rendition was awful!
ReplyDelete